Over Twenty-three million Americans had used illegal drugs in the month leading up to a survey on drug use conducted by SAMHSA. Narcotics are one type of drug, and can be accessed legally or illegally. Legally available narcotics are prescribed to control severe pain, and while beneficial and necessary if used properly, have the potential for serious and dangerous side effects. Due to their nature, even legally prescribed narcotics can result in abuse and addiction. Many of us know someone struggling with an addiction that started with legal use of a prescribed painkiller. The attribute of this type of drug that allows someone to build up tolerance to their effect contributes to this. Seventy-four percent of prescription-drug related deaths were a result of abuse of these narcotics. It is a serious epidemic. Illegal narcotics, including heroine and other opiates, are incredibly dangerous and highly addictive, and sometimes are turned to when an addicted individual can no longer access the legal version of a narcotic. There are ways to get help, however, whether for yourself or a loved one, before it is too late.
Key Points:
- 1Thousands of varieties of drugs, both legal and illegal, are available for use. All drugs affect a user’s body in some way, but their exact effects depend in large part on their particular chemical components. Most drugs are classified according to specific categories, such as hallucinogens, stimulants and depressants. Narcotics are a type of drug that have the potential to be addictive. Because of their addictive potential, this type of drug should only be used according to a doctor’s specific prescription. Any other type of use is considered abuse and can lead to addiction and other possibly life-threatening conditions.
- 2Illegal drug use, abuse and addiction are serious problems in the United States. SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2012 found that 23.9 million Americans aged 12 and older, or 9.2 percent of that population, had used illegal drugs in the month before the survey. It also reported that over 22 million people aged 12 and older struggled with either substance abuse or dependence.
- 3Narcotics, also known as opiates or painkillers, are commonly abused in the United States. The National Institutes of Health explain that narcotics work in the body by binding themselves to pain receptors in the nervous system so that the pain signals are blocked. As a result, this type of drug is sometimes prescribed to temporarily treat severe pain that doesn’t respond to other forms of pain relievers.
Thousands of varieties of drugs, both legal and illegal, are available for use. All drugs affect a user’s body in some way, but their exact effects depend in large part on their particular chemical components. Most drugs are classified according to specific categories, such as hallucinogens, stimulants and depressants. Narcotics are a type of drug that have the potential to be addictive. Because of their addictive potential, this type of drug should only be used according to a doctor’s specific prescription. Any other type of use is considered abuse and can lead to addiction and other possibly life-threatening conditions.
Read the full article at: https://www.foundationsrecoverynetwork.com/what-are-narcotics-and-why-are-they-addictive/
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