Drugs.
 Drugs have been around ever since the
early stages of humanity.  The timeless
temptation of drugs has been constant, mostly because of their popularity.   Since
human beings first discovered, in ancient times, that they could alter their
consciousness via chemical means, they have had a hard time trying to stop
themselves from doing it.  Sad people
feel happy, sick people feel well, the tired feel spry, weak people feel
strong, shy people feel brave and even the ugly feel sexy.  But, what are drugs?

            According to the FDA which stands
for federal drugs administration, a drug is any substance other than food that
provides nutritional support when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed
or dissolved that can cause a temporary physiological and often psychological
change in the body.  In pharmacology, a
pharmaceutical drug, typically used for medical purposes; is a chemical
substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote
well-being.  Thou it is mainly used for
medicinal purposes, it is not hard to recognize the damage that drugs in excess
can cause to a person, a family or a community.  The dangers of drug addiction are
far-reaching, ranging from an individual to a nation.  Drug abuse can affect your life and the lives
of those around you.

            Now, here is the science behind it.  There is a broad variety of drugs known, yet
much of them remain illegal and not much is known about their effect.  This mainly because of the harmful qualities
they possess.  According to an article
published from the National Institute of Drug Addiction (also known as NIDA),
most drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit” by flooding it with
the chemical messenger, dopamine.  This
reward system controls the body’s ability to feel pleasure and motivates a
person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time
with loved ones.  This overstimulation of
the reward circuit causes the intensely pleasurable “high” that can
lead people to take a drug again and again.  As a person continues to use drugs, the brain
adjusts to the excess dopamine by making less of it and/or reducing the ability
of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it.  This builds up a tolerance, which may lead to
the individual’s urge to continue and use more or other stimulating chemicals
or drugs that would lead them to get to achieve the same dopamine high.  It can also cause them to get less pleasure
from other things they once enjoyed, like food or social activities.

            I truly believe that everything in
excess can be dangerous.  Thou the exact
cause of drug addiction still remains a mystery, a combination of facts may
influence the risk for addiction. The more risk factors a person has, the
greater the chance taking drugs can lead to addiction. Like alcoholism,
long-term use will impair your abilities to think, learn, behave and even
remember to a point in which you most likely will not be only affecting
yourself but also those who surround and care about you.

            Drugs are meant to be for the
well-being of others, but it sometimes ends up getting strictly out of hand.  Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes,
many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of
addiction.  The good news is that drug
addiction, like many other diseases, is treatable and can be successfully
managed.  The best way to prevent drug
abuse is to stay out of them.