Drug Abuse
Drug abuse "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. They hit me, ' you will say, but I 'm not hurt! They beat me but I don 't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink? '" (Proverbs 23:29-35 1328-1329)
Drug abuse dates as far back as the Biblical era, so it is not a new phenomenon. "The emotional and social damage and the devastation linked to drugs and their use is immeasurable." The ripple of subversive and detrimental consequences from alcoholism, drug addictions, and addictive behavior is appalling. Among the long list of effects is lost productivity, anxiety, depression, increased crime rate, probable incarceration, frequent illness, and premature death. The limitless consequences include the destruction to personal development, relationships, and families (Henderson 1-2). "Understandably, Americans consider drug abuse to be one of the most serious problems" in the fabric of society. And although "addiction is the result of voluntary drug use, addiction is no longer voluntary behavior, it 's uncontrollable behavior," says Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Torr 12-13). Addiction is a progressive, chronic, and ultimately a fatal disease. It is progressive in the sense that if it is left untreated it will get worse. Chronic means long term. Once one becomes dependent, it is like diabetes, in that diabetes is an incurable disease that can only be controlled. Long-term addictions have the high potential
Drug abuse dates as far back as the Biblical era, so it is not a new phenomenon. "The emotional and social damage and the devastation linked to drugs and their use is immeasurable." The ripple of subversive and detrimental consequences from alcoholism, drug addictions, and addictive behavior is appalling. Among the long list of effects is lost productivity, anxiety, depression, increased crime rate, probable incarceration, frequent illness, and premature death. The limitless consequences include the destruction to personal development, relationships, and families (Henderson 1-2). "Understandably, Americans consider drug abuse to be one of the most serious problems" in the fabric of society. And although "addiction is the result of voluntary drug use, addiction is no longer voluntary behavior, it 's uncontrollable behavior," says Alan Leshner, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Torr 12-13). Addiction is a progressive, chronic, and ultimately a fatal disease. It is progressive in the sense that if it is left untreated it will get worse. Chronic means long term. Once one becomes dependent, it is like diabetes, in that diabetes is an incurable disease that can only be controlled. Long-term addictions have the high potential
Cited: Aronson, Virginia. Junior Drug Awareness: How to Say No. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1997. "Dopamine System May Be the Key to Addiction." News Briefs. Nature Magazine. May-June 1997. National Drug Strategy Network. 20 May 2000 <http://www.ndsn.org/newbriefs.html>. Henderson, Elizabeth Connell. Understanding Addiction. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2000. Nagle, Jeanne. Everything You Need to Know About Drug Addiction. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 1999. "Proverbs 23: 29-35." Life Application Bible: New International Version. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1997. Torr, James D. Drug Abuse: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999.