. The misuse of both legal and illegal drugs can result in serious health issues as well as impair the social skills of an individual. For instance, abusing opiates can cause death when taken in generous amounts. Additionally, it can lead to reduced productivity as well as ruin personal relationships. The thesis of this paper is that drug tolerance is undesirable since it results in harmful outcomes for the individual and those around him/her.
When a person misuses drugs, his or her gene expression can be altered, resulting in modified human behavior. The relationship between drugs and altered brain activity results in unpredictable emotional states in people. For instance, people who abuse drugs have been known to throw tantrums, suffer from withdrawal symptoms when they are not accessed to drugs and other intoxicants (Kalivas & Volkow, 2014). The medical and social impact of drug abuse is high. With the high or increased intake of legal and illegal drugs without prescription creates a drug dependency problem that makes it difficult for one to quit or do without the drugs. In this manner, a person becomes enslaved to the drugs and cannot function properly without consuming the drugs.
Drug abuse has the net effect of increasing one’s exposure to certain medical conditions. For instance, people who misuse drugs run a high risk of increasing their exposure to diseases of the liver, lungs and throat and heart. The toxins in the drugs poison the body and kill or impair one’s immunity against certain disease-causing factors. Psychologically, some drugs can cause an individual to experience hallucinations and increase one’s exposure to depression (Madras & Kuhar, 2013). Drugs interfere with the neurological composition of an individual. Drugs such as alcohol and other stimulants affect the dopamine and serotonin compositions during neurotransmissions, a phenomenon that can predispose one to violent activity such as assault (Brady & Sinha, 2014). Through a process called dis-inhibition, a person dissociates from the constraints of his ego and superego, losing a sense of logic and becoming very excited (Kalivas & Volkow, 2014). When consumed in high doses, some drugs have been known to render one immobile and inactive. Drug abuse reduces one’s productivity both at home and the workplace. It is difficult for a person to remain productive when disabled both physically and mentally.
Additionally, drug abuse has been known to increase accidents. Since drugs reduce one’s ability to make cogent decisions, operating machinery and handling operations in an industrial climate become risky and life threatening. Accidents have happened when people drive cars while under the influence. From a societal point of view, drug abuse is one way of getting into the criminal underworld. Juveniles are usually recruited into delinquency, which is usually a step away from crime through drugs.
From these arguments, it is important to consider the harmful effects of drug abuse through the spectacles of scientific evidence. The relationship between drug addiction and unhealthy living is clearly established in this essay. From the careful use of sound logic, truth and validity, the article manages to establish the contoured relationship between drugs and their harm to the individual and society. For instance, the explanation of how drugs affect the gene expression and the circuitry of the brain is both logical and valid. The connections are firmly established through well-researched points.
References
Brady, K. T., & Sinha, R. (2014). Co-occurring mental and substance use disorders: the neurobiological effects of chronic stress. American Journal of Psychiatry.
Kalivas, P. W., & Volkow, N. D. (2014). The neural basis of addiction: a pathology of motivation and choice. American Journal of Psychiatry.
Madras, B., & Kuhar, M. (Eds.). (2013). The Effects of Drug Abuse on the Human Nervous System. Elsevier.
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