Drug addiction (Greek: narke – numbness, sleep and mania – madness, passion, craving) is a general name for diseases manifested by a pathological craving for the constant use of increasing amounts of narcotic drugs and narcotic substances due to persistent mental and physical dependence on them with the development of withdrawal symptoms when they are stopped.
In other words, it is a state of periodic or chronic intoxication with a natural or synthetic narcotic substance, characterized by a craving for this substance, as well as mental and physical dependence on the effect of this substance.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, about 5% of the world’s adult population, or approximately 250 million people aged 15 to 64, have used drugs at least once.
The negative phenomena caused by drug use pose a great danger to humanity. Drug use primarily negatively affects people’s health, contributes to the development of somatic and mental illnesses, and is one of the reasons for the increase in mortality and disability. Drug addiction affects internal organs, causes neurological and mental disorders, and leads to social degradation.
In addition, scientists and doctors are concerned about the spread of drug addiction, as a significant number of people, especially young people, are not sufficiently aware of the harmfulness of addiction. The spread of drugs among minors is particularly alarming: 60% of boys and 20% of girls aged 14-17 have tried drugs at least once. That is why it is very important to be able to notice and distinguish the early signs of drug use, when the problem has not yet become chronic and is much easier to correct.
Early signs of drug use, regardless of the type of drug, can include the following changes in adolescents’ behavior, character and physiology unreasonable disappearance from home for a rather long time; skipping classes at school; decreased academic performance; sharp changes in behavior that were not characteristic of them before; appearance of deceitfulness, alienation; emergence of debts; disappearance of valuables and money from home, theft loss of interest in studying, work, hobbies; appearance of chemicals such as vinegar, baking soda, potassium permanganate, iodine, acetone and other solvents; finding syringes, needles, rubber tourniquets, pills; appearance of new slang words in the vocabulary: accordion, car – syringe; wheels – pills; dope, plan, dope, shirka – names of narcotic substances, etc. traces of injections in any part of the body, especially on the forearm; sleep and appetite disorders.
The presence of one or more of the above signs in adolescents does not give grounds to assert that the adolescent is using drugs, but it should prompt parents, teachers and relatives of the adolescent to seek professional advice.