Alcoholism and drug addiction are quite common in today’s society. Some estimates have shown that over twenty percent of the United States population battles with some form of drug addiction, alcoholism or substance abuse problem.
Drugs and alcohol bring only destruction, sorrow, and pain, they affect not only the addict, but also the people in his/her life. Hurting friends and family, drug addiction also permeates professional settings. Employees with drug addiction or alcohol dependency issues hurt businesses and create aggravating and possibly unsafe work environments.
Many untrue myths on the origins of drug addiction and alcoholism continue to circulate. Some attempt to pinpoint the social groups most affected. Others attempt to recognize drug addiction and alcoholism as illnesses or moral defects. These falsehoods perpetuate unnecessary confusion, fear, and shame. Drug addiction or alcoholism does not appear in any particular component of society; they affect every socio-economic class, ethnicity, and gender. There is no reason to label drug addicts with untrue and unfair stereotypes. At some point everyone struggles with life’s hurdles and needs help from others. Drug addicts and alcoholics are no different from anyone else. No one chooses drug addiction or alcoholism; rather, drug addiction and alcoholism steals from him/her.
In this self help and personal development book you will learn about the different drug types, addiction to them and how to combat dependence.
Excerpt:
Life can be crazy. Life can be stressful. Life can be hard to take. These are all truths that are just simple facts. Because life can be difficult, people look for different ways to cope with the stress that life brings.
Regrettably, drugs have become the most prominent coping mechanism that people use to deal with life’s problems. There are many reasons why people begin using drugs. They are looking for a way out – an escape – a way to forget life for just a little while.
Methamphetamine use has grown to alarming rates in the United States with over 25 percent of the population addicted to this drug. Twenty-three percent of high school seniors use marijuana on a regular basis. Forty-three percent of adults report having a problem with alcohol.
The statistics also reveal that drug use, including alcohol and cigarettes, is beginning earlier in life. Children are experimenting with drugs as young as 10 years old, and many middle schoolers have already had their first taste of alcohol by seventh grade.
What are even more disturbing are the health effects that drug use and abuse causes. Last year alone, there were over 20,000 alcohol-induced deaths not including car accidents, and deaths due to heroin overdoses have increased by two percent in just the course of one year.
Drug addiction doesn’t discriminate either. Many famous celebrities have struggled with addiction as has the common man. You can be a regular housewife or the head of a company and find yourself struggling with drug dependence.
What can you do? The answer is – a lot. If you find yourself with a problem, the time to take action is now. You could check yourself into a rehabilitation facility, but you can also try some self-help steps first.
This book is intended for both the person who is addicted and for those who have a loved one with addiction. We’ll look at the signs of a problem and address the various drugs that are most likely to cause dependence. Then, with the help of experts, we’ll give you some strategies that you can try to get you back on the road to a drug-free life.
You can overcome your dependence on drugs. It won’t be easy, but you can do it. But you have to start now. Don’t be addicted anymore. Start your journey today!
WHY PEOPLE USE DRUGS
The reasons people use drugs are varied. Essentially, though, drugs give us a desired effect producing a feeling of euphoria that makes us feel better – at least temporarily. There are hundreds of ways that drugs help people cope with life and each person has their own reason why they choose a certain drug.
Drugs can help calm you down, give you energy, overcome shyness, and avoid feelings of loneliness. They may you feel bolder and want to take risks you wouldn’t normally take. They are used to perhaps fit into social situation and get into a “party” mood and even to celebrate happy occasions.
Medically, drugs are used to alleviate pain, help you to sleep, suppress anger, combat anxiety, and avoid depression. They can be used to cope with stress, stimulate your desire for sex, and lose weight.
Many people report that they began using drugs as a response to peer pressure. Those around them would use drugs, so to fit in, they began using as well.
The ways drugs affect us are countless—for everyone. So much so that often it seems that drugs can cure all our ills and help us overcome whatever bothers us. If that’s all there were to it, we might consider each drug to be some kind of “wonder drug.”
This is where the thought process gets a little skewed. People begin to crave the feeling of euphoria that they get when they use drugs and that’s when it becomes a problem. It can be a vicious cycle. You feel you can’t live without the feelings that drugs give you and that you just won’t be able to cope with life without those drugs. That’s what breeds addiction.
Let’s look at various drugs of choice that people often use and what those specific drugs can do.
