Substance Misuse

There is a major difference when comparing a person who uses substance like caffeine, illegal drugs and alcohol casually and someone who abuses it. Substance misuse happens when a certain substance affects the health of the individual.

The use of alcohol and nicotine has been embedded in society and culture. These substances have been abused many times that it has become normal. It is not uncommon to see people use caffeine, alcohol and nicotine without thinking about the consequences.

Anything that is overused, any consumption of a substance due to an unconscious or conscious addiction is what we can substance abuse. Caffeine and nicotine are not bad in their pure form. They only become harmful to the body when it is repeatedly abused.

The media and a capitalist society has merged together in forming a false idea behind the over use of alcohol and nicotine. Media has glamorized the use of cigarettes and it has been known to exaggerate the good effects of alcohol consumption in the body. Advertisements can bombard individuals with half truths, if not mandated by the law to regulate the message they place in every product. They create a world full of illusions.

The illusions include the idea that addiction from alcohol and nicotine would not cause physical and mental harm. Substance abuse results when a person experiences the negative aspects of what they are taking in, when it stops becoming beneficial to the body. Food for example if taken excessively would cause major problems in the body. The same goes for anything that is taken excessively and without control.

Substance misuse can lead to problems that could affect the social life of an individual. The ability to focus and function well can be altered, and the physical self suffers. Heroin and cocaine are the commonly misused drugs. Heroin and cocaine were originally intended as medicine, but they have been used many to get “high.” Drugs become dangerous when it becomes the focus of an individual and when the will of a person is not strong enough to resist its usage. The same can be said with the use of amphetamines, ecstasy, marijuana and opium. These substances are not bad in form. They only become dangerous to the body once they is abused.

Drugs can stimulate and speed up the body process. It can change how the mind works. It can cause a mimic mania, anxiety, depression and paranoid psychosis. If misused the drugs cease to be helpful. In parallel, substance misuse with sleeping pills and cough syrups can also occur. They are easy to obtain and many fall prey to the habit.

Addiction can be a state of helplessness which can lead one to become vulnerable to emotions as well as whims. Addiction can lead one to lose the power to decide on the right thing to do and succumb to what is pleasurable as of the moment. This in point, everything must be taken in moderation. Life must be lived in balance and harmony. Anything that is excessive is bound to become destructive in the end.