Drug Abuse - When It Reaches The Point Of No Return
Drug abuse, naturally enough, conjures up a locale which is rather the regular haunt of the addicts. A person may take to drug abuse for a number of reasons like peer group pressure, psychological pressures, or simply for the kick that the habit gives to the user. And, when the person keeps on repeatedly consuming the item(s), drug abuse assumes serious proportions. However, a person is not deemed an addict unless the person demonstrates certain symptoms which are very typical of the ailment which is progressive by nature. Hence, if a person consumes too much of alcohol or for that matter drugs or even if the general state (physiological and financial) of the person is sliding, in proper medical terminology that person is not at all an addict. This is because these symptoms are mere predictable signs of the ailment but none of them in itself pertains to the disease of addiction. Drug abuse has assumed alarming proportions across the globe what with the drug barons forcing the grassroots peddlers or their main conduits to entice the youth to fall into their pit of no return.
It has become difficult for the Puerto Rico government to tackle the problem due to the massive debt crisis faced by the country. The bankruptcy-like situation has blunted the efforts against drug cartels. Though the Operation Stonegarden Grant Program (OPSG) has strengthened the fight against drug trafficking, the last roadblock confronting the policymakers is the lack of awareness about the issue among the common masses. Cocaine is one of the most powerful stimulants abused widely by people. The drug, along with heroin, prescription opioids and fentanyl, is responsible for a large number of overdose deaths in the U.S. To increase its impact, crack cocaine is often mixed with additives like fentanyl, which is life-threatening. No medication is approved for treating cocaine addiction; however, a vaccine is in the developing stage. Anti-alcoholism drug disulfiram has also reportedly shown some promise in treating cocaine addiction. One of the most prominent means to deal with cocaine addiction is behavioral therapies in both outpatient and inpatient settings.
Cocaine, as a stimulant, mimics the action of chemicals the brain produces to send messages of pleasure to the brain's reward center. Like adrenaline, cocaine increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. When the stimulation goes too high, it can also produce feelings of panic, paranoia, hallucinations, and rage that can even progress to potentially fatal seizures and strokes. Treatments for cocaine addiction vary, based on a lot of factors including the severity and length of the symptoms, the amount of damage done from the cocaine use, and the rate of Royal Recovery Assist Insurance Plan. The most common symptoms of addiction usually noted are drug cravings, irritability, loss of energy, depression, fearfulness, wanting to sleep a lot or difficulty in sleeping, shaking, nausea and palpitations, sweating, hyperventilation, and increased appetite. These symptoms can commonly last several weeks -- even after one stops using cocaine. Medications to treat cocaine addiction are not yet available, although researchers are working continuously to identify and test new options.
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The addict thus finds his way out to obtain multiple prescriptions to buy drugs from the market. At times, even some unscrupulous doctors act hand in glove with the addicts and knowingly prescribe opioids to them in lieu of money. The numerous celebrity deaths from prescription overdoses over the years are glaring examples of doctor shopping. The doctors are amply paid by these celebrities who can hardly turn down such lucrative offers. Moreover, in such cases, the "patient's" celebrity status might prevent doctors from taking the right decision. However, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) in different states have helped in tackling doctor shopping to a large extent. Laws prohibiting doctor shopping have been enacted in all the states and the District of Columbia. These laws, "prohibit patients from obtaining drugs by any or all of the following means: fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, subterfuge, or concealment of material fact," says the CDC.
