Drug Lawyer Helps Explain Why People Use Drugs
There are many reasons that can drive people to start using drugs. They may want to alleviate pain, enhance performance, or try out of curiosity. Sadly, these reasons can lead to drug abuse or addiction, which often results individuals to harm themselves in the long run physically, mentally, and/or emotionally.
How does drug usage spiral into addiction? What do drugs do that make people crave the high so badly? To provide insight on these questions, and to better understand drug use, we’ve listed below some information on how drugs work.
How Drugs Work In the Body
Depending on the kind of drug and the amount consumed, people will experience different effects – mentally and physically. One thing all drugs have in common is that, on some level, they impact the brain. The reason people get addicted to drugs is because they interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals which control how we feel.
People start to crave this constant feeling of satisfaction, hence why they continue to take the drug. After some time, the body will build up a tolerance to the drug enticing the user to take a larger dosage. At this point, it’s likely that this person needs the drug(s) regularly to not feel sick or anxious because he/she has trained their body to have a new minimum threshold for feeling good.
Different Drugs Affect the Body in Different Ways
Below are a few examples pulled from an article by the National Institute on Drug Abuse on different types of drugs and the long term effects associated with them.
- Alcohol: Difficulty with cognitive skills like making decisions, solving problems, etc.
- Marijuana: Short term memory loss or trouble focusing.
- Heroin, prescription pain relievers (opioids) or sedatives: Health concerns caused by low heart rate and slow breathing. Extreme cases have led to coma or death.
- Cocaine and methamphetamine: Feeling of paranoia causing one to potentially be violent or have panic attacks.
- MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly): Leaves one in a dazed state of mind leading to problems with attention, memory, or sleep.
- LSD: Loss of emotional control and confusion with reality.
*For a more extensive list, read the full article on the National Institute of Drug Abuse website.
Help Lines and Legal Expertise
If you or someone you know struggles with drug use, you can call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (toll free) at any time. This direct line will help to find the closest drug center to the caller at the time of the call.
Our team has expertise in working on drug use cases, drug possession, and other drug-related charges. If you are looking for legal support or advice with drug-related charges, contact our team 24/7 at (904) 355-6777. We’re here to help.