Introduction

Drug abuse seems to be a widespread issue in the current world.   However, a lot of individuals do not even comprehend why or how other people develop drug addictions. The condition of drug addiction, also known as substance dependency syndrome, is characterized by a person's intense desire to use drugs. There are also additional behaviours associated with addiction. These include having trouble stopping the urge to take the substance and considering drug usage to be more essential than more usual things like family or work (Hamed, 2022). When a person stops using the drug for a while, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. A person who is addicted generally becomes dependent on a certain sort of substance.  A person with an addiction problem is one who might quickly develop a drug dependency. Drug addiction is recognized as a mental disease. Many different mental problems are associated with drug addiction. Drug abuse is harmful because it may alter a person's ability to process and manage their emotions, memories, and attitudes. Continued use of drugs can therefore result to the problem of addiction which is a major concern in our today's society. 

Substance Abuse, Drug addiction and Associated Problems

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a major issue in American society, affecting both young people and adults.   According to recent statistics, drug misuse is directly responsible for the deaths of around 500,000 Americans annually. Each year, alcoholism is directly responsible for the deaths of an additional 200 000 people (Hamed, 2022). Compared to deaths caused by all other drugs, legal and illicit, this one causes the most deaths each year. Instead of trying to regulate or outright outlaw illicit substances. Unfortunately, around 10% of Americans are alcoholics, and 50% of Americans regularly drink beyond the recommended limits (Oh et al.,2022). About 30% of adults smoke cigarettes, with 15% of those people smoking at least one pack daily. Nine percent of U.S. adults report having used an illicit drug at some point in their lives. Only around 6% say they never use bhang, while 1% say they use it every day. Cocaine use is most prevalent across the population. Drug addiction is therefore a costly, terrible, and severe problem.

Addiction to drugs is a brain disorder that manifests itself over time. Substance abuse disorder is characterized by obsessive drug seeking, insatiable craving, and repeated relapses to address the distressing psychological effects of quitting (Meyer, 2019). Addiction progresses through the phases of bingeing and intoxication, withdrawing and anticipation. A person reaches the binge/intoxication stage when they consume intoxicating drugs, which causes the release of dopamine in the ventral striatum and the subsequent enjoyment of its consequences. Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental region and the substantia nigra exhibit a phasic response after being repeatedly exposed to the drug. They return to their initial cues after stopping to respond to predicted reward (George and Koob, 2017). As a result, this boosts incentive salience, a phenomenon in which an individual's desire persists despite a decline or stability in the underlying incentive.

The withdrawal phase starts with the onset of unfavorable feelings and physical symptoms associated with withdrawal. This is due to the suppression of the brain's reward mechanism and the stimulation of the stress neurotransmitters in the prolonged amygdala after cessation of drug use. As a result, the person may relapse to try to ease their symptoms.  Cognitive impairment characterizes the anticipation stage, which is marked by relapse and obsession with thoughts of obtaining and using the drug again (George and Koob, 2017).  Addiction to drug abuse is therefore a chronic, complicated, multifactorial condition that inhibits one's capacity to make sober decisions about substance use due to disruptions in the dopamine system.

People often take drugs repeatedly because they have hedonistic ideals. This is also true for those with a drug addiction condition. A person with a substance use problem will continue to use drugs or alcohol despite negative consequences in their personal and professional lives, as well as the presence of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological signs that suggest distress (Meyer et al., 2019). Its severity may vary with the amount of clinical symptoms. When a person's maladaptive behavior patterns cause them to become impaired, frequent drug exposure becomes an issue. Tolerance, or the need to use more of a drug to obtain the same effect, and withdrawal, or using more of the same substance to cope with or prevent the onset of withdrawal symptoms, are two hallmarks of substance addiction. It also increases the risk that the person would fail to maintain important connections with friends, coworkers, and family members. Further, the user may maintain usage despite worsening health and mental issues. Moreover, there are occasions when the person drinks more than planned and would want to cut down on consumption but is difficult to do so because of the craving effects (McLellan, 2017). The effects of substance use disorder extend beyond the diagnosed person to include all of the people with whom they are associated with.

Different individuals have different perspectives on the drug problem. Many people who regularly use drugs have the misconception that their addiction is natural and manageable. For instance, a large portion of today's youth believe that self control alone is sufficient to overcome drug and alcohol dependency. They assume that I f you ever decide you want to, you can stop using drugs completely. Abuse of drugs over a prolonged period of time causes structural and functional changes in the brain, leaving the user with an overwhelming need to use again. These changes to the brain make quitting very difficult. Another prevalent misconception that contributes to prejudice is the belief that nothing can be done to stop drug usage and addiction (Johnson et al., 2021). Addiction is thought to originate in the brain; however, this does not make the addict hopeless. Addiction-related brain abnormalities are treatable with psychotherapy, pharmaceuticals, and other therapies like as exercise. 

Over the years, drug abuse and addiction has become more common in the US due to the reluctance of government officials. Drug policies and legislation do little to prevent drug abuse. Therefore, 10% of the adult population in the United States suffers from addiction problem. Drug abuse disorders are often overlooked despite their prevalence, complexity, and prevalence with other mental health concerns. Despite substantial funding, not much is done to reduce drug abuse or consumption, help those who are addicted, or improve the social and health conditions that make drug use more likely. Current measures to reduce drug abuse are ineffectual. Since the beginning of the drug wars fifty years ago, both the availability and misuse of illegal drugs have skyrocketed (McCance-Katz, 2019). A variety of health problems and criminal activity have therefore been increased due to the poorly drafted drug laws because of the prosecution of drug users, dealers, and other restricted actors and precise accountability measures. 

Drug addiction may be physical, mental, or a mix of these factors, depending on the substance. Indications of physical dependency manifest themselves when drug use is intentionally reduced or discontinued, as might happen during sickness or withdrawal. When a person becomes psychologically dependent on a substance, it's because they need the drug in order to feel good. When this happens, the user may become preoccupied with getting and consuming the substance to the point of being addicted. Tolerance is another important aspect of this process (Hamed, 2022). When tolerance does develop, as is often the case with drug misuse, the abuser must take ever-increasing amounts of the substance to have the same effect. This inevitably results in addiction, where tolerance and dependence are major contributors. Depending on the substance and the method of administration, drugs may either slow down or speed up the central nervous system. Drug abuse may therefore lead to a variety of negative outcomes, including mortality, psychiatric issues, and mood disorders.

Several factors, including genetics, affect drug and alcohol addiction. Genetic polymorphism is defined as difference in DNA sequence in a population that results in multiple forms of a particular protein. It can affect metabolic pathways, transport mechanisms, and drug targets, all of which can increase the likelihood of undesirable side effects or even death (Haga, 2017). Some Asians, for instance, have a greater threshold for the effects of alcohol, whereas members of other ethnic groups often need larger doses to get the same effects. This lowers the risk of their developing an alcohol consumption problem (Meyer et al, 2019). People with low D2 dopamine receptor occupancy are more vulnerable to developing a drug use problem because they tend to regard psychostimulants as enjoyable (Prom-Wormley, Ebejer, Dick, and Bowers, 2017). Therefore, this highlights the importance of considering hereditary factors while treating drug abuse.

Differences in a person's sexual orientation may also impact how they react to a certain drug. During the process of elimination of the drug from the body system, because of their slower metabolic rates, women need higher dosages of medicines than males to have the same effect. There are also differences between the sexes in terms of pharmacodynamic parameters, such as the number and shape of receptors. The pharmacokinetics of alcohol use clearly demonstrate how men and women use drugs differently.  If a woman consumes the same quantity of alcohol that a male does, then because of their lower levels of stomach alcohol dehydrogenase, she will have higher amounts of alcohol in her blood and will thus experience a more intense degree of intoxication (Meyer et al, 2019). The differences in how men and women react to drug use and subsequent substance abuse disorder are largely the result of their biological make-up.

Some addicts may feel it is not their fault that they have a mental disorder that causes them to abuse drugs. However, doing so would not serve the greater welfare of society. Women who get pregnant while misusing drugs are particularly in need of assistance. When people are so wrapped up in their drug usage that they ignore or mistreat their children, it's because the drug use itself is more important than the well-being of their kids. Seventy-five percent or more of domestic violence victims say that their attacker was under the influence of alcohol or drugs (Haga, 2019). Moreover, drug addicts pose a risk to the health of unborn children. Drugs including marijuana, cocaine, and other amphetamines are used by about 4% of pregnant women in the United States. A newborn exposed to these drugs may therefore be born prematurely or underweight, with symptoms of withdrawal, abnormalities, or with learning and behavioral issues.

Drug abuse and addiction has an increasingly significant financial effect on businesses and their personnel. While many addicts are unable to find or keep steady employment, those who do pose a threat to the safety of others on the job, particularly in high-stakes professions like piloting planes or operating trains or buses where even the smallest distraction might have fatal consequences (Hamed, 2022).  Drug misuse has a negative impact on businesses since addicts are a liability on the job and often steal from their employers. To sustain their addiction, they steal money or items like electronics, and consumer goods to buy drugs. Drug addiction in the workplace may thus have a negative impact on a company's bottom line due to lost productivity and higher usage of medical and insurance benefits.

Conclusion

Drug addiction and other drug use disorders continue to be a problem for public health. The use of illegal drugs and alcohol continues to put a burden on the economy, despite the fact that the total number of deaths due to overdoses has decreased. The brain disease known as addiction is a dangerous condition that causes compulsive drug seeking and intense desires. The use of substances may have a negative impact on a person's life, leading to problems with employment, one's family, and one's income. Different people may have quite different reactions to the same drug because of individual differences. These differences may therefore play a role in determining whether or not a person will go on to develop a drug addiction problem.

References

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Haga, S. B. (2017). Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine: Precision Medicine and Challenges in Research and Clinical Implementation. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/drug-response

Hamed, Z. S. (2022). Drug Abuse as a Contemporary Social Problem. Iraqi Journal of Pharmacy, 18(2), 194-202. http://dx.doi.org/10.33899/iphr.2022.170407

Johnston, L. D., Miech, R. A., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., Schulenberg, J. E., & Patrick, M. E. (2021). Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2020: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. Institute for Social Research. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED611736

McCance-Katz, E. F. (2019). The national survey on drug use and health: 2017. Substance abuse and mental health services administration. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/333896622.pdf

McLellan, A. T. (2017). Substance Misuse and Substance use Disorders: Why do they Matter in Healthcare?. Transactions of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, 128, 112–130. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5525418/

Meyer, J. S., Quenzer, L. F., & Yates, J. R. (2019). Psychopharmacology: drugs, the brain, and behavior. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/psychopharmacology-9781605357423?cc=ke&lang=en&

Oh, H., Besecker, M., Huh, J., Zhou, S., Luczak, S. E., & Pedersen, E. R. (2022). Substance Use Descriptive Norms and Behaviors among US College Students: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study. Epidemiologia, 3(1), 42-48. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/2673-3986/3/1/5

Prom-Wormley, E. C., Ebejer, J., Dick, D. M., & Bowers, M. S. (2017). The genetic epidemiology of substance use disorder: A review. Drug and alcohol dependence, 180, 241–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.06.040