13.DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE

13.DANGERS OF DRUG ABUSE

"Dangers of Drug Abuse" is an essay by Dr. Hardin B. Jones that discusses in detail the dangers of drug use and abuse. Drugs were discovered to prevent physical and mental diseases. This led people to believe that any disease can be cured by taking a pill. For instance, when experiencing nervousness, people often turn to pep pills. In order to mislead the public, medical journals promote tranquilizers, amphetamines, and mood-altering drugs. These factors contribute to drug abuse. The author states that if a person overuses drugs, they will lose their ability to solve life's situations through perseverance, self-discipline, and mental effort.

Dr. Jones emphasizes that it is not appropriate to criticize the medical field for drug abuse because the field has a great history dating back to Hippocrates. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, provided remedies to his patients based on disease symptoms, body constitution, and habits. The author suggests that physicians should prescribe appropriate medicine to cure specific diseases. The positive effect of drugs is their restorative nature. However, the negative effect is that if a healthy person takes drugs without any disease, it will disrupt the healthy functioning of the brain and body.

Dr. Jones then discusses the importance of distinguishing between medicines and recreational drugs. Recreational drugs are those that are not necessary for the body and only provide a strong sense of pleasure by directly stimulating pleasure centers or through chemical mimicry. The brain controls sensations, moods, thoughts, and actions through a series of chemically controlled processes. Recreational drugs alter these chemical processes, affecting the healthy functioning of the brain. These changes particularly affect mechanisms that control pleasure and satisfaction.

The essay highlights the impact of drug abuse. When an individual starts abusing drugs, they become less satisfied with the amount they are consuming and develop a craving for more. In severe addiction, the pleasure mechanism fails, leading to depression, physical problems, and personality disorders. Drug addicts may struggle to understand their surroundings and the people they interact with. Their minds are constantly disturbed, leading to a mental state comparable to paranoia. They become suspicious and introverted, feeling that everyone is looking at them strangely. Addicts may even have a sense of being emotionally numb, leading them to press their arms or legs deeply to remind themselves that they are alive. This prompts them to seek more and more "drug-induced sensations."

The reason why drug addicts find it difficult to quit is that the harmful side effects of drugs are not immediately apparent. The only symptoms are incidental delirious effects and death from overdose. In extreme cases, drug addicts may face various health issues. Drugs can directly affect the brain, altering mental mechanisms and causing abnormal behavior.

Drug abuse can also cause many diseases. If drug addicts use dirty needles for injecting drugs, it can result in abscesses in the arms and veins, liver disease, venereal disease, and kidney and brain infections. Sniffing cocaine and amphetamines can damage nasal tissues, while smoking marijuana and tobacco can cause lung diseases. Heavy users of alcohol, volatile solvents, amphetamines, and marijuana can permanently damage their livers. If pregnant women consume drugs, their babies can become addicted and experience withdrawal symptoms. Cocaine and amphetamines can lead to hair loss, and marijuana can damage cells. The lifestyles of drug users make them more prone to pneumonia, tuberculosis, and weight loss. An overdose of recreational drugs can result in respiratory or cardiac failure and death. Recreational drugs alter the chemical processes of brain cells, potentially changing cell pathways and connections. Depending on the extent of cell damage, the side effects can be temporary or permanent.

Dr. Hardin B. Jones concludes the essay by urging us to be aware of the harmful effects of drugs and to lead a healthy life.