Drug Abuse Facts and Statistics

Drug Abuse facts and Statistics

Of late, the drug abuse had become one of the social menaces that have mandated the attention of everyone. It has become so popular and famous that we tend to spend atlas half an hour to one hour daily to understand the concepts in detail. What starts with a word of trying to taste only once grows and roots down to a point where the individual finds it hard to live without the use of drugs.

Such an instance, where the individual finds it difficult to live without taking the next dosage of the drug is termed as drug addiction. But can one really get out of drug abuse? What are the problems that can come in when once decides to quit drug usage? Get to know more by reading the following article in detail.

Causes of Drub Abuse

Some of the very prominent causes of drug abuse include

• Hereditary intake of drugs.
• Disturbed childhood
• Peer pressure
• Lack of confidence when it comes to confronting the reality
• Broken family situations
• Unavailability of supervisors during teenage
• Easy access to drugs
• Irresponsible parents
• ‘try only once’ attitude among the youth of today
• Failure to meet the youth understand the hardships of reality
• Ill treatment undergone during childhood and the like.

Effects of Drug Abuse

When an individual becomes a chronic and a regular user of drug, then his addiction to the drugs develops an irrevocable dependency for the drug. In such scenarios, thinking about withdrawal is itself tough.

With the chronic and regular drug addiction, the individual often faces weight loss. In some cases, he becomes obese. Other physical effects of drug abuse include irritability, enlarged pupils, red watery eyes, nausea, running nose, slurred vision, lack of coordination, excessive sleep, unusual changes in daily routine, drowsiness and visible needle marks all over the body.

Drug addiction does not only affect the physical appearance of the individual but also tarnishes the emotional, behavioral and mental aspects of the individual concerned in the long run. A drug addict often fails to become a part of social gatherings. He seldom participates in a social get together. He becomes a person who enjoys being alone. He experiences sudden changes in his circle of friends. Things which were once giving him pleasure and happiness becomes things that irritate him. He becomes absent minded beyond limits.

Drug abuse not only ruins the health of the individual but also brings the family to shambles in the long run. Often, the family of the drug addict becomes mentally perturbed. They family members experience an inexplicable financial distress.

Where can you get Help?

Getting help for the problem of drug addiction is very much necessary. The earlier, the better. But often, it is very tough to convince the drug addicts on getting them rehabilitated. The best place to start with is counseling centers. Making them attend a few sessions of counseling can induce several questions in them.

A consultation with a medical practitioner in parallel with the counseling sessions can help in understanding the intensity of drug abuse and the type of treatment that would really be necessary for the individual to get out of the habit.

SAMHA is one of the agency where you can expect to get help regarding drug abuse. Your medical practitioner or experienced people who have undergone rehabilitation can really come up with valuable ideas on drug withdrawal.

Being in constant touch with self help groups and participating in behavioral and medical therapies can help and quicken the process of drug withdrawal. Medical detoxification is the most important part of drug rehabilitation.

Tips to Choose the Best Rehabilitation Center

• The center that you choose should look at the problem in several perspectives.
• If you have a mental illness associated with drug addiction, the treatment for both of the problems should be offered in parallel.
• The rehabilitation process offered should be financially affordable
• The center should be near to the place where you are put up,
• The rehab center should keep the individual motivated throughout the process.
• The center should have proper licenses and establishment rights from the government.
• No single treatment can pacify the needs of all individuals coming in,. the center should be able to asses your needs on a periodical basis and should be able to modify the treatment methodologies for you frequently.
• The center should provide medical detox procedures, counseling therapies and self development techniques.
• The center should educate the individual on the importance of sober living and the likelihood of relapses.
• The rehab center should be able to identify the triggers for drug addiction and should constantly monitor that the drug addicts are really out of the triggers during their rehabilitation process.
• The center should be able to identify all possible triggers and should make sure that the individual is out of all of them throughout the process

Surprising Drug abuse Statistics

The statistical data related to drug abuse is often unbelievable. Get to know the most common ones by reading the following section of this article.

• In United States of America, the root cause for 25% of the total deaths can be attributed to drug abuse.
• 65% of drug addicts get access to the drink via their close family and friends.
• The most commonly used drug among American youth is alcohol.
• Chronic alcohol consumption kills youth 6.5 times beyond normalcy.
• Alcoholism is the most prominent cause of birth abnormalities.
• Drug withdrawal is not just as easy as anyone thinks. The process can bring in hallucinations, paranoia and seizures. Drug withdrawal in rare cases can even prove to be fatal.
• Medication cost of a drug addict is almost 2 times the medication cost for a clean individual.
• Drug addicts tend to take up 527000 emergency rooms for treatment in one year.
• Almost a death toll of 10000 can be attributed to chronic alcohol abuse within a timeframe of one year,
• Drug abuse is the most common problem among food service and construction workers.
• 75% of domestic violence is caused by drug addicts.
• Children who come from a family which practically experiences the drug addiction problem is more likely to suffer from asthma, ear infections and are very vulnerable to poor performance in schools due to the tarnished home environment.
• 50% of Americans have a beloved one who is suffering from drug abuse problem at any given time
• The age group that is worst affected by drug addiction is 18-29
• 1in 4 teens have a frequent discussion with their parents on drug addiction, its ill effects and aftermath. The teens that do that have proven to be less prone to get into this habit than the ones who don’t.
• 28% of school teens are aware of at least one of their friends who is a chronic drug abuser. 17% of them know more than one.
• The drug consumption generally begins at adolescent years. Statistics reveal that the average age is 12.5 years
• Alcohol usage is most prominent among Hispanics. Whites and African Americans follow suit
• Hispanics are the ethnic group that is very popular in the arena of illicit drug consumption
• Heroin and cocaine contribute to 70% of illicit drug addiction problems across America
• Among school children who come out of the eighth grade, 52% have tasted alcohol, 41% have smoked cigarettes at least once and 20% have given weed consumption a try

What is that you can do To Solve the Problem of Drug Abuse?

There are some basic things that each one of us can really do to solve this social menace

Read and following and adhere to some of the basics and start the ant drug abuse initiative right away.

• Ensure that you as a person would not even give this a try even when forced to.
• If you see a beloved one of yours suffering from drug addiction, volunteer and render help.
• If you have a family member who is suffering, render your moral support to the person in all aspects.
• Don’t ever try to insult the drug addicts for it may complicate the situation even more.
• Try to find the best rehab center available in your area and get your beloved one to a popular psychiatrist and get help
• Finance would be a big problem when ti comes to withdrawal. Get help from social groups and ensure that the drug addict gets help from self help groups frequently
• Motivation and patience are the keys that can help the addict come out of the problem. Do what you can in aiding them to get this in throughout the withdrawal process.
• During sober living, make sure that the drug addict is not amidst triggers.

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