Synthesis Essay On Drug Use

Words: 1582
Pages: 7

¬¬Introduction
Drug use is highly prevalent in United States today. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2014), “addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” These brain changes can be long lasting and can lead to many harmful, often self-destructive, behaviors. In 2007, 19.9 million Americans aged 12 or older were current users of illicit drugs, and 6.9 million Americans over the age of 12 were classified as having either abuse of or dependence on illicit substances (Grant, 1996). This paper will examine if people that inject drugs are more likely to be arrested, if they view their life as more dull, and if males are more likely to be drug injectors’. Literature Review
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Meaning that they are taken to help deal with emotional problems or can also be used as a recreational use. The most common forms of drugs in America are caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis/weed, heroin and crack-cocaine, to name a few. Although it may seem like heroin, cannabis or crack may be highly addictive, cigarettes and alcohol are actually the highest of addictive substances (Piazza & Deroche-Gamonet 2013).
According to Piazza & Deroche-Gamonet (2013), there are two factors that really play into becoming an addict or having risks that can lead into it and they are an individual's vulnerability and/or the amount of exposure to drugs. This means if someone has addiction that runs in their family or has had some type of emotional problem it can lead them into a drug like lifestyle or the drug helps them cope, and/or it can also mean they are overexposed to a drug like