Essay, Research Paper: Drugs

Drugs have become a very serious problem in the United States. They have
become a component of one’s every day lives. This Nation’s reliance on drugs for
pleasure, depression, and medical relief dominates the political and economic scene.
Much debate over the drug issue occurs daily.
Pleasure is one of the main reasons for drug use in America. Drugs are used daily
by all different age groups. Some of the more common drugs used are marijuana,
alcohol, cigarettes, and heroin. Among the younger users, marijuana, alcohol, and
cigarettes are most prevalent in our society. Alcohol is widely used by both adults and
teens. More often than ever we are seeing younger kids get in alcohol related accidents.
It is becoming heavily abused as each minute passes by. More and more people are
getting addicted to alcohol and are running their lives. Sure, it does give them a buzz and
a good feeling for a while, but once one gets addicted it can totally ruin their life.
Marijuana is also a very harmful drug. When one uses it for pleasure, they are looking for
a high that last for four or five hours. A person might just start to smoke once in a while,
but before no time, they are addicted to it and there’s no turning back. Marijuana is
known to be a stepping stone. That is true, 90% of those using hard drugs, such as
heroin, started with marijuana. People do get a high and do feel good but overall
marijuana is bad for you. If used as a teen it can cause retarding of the normal brain cells.
Cigarettes on the other hand are not thought of as being a drug. Well they are. Cigarettes
are probably the easiest drug to get a hold of. When a person smokes, they not only put
themselves in danger but they put other in danger also. When a person lights up a
cigarette they get short buzz. At the same time they are also harming their body’s.
Nicotine, which is what gets people addicted, can cause many illnesses. It is known to
cause lung cancer but the list goes on. It is a very dangerous and bad habit to get in to.
Heroin is also a common drug used in America. Heroin also gives a high when used. It
is also very addictive at the same time. Once a person tries it they are hooked and keep
wanting more and more. Heroin is much more expensive than those other drugs.
Because of this heroin usually leads to crime to maintain their addiction.
Depression on the other hand is a totally different area of drugs. People who use
drugs for pleasure are using them because they are looking for a good time. People who
use drugs for depression use them to try and get through hard times throughout their life.
Depression is a major problem in our society. As time passes by there are many more
people who are getting depressed. They are running out of answers to their problems so
many people are turning toward alcohol and cigarettes. When a person comes home from
a day at work and is too depressed over something to do anything, they tip a few back
until the can barely stand up. They feel by doing this it will make their problems go
away. In reality it only causes more problems. Eventually one will get dependent on
alcohol and will drink every day even when they are not depressed. Smokers say that
when they smoke they become relieved and very calm. When ever a person feels
depressed the light up a smoke to relieve the tension. Before a person knows it they will
be addicted to nicotine and will start smoking two packs a day to fulfill their craving.
This in return will increase the chance of lung cancer or throat cancer greatly. These are
only a few diseases the a person can get, the list goes on and on. Smoking might heal one
problem but in return causes many more. Alcohol and cigarettes should not be the
answer to depression. There are other ways to get by.
Another excuse for using drugs is for medical relief. There are many people out
there who use drugs for medical relief in moderation, but there are also many people who
abuse them. The biggest category of drugs abused in the medical standpoint is
prescription drugs. There is not just one being abused but there is many. People start off
by getting a prescription from their doctor. They then take their prescribed amount to
ease their pain. It starts out that way at least. People eventually get addicted to that drug
and they start to depend on it. They then take more and more and will overdoes. This
can lead to serious injury or even death. In some cases the addiction gets so bad that they
get prescriptions from more than one doctor.
No matter what the use of the drug is for it always ends up turning out bad. I only
mentioned a few of the popular drugs, there are many, many more than that. If a person is
considering using some drug for pleasure, depression, or medical relief I would strongly
reconsidering their choice. JUST SAY NO!


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