Drug Abuse, Symptoms And Solutions - Introduction

The basic scientific definition of a drug is that it is a substance that, by its chemical nature, affects the structure of function of a living organism. This definition covers almost everything that people inject, inhale, or absorb. It includes medicines, over – the counter drugs, illegal drugs, cigarettes, food additives, industrial chemicals, even food. Therefore any discussion of drugs must be somehow limited, and that limitation is dependent upon a particular point of view of the world.

For this discussion we will like to limit our self to psychoactive drugs that alter behaviour. We will in this discussion be able to look at the pharmacology of drugs for their effect and also the characteristics of the substance on the way it interacts with the living organism.

There is no such thing as a single effect of a drug. All drugs have multiple effects, and these vary from dose level to dose level, from person, and are greatly influenced by time and setting. Drug effects are a function of the interaction between the drug and the individual’s physical, psychological and social milieu.

All drugs are dangerous for some individuals at some dosage level under some circumstances, some drugs are more dangerous than others, some individuals are more susceptible to drugs than others. The use of any drug involves risks. The elements that must be considered are
1) The substance
2) The individual
3) The social – cultural milieu

Action and flow of information designed to influence drug use decisions must focus on the 3 elements. The usual mistake is to focus on one element more than the others.