Perfect Drugs
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Misuse
and Abuse of Drugs
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Perfect Drugs |
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Misuse & Abuse Drug: A Familiar Word Drugs are an integral part of our society, and people talk about drugs on a daily basis in many contexts. The media often cover issues concerning drugs; for example, on November 27, 2001, there appeared in newspapers worldwide a total of 578 stories about drugs. These ranged from an article about the high-jump champion from Havana, Cuba, who denied having taken steroids,[1] to a story about how the United States Drug Enforcement Agency was focusing on drug interdiction.[2] Others ranged from the tale of some pregnant HIV-positive women in South Africa who did not have an inherent right of access to AIDS drugs,[3] to a report on a controversy about pharmaceutical companies using coupons as incentives to persuade people to try or to continue using their medications.[4] The word "drug" has a dual meaning: it is "a substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a disease or as a component of a medication," or it is "a chemical substance, such as a narcotic or hallucinogen, that affects the central nervous system, causing changes in behavior and often addiction."[5] Clearly, drugs can be used either as medication, or as, in the second case, a kind of entertainment or source of temporary relief from a stressful or unpleasant living situation. People value some drugs as defined by the first definition, a magical fix for their physical and mental illnesses. The misuse and abuse of drugs arises under the second definition, and such abuse changes people's perception of drugs. They try to stay away from the second kind of drugs, and have a hostile attitude toward groups who take them. In the view of many, drugs have become a Frankenstein that will destroy the very pleasure and peace that people create them to preserve. Depending on the nature of the use, drugs can be either a Panacea, a cure for all illnesses, or a Panopathogen, a cause of all illnesses. Definition of misuse: The unintentional or inappropriate use of prescribed or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. One can label as "misuse" any episode when people take more drugs than prescribed; use OTC or psychoactive drugs to excess without medical supervision; take drugs improperly, such as taking them with alcohol; discontinue taking some drugs against a physician's recommendation; use human drugs for animals, or vice versa; and pass on leftover drugs, especially antibiotics, to other people.[6] Definition of abuse: Willful misuse of either legal or illegal drugs for recreation or convenience. Generally, there are about 9,000[7] legal or controlled drugs, and some of thses drugs have potential for misuses and abuses. [1]Numbers covered by Lexis-Nexis search engine. "Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe." Retrieved on November 27, 2001. back [2] "High-jump champion Sotomayor denies he took steroids amid probe into drug tests." Associated Press. November 27, 2001 Tuesday 4:26 PM Eastern Time.back [3] "WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING." Federal News Service. November 27, 2001, Tuesday 12:20 PM Eastern Time. back [4] DINA, KRAFT. "Women Can't Have AIDS Drug." Associated Press. November 27, 2001 Tuesday 12:02 PM Eastern Time. back [5] Dr. NANCY SNYDERMAN SHOW: Good Morning America (7:00 AM ET) - ABC Burrelle's Information Services ABC News November 27, 2001.back [6] Dictionary.com retrieved on November 27, 2001.back [7] Drug Information. Medline plus heath information. Retrieved on November 28, 2001. |
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