Addiction & Drug abuse-Part I

Question

abhisar · Answer

Adolescence is a period when a person has lots of questions but very few answers. He/She is always ready to take risks and seeks thrill in their lives. They don't have the ability to judge or foresee things. This is the most vulnerable period of one's life. I am gonna discuss few of the adolescence problem in this and few of my next posts. Take it as a peer to peer discussion, feel free to ask anything (don't u dare to ask how to ask a girl out :D). I'll try my best to share my experience.

abhisar · Answer

Starting with $\sf \color{red}{addiction}$, which is habitual, psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice which is beyond voluntary control. A person who is habituated to a substance or a practice, especially a harmful one, is called an $\bf addict.$. So it's not only an alcoholic who is addict, if you waste your time too much in things like facebook, snapchat or god knows whateva things are on these days, in a manner which detoriates you in long run, you are addict and you need to act.

abhisar · Answer

Let's move on to some social diseases, Smoking, drinking and use of drugs frequently or regularly are social diseases. They adversely affect the health of the addicts and the society. Young people take these habits for fun, show off or curiosity, as an adventure or feeling of freedom, or as a gesture of defiance against the elders who themselves indulge in these activities but check the youngsters. All of the above are the most stupidest things i have ever heard but unfortunately are true !

Then there are some people who take these because they are unable to face problems of life, indifference shown by members of family, and encouragement or pressure by friends. `The last one is the most common reason and trust me if your friend tries to encourage you to indulge in such activities then he/she is not your friend. He/She is dangerous and you should stay away from them. `
Remember, a person is judged by his/her friend circle

abhisar · Answer

Now what happens when a person facing problems in life takes drug ?
He/She feels a temporary escape from the life problems and mental relaxation in the beginning. This increase person's interest in them and soon they become habitual and find it difficult to leave. The daily dose to get the desired effect also increases with time.

abhisar · Answer

Now, let's talk about various kinds of drug abuses. Let's start with most common activities like smoking tobaccoo, drinking alcohol.

abhisar · Answer

$\huge \bf Tobacco$
$\bf source$
Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica) is a tall, annual herb belonging to the family Solanaceae (the same family to which potato belongs :D). It is native of South America, where the Red Indians first started using it for smoking. Now it is grown almost everywhere in the world, Dried and cured leaves of its young branches form commercial tobacco, a harmful intoxicant.

abhisar · Answer

$\bf Modes~of~use$
Tobacco is used for smoking, chewing and snuffing. Its main stimulating component is a poisonous, volatile alkaloid $\bf nicotine$, which causes addiction. Nicotine synthesis occurs in roots of the plant but is stored in the leaves. Inhaling tobacco smoke from cigars, cigarettes, bidis, pipes and Hubble-Bubble (hookah) is called smoking. Cigar is a roll of tobacco leaf, cigarette is cut tobacco wrapped in paper. Bidi is tobacco wrapped in a piece of leaf, it has no filter and is smaller than a cigar. `The quantity of nicotine in one cigar may prove fatal if injected intravenously into a person`
When smoked, only 10% of the smoke is inhaled and hence no immidiate ill effect is observed.

anonymous · Answer

I don't see the reason to smoke. Noting good will come out of it in the end. It's good to go out and find something in your life that brings you happiness and relieves anxiety like a "hobby" I for one enjoy baseball or riding my bike or going to a friends house.

abhisar · Answer

$\bf Effect~of~Nicotene$
In low concentration, Nicotene
i) Stimulates conduction of nerve impulses
ii) Relaxes the muscles
iii) Release adrenaline, increasing heart beat rate and blood pressure. Increased blood pressure due to smoking enhances the risk of heart diseases.
iv) Retards foetal growth in expecting mothers
v) It is the main component of tobacco which causes addiction.
In high concentration, nicotene paralyses nerve cells.

abhisar · Answer

Besides the poisonous nicotene, the tobacco smoke contains carbon monoxide, `polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cancer causing element)` and tar.

abhisar · Answer

$\bf Diseases~caused~by~smoking$
Now lets talk about some of the common diseases associated with smoking.

1) $\bf Cancer$
$\bf Benzpyrene$, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon present in tobacco smoke is carcinogenic. `About 95% of the victims of lung cancer are heavy smokers!` Smoking mutates the critical gene, called P 53, which helps protect the body from cancer.

2) $\bf Cardiovascular~Diseases$
Adrenaline released under the influence of nicotene increases blood pressure and heart beat rate by constricting the arteries. High blood pressure increases the chances of heart diseases.

3) $\bf Smoker's cough and Bronchitis$
Tobacco smoke irritates the mucus embrane of the throat and bronchi, causing smoker's cough and Bronchitis. This lowers the resistance of this membrane to invasion by bacteria.

4) $\bf Emphysema$
Irritating smoke may breakdown the lung alveoli, reducing the surface for gaseous exchange. This condition is called emphysema. It may make victim permanently short breath. As alveoli do not regenerate, emphysema is a very $\sf \color{red}{dangerous disease.}$

5) $\bf Stomach~Disorders$
Smoking increases the secretion of gastric juice at a time when its not required. This may cause $\bf Gastric~and~Duodenal~Ulcers$, and is specially harmful to persons already having peptic ulcers.

6) $\bf Pulmonary~Tuberculosis$
Smoking hubble-bubble can spread pulmonary tuberculosis from infected person to healthy persons.

7) $\bf Tissue~Damage$
An examination of lung sections after smoker's death has shown ruptured alveoli, thickened arterioles, and damaged ciliated epithelial lining of trachea and bronchi.

8) $\bf Damage~to~immune~system$
Smoking decreases immunity of the body, increasing risk of infections.

9) $\bf Vital~capacity$
Smoking decreases the vital capacity of lungs and decreases the capacityy of strenuous muscular activities.

abhisar · Answer

Besides these there are many other non-medical disadvantages of smoking,
A smoker not only wastes money, but also run risk of burns and fires. `Smoking kills your personality`-Teeth and fingers (skin at the bottom of nails) may become strained/darkened, lips may get discolored and breathe becomes foul. A person with a cigarette hanging from the mouth looks odd [I know some of you might not agree me with this point but trust me if it is so then you need to wake up!]
Smoking is quite annoying to non-smokers too. It may prove even more harmful to them. $\bf Passive~Smoking$ can also be the cause of death.

abhisar · Answer

Did you know?
Some 2.6 million deaths in the world are related to smoking.
$\bf Nicotene$, an active ingredient of tobacco smoke is used as `an Insecticide and a fumigant`.

abhisar · Answer

but thank you for the vote of confidence :D

thesmartone · Answer

$$\Large \rlap{\color{Red}{\tt{Great~Job!}}}{\hspace{+0.2em} \color{blue}{\tt{Great~Job!}}}$$