It is difficult to give a clear answer to the question of why one person becomes addicted to drugs and the other does not. Actually, it can happen to any of us. The addict’s journey usually begins with experimenting with drugs, after which, over time, experiments turn into regular use.
Drug addiction is a lifelong illness. Although addiction can not be completely cured, one can still live and enjoy a drug-free life. The sooner a person realizes their addiction and calls an AddictionResource addiction helpline, the more effective the treatment results will be. Even if you still have doubts about the necessity of getting help, better call a national drug abuse hotline and find the answers to all your questions. It is free and anonymous.
In this article, you will find out why drugs may be more dangerous than you got used to thinking. Here are 7 important facts about them.
Table of Contents
1. When buying drugs, no one knows what the real composition of a substance is and how pure or strong the drug really is.
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These are illegal substances that no one controls and for which no guarantees apply. And although there will always be someone who will assure that “the substance is absolutely pure”, or that “others have tried and nothing happened,” in reality, such statements are impossible to prove. Despite these claims, sellers often do not even know what they are selling. Instead of cannabis, you can buy synthetic analogs or carfentanil, instead of the usual fentanyl, etc. Only because of this, a huge number of adolescents and adults ended up in the hospital or died from an overdose.
2. The goal of the drug dealer is not to please you, but to make money.
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The goal of a drug dealer is to get regular customers and secure a steady income. Sometimes dealers can be drug users themselves and thus finance their addiction.
The most dangerous thing is buying or using drugs at parties. Alcohol impairs self-control and the ability to make informed decisions. Drug dealers know it and use to their advantage in order to sell more and make money. For example, on the island of Ibiza, drug trials are carried out on people, which are later planned to be introduced to the market.
3. The younger the person, the more harm the drug does to the body (primarily the brain), and the higher the risk of addiction are.
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The frontal and parietal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for analytical and empathic abilities, as well as for self-control, develop intimately at the age of 12–25 years. Drug use inhibits the development of these areas of the brain and harms the abilities that are most needed in society – memory, as well as the ability to think and learn. Since the part of the brain that is responsible for self-control is still developing in young people, the risk of addiction increases significantly compared to adults. Drug dealers know this – they are just trying to choose minors as victims in order to create a base of regular customers for themselves.
4. It is dangerous to use several substances simultaneously or alternately.
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Any mixed drug use means significantly higher risks. For example, the simultaneous use of several stimulants, that is, substances that speed up the body (energy drinks, ecstasy, and amphetamine), creates a very large burden on the body, especially on the heart. The consequences of this can be poisoning, dangerous dehydration, and overheating of the body (hyperthermia), which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest.
The simultaneous use of several different depressants, i.e., substances that slow down the body, such as alcohol, heroin, fentanyl, hemp, sleeping pills, and antidepressants, can lead to an extreme slowdown of the heart and respiratory arrest, and result in coma or death. And when mixed with narcotic substances that speed up and slow down the central nervous system, the consequences can be generally unpredictable. In such cases, it is very difficult for doctors to provide assistance to the injured person. You can get even more information on the mixes if you call a drug help hotline.
5. No one can predict in advance how drugs will affect your life.
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Drugs affect every person in a different way. This influence depends on genes, health, and emotional state. The easiest way is not to try them at all. And, although not everyone becomes addicted, how it will turn out for you, it will be possible to find out only when you have already tried drugs. Only one thing can be said for sure: not a single addict planned to become a drug addict – at first, everyone was sure they could control the situation.
6. Modern drugs are more powerful.
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For example, compared with the 70s of the XX century, cannabis now contains significantly more addictive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which increases the risk of addiction. In addition, there appear more and more potent analogs of fentanyl on the market, and more pure cocaine is available to consumers. All this significantly increases the risks associated with drugs, including the danger of overdose.
7. In a state of drug intoxication, you cannot drive a car, just as you can not get into a car, the driver of which used drugs.
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The danger of an accident while intoxicated is very high. Thus, people endanger their own and other people’s lives and health. Using cannabis products greatly affects motor coordination, perception, and alertness. Research shows that the ability to drive in a straight line after consuming 20 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (one medium joint) is reduced as much as when drunk in one ppm.
