The Importance Of Drug Use

Drug use is an issue that affects individuals, families, communities, and all levels of government throughout the world. A drug is any substance, natural or artificial, other than food, by its chemical nature alters structure or function in the living organism. Some drugs are legal to possess and use and some aren’t. Drugs that are not lawful to possess or use are known as illicit drugs. Certain types of drugs are illicit when they are original prescribed medication for an individual, but then get sold illegally. Some illicit drugs that are well known are heroine, cocaine, and LSD. Factors that come into play as to why someone were to use illicit drugs includes their personality, exposure to risk or protective factors and use of gateway substances.

As you take the drug more frequently, the effect will not be as strong as they once were when first taking the drug. The user develops a tolerance to the drug and potentially can lead to a higher dosage of the drug and begin the use of an illicit drug like heroine. When the body isn't getting the same effect from the original drug, they may turn to an illicit drug in this situation. Because the person can build such a strong tolerance to the drug, in turn, they would want a drug that would provide a more noticeable

A study from the 1970’s Gateway Theory showed that there were three stages of drug use. The first stage is that most understudies began with beer or wine, next being the use of hard alcohol, cigarettes, or both and finally, the third stage was the use of marijuana. After going through these stages, they would try other illicit drugs. The order of initiation is a key part in someone eventually using illicit drugs. An interpretation of this theory is that young adults are exposed to alcohol and tobacco, which in turn makes the person more likely to go use other, more dangerous drugs. Gateway drugs may not be the reason of later use of illicit drugs but early sign of patterns of unusual behavior to be kept on eye on. There are different motives and influences that affect people to use drugs. Some motives are rebellious behavior, identifying with a deviant subculture, and cultural trends. Some influences are family, community, schools, cost, and portrayals in pop culture. Both motives and influences can shape a person into trying drugs and substances, but the individual’s experiences with a drug become more important with increasing drug