Candace Marie D.

Raza Research Paper

Aldrin C. Dela Cruz Comm2

Drug Addiction

When we take a glimpse, it seems that defining drug is relatively

easy. But in reality it’s not, because there are significant problems
in arriving a concrete definition.

Some books define drugs as a chemical substance that when taken into
the body alters the functioning of the body in some way (levinthal 3).
Say for example are the medications being used for the treatment for
various diseases, or even alcohol and nicotine contained in smoke.
These are chemicals that changes the normal body functioning. But how
can we really expand this definition to a wider and greater scope?
Take for example a pizza. The cheese in pizza are obviously excluded
for being considered as drug. But how about the cayenne pepper it
contain? The analysis for this was easy. When the pizza maker
incorporate the spice in the baking process inorder for the pizza to
taste better, then it would only be considered an ingredient to the
recipe not a drug. But when the pizza maker has a serious intention of
intoxicating you or making your heart rate quicken then, it would be
now considered as drug. Thus when talking about drugs it should be a
substance which alters our feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and
functioning of our brain.1

_____________________

1.Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs behaviour and mdern society, United States of America:(A Viacom Campany,1999);3
Drugs itself has a great contribution in addressing the needs of the
peole, especially when it comes to their health.

In nineteenth century, a number of medical accomplishments

were noted by medical professionls. Morphine was identified as the

active ingredient in opium－a kind of drug that has been used not less

than 300 years which was highly patronized by physicians as a

realiable medicine for controling pain of diseases or injury. Another
one were cocaine which was extracted from coco leaves and is being
used as stimulant and antideppressant. During this period of time,
anesthetics drugs were also discovered and its advent gave a great
help in performing painless surgery. Moreover, smallpox vaccines had
been introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796, and anti-rabies vaccine were
also introduced by Louis Pasteur in 18852.

And lastly, Charles Levinthal in his book Drugs, Behavior and

Modern Society, describe that marijuana or cannabis is a psychoactive
plants or medicine used for the medication for rheumatism, guot,
malaria,and strangely enough absent-mindedness3.

Despite this benefits that the human race can get out of
drugs. A significant number of cases such as crime and violence
relating to drug are recorded. What was horrible was that a great
number of poeple were using drugs not for instrumental use which
means that a person’s specifc goal in mind in taking drugs were
either, to stay awake longer, to fall asleep quickly, or recovery for
illnesses4,

____________

2.Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs behaviour and mdern society, United States of America:(A Viacom Campany,1999);7

3.Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs behaviour and mdern society, United States of America:(A Viacom Campany,1999);139

4.Charles F. Levinthal,Drugs behaviour and mdern society, United States of America:(A Viacom Campany,1999):4
but rather they cling to drugs for recreational use which means that a
person used drugs for the purpose of pleasurable feeling or
psychological state w hich leads to drug abuse and subsequently drug
addiction5.

Wilson Richard and Cheryl Kolander cited evidences in their book

Drug Abuse Prevention (A School and Community Partnership) to prove
that contrary to what most people think that problems involving the
use of drugs never existed until 1960s, records of the past tells us
that drugs have been used and abused for millennia. The Book of
Genesis recounts Noah’s drunkenness shortly after emerging from the
ark. Alcohol has been part of most civilizations since ancient times.
Writing around 850 B.C., Homer made reference in the Iliad and the
Odyssey to the undesirable effects of alcohol. Opium and marijuana was
also recorded in ancient Greece, China, India, and the Middle East.
Native people were using coca and tobacco when the first European
explorers arrived in the new world, and this drug use pre-dated the
Europeans’ arrival by hundreds of years, It is believed that tobacco
was used as incense in the religious ceremonies of the Mayan
civilization (A.D. 470 to 620). From that beginning, tobacco use
gradually spread throughout Mexico and Central America.1

Today, a significant portion of the world’s population was found

to be involved with drugs making drug addiction one of the most
prominent problems faced by the society. According to Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH), 23.2 million persons (9.4 percent of the U.S.
population) aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or
alcohol use problem in 2007. Of these individuals, 2.4 million (10.4
percent of those who needed treatment) received treatment at a
specialty facility (i.e., hospital, drug or alcohol rehabilitation or

1
Wilson, Richard and Cheryl Kolander, Drug Abuse Prevention (SUdbury Masachusetts:Jones and Bartlett
Publishers, 2003): 15
5.Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs behaviour and mdern society, United States of America:(A Viacom Campany,1999);5
mental health center). Thus, 20.8 million persons (8.4 percent of the
population aged 12 or older) needed treatment for an illicit drug or
alcohol use problem but did not receive it. These estimates are
similar to those in previous years.2

Drug addiction is scientifically defined as the continuous intake

of drugs in a destructive manner that eventually causes the individual
to develop health problems. In particular, we should consider the
potential for drug- taking behavior to become drug dependence. Many
psychoactive drugs produce specific changes within the brain that lead
to an intense craving for that drug and an increased likelihood of
drug-taking behavior in the future. A vicious cycle is thus created in
which drug-taking behavior fosters more drug-taking behavior in
spiraling pattern that is extremely difficult to break. Individuals
showing signs of drug dependence often need increasingly greater
quantities of the drug in order to get the same, desired effect. This
manner eventually becomes continuous and thus, the individual develops
an addiction to the drug.3

A US government report in 2009 concluded that illegal drug use

was a significant problem in the Philippines due to corruption and
poor law enforcement. There was particular concern expressed about the
amount of methamphetamine (shabu) and cannabis production in the area.
Drug addiction appears to be on the rise in the Philippines. There are
believed to be as many as 6.7 million drug abusers according to
figures from 2004- this is a dramatic increase from 1972 when there
was only believed to have been around 20,000 drug users in the
Philippines. The drug that is most abused in the Philippines continues
to be Alcohol – they are the second highest consumers of alcoholic
drinks in South East Asia.4

2
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction. September 2009. National Institute
on Drug Abuse. 11 May 2015. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-approaches-drug-
addiction>
3
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 3
4
Drug Addiction in the Philippines. AlcoholRehab.com. 11 May 2015. <http://alcoholrehab.com/drug-
addiction/drug-addiction-in-the-philippines/>
 According to the National Household Survey on the Nature and
Extent of Drug Abuse in the Philippines conducted by the Dangerous
Drugs Board in 2008, 1.7 million Filipinos are drug users, the mean
age of who is twenty-eight years old with a ratio of male to female of
10:1, respectively.5

Drug addiction emerges from a variety of reasons some of which

are cited in a publication of the Joint Information Service of the
American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for
Mental Health Washington, D.C, 1972. The most concrete of the imputed
causes of drug abuse, as mentioned in the source above, is
availability. Clearly, one cannot abuse an unavailable substance. On
the other hand, there is some evidence that extent of abuse will be
importantly determined by convenience, legal status, and reasonable
price.6

Another cause of drug abuse mentioned is affluence. The simplest

part of this is the fact that, despite inflation and other economic
problems, contemporary Americans have more discretionary income than
has been known in any other culture or age--and thus have the money to
buy drugs. Perhaps more significant is the release of a number of
young people from the need to spend time earning money, an excessive
amount of free time leading to boredom.7

A more serious condition than boredom is alienation. Young people

are commonly said to be so disaffected with the world they live in,
with its possibility of nuclear annihilation, the actuality of wars
they find incomprehensible, the seeming futility of evolving a society
that provides full opportunity for its entire people that they "turn

5
Facts on Drugs. Dangerous Drugs Board. 11 May 2015 <http://www.ddb.gov.ph/research-statistics/46-
sidebar/58-facts-on-drugs>
6
Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health
Washington, D.C, 1972, Treatment of Drug Abuse.(Washington, D.C.:1972) 19
7
Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health
Washington, D.C, 1972, Treatment of Drug Abuse.(Washington, D.C.:1972) 19
on" in order to "tune out." Closely related is the rebellion of young
people against existing social order and their own parents.8

Some observers feel, however, that alienation and rebellion are

merely smoke screens and that the real reason for drug abuse is simply
the pursuit of pleasure, or hedonism. "If God made anything better
than heroin, he saved it for himself," heroin

users are fond of saying. For some people, drug use can provide great
pleasure, enjoyment and, satisfaction, unless or until they run into
trouble.9

Some people noticed, however, that alienation and rebellion are merely
used by abusers to obscure their ill-motives and that behind the scene
, seeking for pleasure or "hedonism" were the real actors for abusing
drugs. "If God made anything better than heroin, he saved it for
himself ," heroin users are fond of saying(). A number of people use
drugs for it gives them great pleasure, enjoyment, and satisfaction,
except possibly when it take them to affliction.

Finally, and most frequently, drug abuse is imputed to

personality characteristics. They are said to be, have extreme unmet
dependency needs, are sexually immature, lack individuals with
pronounced problems of socialization, with a low threshold for
frustration, disappointment, and pain, who seek immediate
gratification internal controls, are poorly equipped to cope with the
pressures of living and the demands of society, and so on.10

Finally, in most cases, drug abuse is attributed to personal

characteristics. Drug abusers are said to be individuals with extreme
unmet dependency needs, sexually immature, having conspicuous
socialization problems, with low threshold for frustration, people who

8
Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health
Washington, D.C, 1972, Treatment of Drug Abuse.(Washington, D.C.:1972) 19
9
Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health
Washington, D.C, 1972, Treatment of Drug Abuse.(Washington, D.C.:1972) 19
10
Joint Information Service of the American Psychiatric Association and the National Association for Mental Health
Washington, D.C, 1972, Treatment of Drug Abuse.(Washington, D.C.:1972) 19
experience disappointment and pain, seeking personal gratification fo
internal controls, and having a low capability of overcoming the
pressures from day to day life and those brought about by the demand
of society.

A considerable of portion of the total population of teenagers

today succumb to drug addiction. Teen users are at significantly higher
risk of developing an addictive disorder compared to adults, and the
earlier they began using, the higher their risk. Nine out of ten
people who meet the clinical criteria for substance use disorders
involving nicotine, alcohol or other drugs began smoking, drinking or
using other drugs before they turned 18. People who begin using any
addictive substance before age 15 are six and a half times as likely
to develop a substance use disorder as those who delay use until age
21 or older (28.1 percent vs. 4.3 percent).11

Compared to adults users, teen age users have greater chance

of developing addictive disorder, and the sooner to adult they use,
the higher their risk of addiction. Out of ten people who meet the
clinical criteria for substance abuse, nine of them began using with
nicotine , alcohol, or other drugs , smoking, drinking, or other drug
use before they reached at the age of 18. Most likely, people below 15
years old who started using any addictive substance like drugs are
prone to develop substance use disorder as compared to whom defer use
until the age of 21 years or older.

Drug addiction in teenagers is often associated with peer

pressure. Being at the stage of growth where an individual spends more
time with his friends than his family, the individual gains a higher

11
Adolescents. DrugWarFacts.org 11 May 2015 <http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/adolescents>
tendency of being subjected to peer pressure. At this point of their
lives, their decisions, actions, and ideology are greatly influenced
by their friends. Furthermore, adolescents with friends who involve
themselves in risky behaviors are most likely to do the same─ either
because of their fear of being the odd one out or their desire to gain
acceptance. Hence, individuals with friends who take drugs tend to
take drugs, too.

According to an article released by HelpGuide.org on their

official website, there are three ways to tell if an individual
engages himself in drug abuse ─ by observing the physical, behavioral
and psychological characteristics they manifest.

Physically, persons who abuse drugs have bloodshot eyes with

pupils larger or smaller than usual. They experience changes in
appetite or sleeping patterns and suffer weight loss or weight gain.
Furthermore, their physical appearances deteriorate and their personal
grooming habits also decline to a poor level. They begin to develop
unusual smells on breath, body or clothing. They also experience
tremors, and acquire slurred speech and impaired coordination.12

Behavioral signs of drug abuse include: declining academic

performance, social isolation, rebellious, defiant behavior, excessive
tardiness or truancy, unusual nervousness, neglected appearance,
sudden change in friends, and intoxicated demeanor. When behavioral
signs are observed that deviate from the norms, a process of
elimination is required to discover the real problem.13

Human beings are not clones, and normality is a bell-shaped

curved. While most people fall within two standard deviations of the
median, the line between normal and abnormal is not precisely marked.

12
Robinson, Larence, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Joanna Saisan,M.S.W.Drug Abuse and Addiction. April 2015.
HelpGuide.Org. 11 May 2015 <http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/drug-abuse-and-addiction.htm>
13
Wilson, Richard and Cheryl Kolander, Drug Abuse Prevention (SUdbury Masachusetts:Jones and Bartlett
Publishers, 2003): 256
Judging a child, adolescent, or adult by the criteria listed above is
not always easy. For example, appearance and hygiene habits certainly
vary greatly; poor hygiene may present problems in interpersonal
relationships, but it doesn’t always indicate behavioral pathology.
For another example, while some individuals are pliant and seek to
please, others are naturally independent and unruly; rebellious is
subjective, relative, and not always diagnostic. An important
criterion not listed in the above is change. A change for the worse in
any of the other criteria may be the most important indicator of a
problem.14

Psychologically, persons who abuse drugs go through unexplained

change in personality or attitude. They also exhibit sudden mood
swings, irritability, or angry outbursts. They also undergo periods of
unusual hyperactivity, agitation, or giddiness. Moreover, they seem to
lack motivation and appear lethargic or “spaced out”, fearful,
anxious, or paranoid, with no reason.15

Charles Levinthal described the personal journey to treatment and

recovery of a person who is involved with drug abuse in his book
entitled Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society. He emphasized that there
are three major goals of rehabilitation from drug abuse and
dependence─ first, overturn the decreasing physical and psychological
capability that has been acquirred for the past years. Secondly,
refrain from using all kinds of pychoactive substances, not only one
or two that brought instantaneous problem, and not momentarily but
there should also be permanent basis for a strong desire for self-
abstinence from alcohol and other illicit drugs.

14
Wilson, Richard and Cheryl Kolander, Drug Abuse Prevention (SUdbury Masachusetts:Jones and Bartlett
Publishers, 2003): 256
15
Robinson, Larence, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Joanna Saisan,M.S.W.Drug Abuse and Addiction. April 2015.
HelpGuide.Org. 11 May 2015 <http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/drug-abuse-and-addiction.htm>
to reverse the long decline in physical and psychological functioning
it has accumulated over the years; second, to stop the use of all
psychoactive substances, not simply the one or two that are causing
the immediate problem and not merely for a limited period of time,
but, the motivation to stop using alcohol and other drugs and to
remain abstinent on a permanent basis must be strengthened; third, a
lifestyle free of alcohol and other drugs must be rebuilt, from
scratch if necessary.16

He also highlighted that there are five separate stages to which

a recovering individual must pass, the first of which is
precontemplation. Individuals who are in this stage may wish to change
but lack the serious intention to undergo change in the foreseeable
future or maybe unaware of how significant their problems have
become.17

He also stressed that there are five separate phases, that person must
pass for recovery, of which the first is precontemplation. People
during this stage might want to change but lack the courage to undergo
change in the best possible way, or perhaps unaware that their
problems have became significant.

The next stage is contemplation. In this stage, individuals are

aware that the problem exist and are thinking about overcoming it but
have not yet made a commitment to take action.18

The next step is the contemplation. At this stage , people are

aware that there are problem and thinking to overcome it but not
still is committed to take measures.

16
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
17
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
18
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
 The third stage is preparation. The individuals are seriously
considering taking action in the next thirty days and have
unsuccessfully taken action over the past twelve months.19

The third stage is the preparation. Individuals are now taking

measures seriously for the next thirty days and without success have
taken steps in the past twelve months.

Fourth, individuals reach the point at which they modify their

behavior, their experiences, and their environment in order to
overcome their problem. This stage is called action. Drug use has now
stopped. However, this is a fragile state for abusers are at high risk
for giving in to drug cravings and experiencing mixed feelings about
the psychological costs of staying clean.20

The last stage is maintenance. Individuals have been drug free

for a minimum of six months. They have developed new skills and
strategies to avoid backsliding and are consolidating a lifestyle free
of drugs.21

The last phase was maintenance. And drug now free individuals for
atleast six months. They developed new skills and strategies to avoid
relapse, and standardization of drug free life.

19
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
20
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
21
Charles F. Levinthal, Drugs, Behavior and Modern Society, (United States of Amarica: 1999): 334
 With the abovementioned data about drug addiction, people must
not overlook the fact that there is no better way to solve the
escalating cases of drug addiction all over the world than prevention.
This solution involves collaboration of efforts among the individual,
the family and the society.

The government must reinforce laws concerning drug use and abuse.
It must strengthen their efforts to ban the continuous use of illicit
drugs. It must also strengthen its campaign for educating the public
about the aftermath of drug addiction.

The family plays a very important role in developing an illicit

drug-free home and later, an illicit drug-free community. If a parent
develops responsible parenting skills, they would be able to raise
their children in the best way they can, keeping them from the threats
of possible involvement with drugs.

Lastly, the bulk of responsibility falls to the individual. After

all, the best way to steer clear from the hazard brought about by
involvement with drugs is to be aware of it and to develop the right
amount of inner strength to resist the temptation. Furthermore, the
individual must develop the maturity to make the right decisions with
the best consequences at the end. This way, cases of drug addiction
isn’t only lessened but health and safety of community people is also
secured.