Substance abuse is most prevalent among teenagers. Let's see what it is, how it is treated and why it occurs.
Substance Abuse: Definition of the Disease
Substance abuse is the abuse of various chemical, biological and medicinal drugs that are not included in the list of narcotic drugs. Such substances include varnish, fuel, glue, acetone and other chemical, biological and medicinal products.
Inhalation of toxic substances causes a disorder of the somatic and mental functions of the body. Substance abuse causes a change in personality and contributes to the development of a person's persistent physical and mental dependence.
Most often the disease occurs in adolescents, but it is not associated with the influence of the environment, social status, personality traits. Substance abuse is a disease that can also develop in older people, especially those who take certain medications for a long time.
The difference between drug addiction and substance abuse is only sociallegal factor, there is no difference in the symptoms of diseases from a medical point of view. Identical disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system occur, personality change, problems appear in the patient's social life.
Which inhalants are most commonly used
Chemical substances according to their effect on the human psyche can be divided into four main groups:
- Aerosols - hair sprays, dyes, fabric treatments. The substances contained in these products affect the nervous system and brain function.
- Nitrites affect the human circulatory system, cause vasodilation, relax the heart muscles. Nitrites to some extent are stimulants of sexual activity. These substances are not permanently addictive.
- Gases are represented by medical anesthetics. Nitrous oxide is most often used by drug addicts. These same substances can be found in lighters, whipped cream cans, and other industrial and household products.
- Volatile solvents evaporate at room temperature. It is with these funds that children's substance abuse begins. Solvents can be stain removers, some types of glue, proofreaders, felt-tip pen refills, gasoline, paint removers.
People of any gender and age are subject to the development of substance abuse. The widespread use of household and industrial products ensures the unconscious development of addiction in children. Drug addicts very rarely givepreference for certain types of inhalants. More often they inhale everything that comes to hand, causing irreparable harm to their he alth.
Classification of substance abuse
Types of substance abuse vary depending on the inhaled agent. The disease can be classified into the following groups:
- Abuse of sleeping pills and any drugs that have a calming effect on the body. These medications include tranquilizers, antiallergic drugs, sleeping pills. Pathological dependence in this case develops quite rarely, but after a while, specific symptoms begin to appear.
- Dependence on substances that stimulate the central nervous system: coffee, energy drinks and all drugs that give the body vigor, improve mood and general condition. With such dependence, a person constantly increases the dose of substances used, not having the strength to subsequently refuse stimulant drugs. Treatment of substance abuse in this case requires great effort.
- Dependence on anticholinergics. These substances, entering the body, block the natural mediator acetylcholine. The intake of substances provides euphoria and a feeling of elation in patients. After the cessation of the action of the substance, fatigue, weakness appear, often a person falls into a severe depression.
- Dependence on household and industrial chemicals. This type of addiction is most common in children and adolescents. Inhalation of gasoline, paints, solvents, adhesivesintoxication occurs, similar to alcohol. There are disturbances in the work of internal organs and sensory organs.
- Nicotine addiction. When smoking, a person's working capacity decreases, mental and somatic disorders appear.
When addicted to several psychotropic substances at once, the patient develops polytoxicomania.
Substance abuse: causes of the disease
The main reason for the development of the disease are personality characteristics, in particular:
- infancy;
- passivity;
- demonstrative;
- addiction;
- emotional instability.
Inability to plan one's own leisure time, lack of interest in learning, defective families, problems in raising children - all these reasons contribute to the weakening of the psyche and character traits of a teenager, as a result of which substance abuse develops. This disease affects not only the physical condition of the body, but also mental he alth.
When inhaling psychoactive drugs, children experience hallucinations that look like vivid and colorful dreams, they are often very pleasant, so teenagers try to resort to inhaling hallucinogenic substances again and again.
Guys usually gather in groups of several people to get the same hallucinations. The causes of substance abuse are very different, each teenager develops the disease under different factors.
Symptoms
According to the characteristics of behavior, it can be concluded whether a particular teenager has substance abuse. Symptoms of the disease can be expressed in varying degrees, depending on the duration and severity of the disease. The most common symptoms of substance abuse are:
- sharp and frequent mood swings, secrecy, irritability;
- problems with the physical condition - teeth are destroyed and fall out, exhaustion develops, premature aging of the body;
- brain activity worsens, slowness of speech and reaction appears;
- a person is in constant euphoria;
- a specific smell spreads from the patient, which is associated with the rapid absorption of psychotropic substances into the blood and their gradual spread throughout the body;
- in the morning the patient is accompanied by nausea, feeling unwell, headache.
A doctor can make a diagnosis when a person constantly increases the dose of substances used, and he develops a persistent dependence on them.
Consequences
The problem of substance abuse is the development of persistent severe changes in the work of the whole organism. First of all, the nervous system suffers from the use of toxic substances. Depending on the type of substance abuse, different complications develop:
- depending on glue, the patient develops weakness in the body, nausea, vomiting, headaches, mental disorders;
- when solvents are abused, chronic fatigue, hallucinations,lethargy, nausea and vomiting;
- people addicted to acetone and gasoline suffer from short-term hallucinations, mental disorders, disturbances in the vital functions of the body, there is a deterioration in he alth and a decrease in immunity.
During adolescence, substance abuse causes severe complications. Patients may become paralyzed, overdosing on toxic drugs causes suffocation and death.
When dependent on psychotropic drugs, patients rarely return to normal life. Often, teenagers switch to harder drugs - narcotic drugs, so children completely stop living in the real world. The consequence of such addictions in most cases is fatal.
Psychological addiction develops in addicts after 2-3 days. And physical is observed approximately in 2-3 months. Substance abuse, the dependence on which manifests itself very strongly, is difficult to treat, since by this time many pathologies appear in the body in the work of individual organs and systems.
How substance abuse affects the body
Depending on the stage of progression of the disease, it can manifest itself in different ways on the internal state of he alth. Substance abuse is characterized by:
- heart failure;
- convulsions caused by abnormal electrical reactions in the brain;
- suffocation occurs when breathing is blocked by vomit;
- asphyxia is a consequence of displacementoxygen from the lungs by inhaling solvents;
- disability - during disorientation, a person often gets seriously injured;
- coma occurs when most brain functions are disturbed.
The harm of substance abuse is damage to the brain centers and the development of vascular sclerosis.
Diagnosis
It's almost impossible to detect addiction on your own. To diagnose substance abuse, you need to go to a specialized clinic, where doctors, based on laboratory tests, examination and questioning of the patient, will detect a possible pathology.
The patient will need to do an electrocardiogram, take a urine and blood test. It is according to the indicators of these studies that the doctor makes a conclusion about the presence or absence of dependence.
Since the outward signs of substance abuse have many similarities with other pathologies (epilepsy, atherosclerosis, heart failure, arterial hypertension, consequences of brain injuries), only a qualified doctor can make a correct diagnosis.
Substance abuse is a disease that in many cases is difficult to diagnose due to differentiation with many pathologies in the body.
When symptoms should see a doctor
Parents should sound the alarm and take their child for examination if they have:
- sudden pressure drops;
- insomnia;
- malaise;
- weight loss;
- brittle nails and hair loss;
- sharp appearance of caries, tooth loss;
- suppuration on the surface of the skin;
- injection marks.
It is very important to carefully monitor the environment and pastime of your child. Naturally, you should not cross the line and prevent a teenager from taking a step without parental control. It is important to choose the right communication tactics, create trusting and friendly relations with the child, be sincerely interested in his affairs and discuss topics that concern both of you. Since substance abuse is a disease that appears and develops quickly, it is very important to be constantly on the alert.
Treatment
Any addictions should be treated in a hospital, this applies to both drug and alcohol addiction and substance abuse. The patient does not realize his problem, believing that he will be able to get rid of the addiction on his own as soon as necessary.
Most clinics accept patients while intoxicated, forcing them into treatment. All this happens only with the consent of relatives. In treatment, the psychological factor is the most important. Therapeutic course includes:
- elimination of intoxication - intravenous glucose is administered to the patient, diuretics, sodium thiosulfate and vitamin complexes are prescribed;
- work with the psychological he alth of the patient;
- if necessary, somatic functions are restored.
Treatment of substance abuse can be carried out only with the constant supervision of psychologists, and in especially severe cases, psychiatrists. Only in this case willpush the patient to realize their problem and desire to return to a normal lifestyle.
Teen substance abuse is not a sustainable addiction, so with proper parental supervision and professional help, this problem can be eliminated. Psychologists recommend first of all to change the environment of the child, the school, and preferably the place of residence. It is necessary to captivate a teenager, arrange him in sports clubs and normalize relations in the family.
Prevention
As a preventive measure against teenage drug addiction and substance abuse, only strict control over the communication and pastime of the child can be used. It is necessary to explain to a teenager about the dangers of substance abuse in a timely manner, since this problem occurs even in prosperous families.
If the parents have any suspicions about the lifestyle of the child, it is necessary to visit the narcological dispensary. Examination and communication with specialists will allow timely identification of developing dependence. Since the sooner this problem is diagnosed, the more likely it is to cure the child.
Substance abuse prevention keeps your child from making mistakes that lead to serious he alth problems.
