Substance Abuse

What Is Drug Addiction? Drug addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that produces compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs contributes to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Though it is true that for most of us the original decision to take drugs is voluntary, with time the changes in mental performance brought on by repeated drug abuse can impair a person's self-control and ability to create sound decisions, and at the same time frame create a rigorous impulse to take drugs. Substance Abuse. Countless Americans abuse illegal drugs each year. Although overall drug abuse rates are down somewhat from levels present in the 1980s and 1990s, drug abuse remains a significant problem that impacts virtually every sector of our society. Understanding the world of drug abuse is important for every man, woman and child in the United States. In other words, if abuse and drug addiction have not even had an impact on you or family, statistics reveal that sooner or later they will. What Is Drug Abuse? Drug abuse is really a condition in which the patient continues to use drugs despite an obvious knowledge of the harm it is causing them and their families. Drug abuse isn't drug addiction, which can be typified by things like having a tolerance for drugs or experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not using drugs. URL: Drug Abuse - All about Drug Abuse.