Drug addiction has taken a serious turn in the modern world. It is spoiling the lives of innumerable people especially the young generation. Drug abuse has presently become a social concern and is being dealt with in effective ways by most countries.

Fact 1 What Is Drug Addiction?
Often drug addicts are viewed as morally weak people and hardly try to know why he/she has become addicted to drugs. Drug addiction is a complex disease that affects the brain and it requires great mental strength to stop taking drugs. It is a chronic brain disease that often relapses and forces one to take drugs in spite of knowing about the harmful consequences. It is true that most people start taking drugs especially the young adolescents voluntarily and sometimes due to peer pressure. But over time it becomes a habit that cannot be changed as drug has already changed the structure and functioning of the brain. They lose self-control and cannot take decisions on their own and gradually the craving for drugs grows intense.

Fact 2 Effects Of Drugs On The Brain
Drugs are harmful chemicals that damage the communication system of the brain and disturb the normal way the nerve cells send, receive and process information. The brain has neurotransmitters which carry out the communication work of the brain. Since the drugs like marijuana and heroin have the same properties, they activate the nerve cells to send abnormal messages to the brain. There are some drugs that cause the nerve cells to release large amounts of natural neurotransmitters or prevent the normal recycling of the brain chemicals. This disruption causes great damages to communication patterns. The individual loses control of his behavior, reasoning power and learning ability and take drugs on compulsion.

Fact 3 Do All People Become Drug Addicts?
It is not true that once you take drugs, you will become an addict. But continuous drug abuse will surly create an adverse effect on the brains and slowly paralyze it and turn you into a drug addict. There are others factors too that are responsible for an individual in becoming a drug addict. Biological and environmental influence is greatly responsible for this. Age is another factor that leads one towards the wrong path. An individual who grows up in an unstable social environment is vulnerable to drug abuse. Hence even when young people take drugs, some control themselves after a few days, but some cannot as they do not have a proper supportive background or caring family who can bring him/her out of this situation.

Fact 4 Can Drug Abuse Be Controlled?
Fortunately, there are various ways to help people fight against their addiction and its powerful damaging effects. If the habit can be controlled right at the beginning, drug abuse can be eradicated entirely. But if drugs are taken for a long period of time, combination of different methods of treatment helps to curb the patient’s addiction to drugs.

Often addiction treatment medications combined with behavioral therapy is used to ensure quick recovery from drug addiction. Treatments are designed according to the nature of the patients and the intensity of drug abuse and also other medical, psychological and social environments. Like other chronic diseases like cardiac problems, diabetes, asthma etc which are healed over time, drug addiction too can be managed successfully. In case of relapsation, treatment is changed and reinstated or adjusted so that the patient can recover and be strong enough to control himself from drug abuse.

Fact 5 Treatment For Drug Addiction
Comprehensive care units and qualified drug rehab programs are the most effective ways of treating drug addiction. Detox, counseling and after care are the three core elements of drug addiction treatment.