 It is when one is dependent on any kind of substance, illegal drug or a medication  You may not be able to control your drug use  It can cause an intense craving for the drug

 What starts as a casual use leads to drug addiction  Drug addiction can cause serious, long- term consequences, including problems with physical and mental health, relationships, employment and the law.

 Many different reasons to experiment › Curiosity › To have a good time › Friends are doing it › An effort to improve somewhere; sports, school › Ease another problem such as stress, anxiety, or depression

 But two of the main factors include: -Environment. Environmental factors includes a variety of influences. It can include your family, friends, the socioeconomic status, and the quality of life in general. Is also includes things such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and parental involvement is a huge influence of drug abuse and addiction in a person's life.

 -Biology. The genes that people are born with (in addition to environmental influences) are accounted for half of their addiction exposure and vulnerability. Their gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders influence the risk of drug abuse and addiction.

 -Development. Development stages in ones life can greatly affect addiction in addition to genetic and environmental factors. Adolescents usually experience a huge challenge due to brain development. Adolescents are still developing in areas such as decision making, judgment, self-control, & are very prone to risk-taking behaviors, including being curious of drug use.

 Varies by individual  Drug abuse and addiction is less about the amount of substance consumed, and more to do with the consequences of drug use  If drug use is causing problems in your life- at work, school, home- you likely have a drug abuse or addiction problem  YI-Kpf5M

 Percentage of Admissions**Substance or Drug  23.1Alcohol only  18.3Alcohol + another drug  17.0Marijuana  14.1Heroin  8.1Smoked cocaine (crack)  6.5Stimulants***  5.9Opiates (not heroin) ****  3.2Nonsmoked cocaine (e.g., cocaine powder)  0.6Tranquilizers  0.2PCP  0.2Sedatives  0.1Hallucinogens  0.1Inhalants  0.4Other drugs  2.2None reported  About 60 percent of admissions were White, 21 percent were African-American, and 14 percent were Hispanic or Latino. Another 2.3 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native, and 1 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander.

 Percentage of Admissions**Race/Ethnicity  59.8White  20.9African-American  13.7Hispanic Origin  2.3American Indian or Alaska Native  1.0Asian/Pacific Islander  2.3Other  The age range with the highest proportion of treatment admissions was the 25–29 group at 14.8 percent, followed by those 20–24 at 14.4 percent and those 40–44 at 12.6 percent

 Percentage of Admissions** Age Group           or older 

 Drug chemicals tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process info.  Two ways that drugs cause disruption: › By imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers › By over stimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain

 Some drugs like marijuana and heroin have a similar structure to chemical messengers called neurotransmitters  The similarity allows drugs to “fool” the brain’s receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages

 Drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine can cause cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters (mainly dopamine)  They can also prevent normal recycling of brain chemicals that is needed to shut off signaling between neurons

 The result is a brain oversupplied in dopamine (Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers)  Produces overjoyed effects in response to psychoactive drugs  This reaction sets in motion a reinforcing pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the rewarding behavior of abusing drugs

 Person who continues the abuse makes the brain adapt to the overwhelming surges in dopamine the brain adapts and the user keeps using drugs to bring dopamine at that high level  This is an effect known as tolerance

 It causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits  Glutamate is altered by drug abuse the brain attempts to compensate, results can impair cognitive function  Studies show dramatic changes in areas of brain that are critical to › Judgment

-decision making -learning and memory -& behavior control  All together these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively  That is the nature of addiction

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