Public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Public health - Essay Example r gotten from over-the-counter for other reasons besides those for which they are meant or in an excess way.† It is the use of any substance in a harmful pattern for the purpose of mood alteration. The drugs commonly abused include those with psychoactive effects such as alcohol, cannabis, caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine, opiates, and the hallucinogens (Boyd, 2009). Other drugs not categorized and have a potential of abuse include steroids and other drugs used for performance enhancement. In addition, some medical preparations have also been used for various intentions, besides the intended use. An example is erythropoietin, which is used to increase the volume of blood and also improve the performance of athletes. The use of the above mentioned substances has been related to abuse, physical dependence and addiction. This has led to an overall public concern on the issue of drug abuse and its health consequence. Addiction is defined as the craving of chemical substances such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol which the person addicted finds difficult to control (McCarady, 1999). National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA) in the United States is the body concerned with epidemiological investigation of substance abuse. This survey divided the substance abuse into illicit use and abuse of drugs vs. legal use (Tobacco and alcohol). The illicit drugs are further divided in to 9 categories: cocaine, marijuana, heroin, inhalants, hallucinogens, pain relievers (non-medical use), stimulants, tranquilizers, and sedatives. The common abusers of drugs and alcohol are the adolescents due to their experimental nature and pressure from the peers. Older adolescents and young adults also make a significant contribution in the statistics. For instance, a nationwide survey taken by Monitoring the Future in 2010 on the rate of substance abuse in the US showed that 48.2% of the pupils in 12th grade had used illegal drugs in the past. 41.2% of them had taken alcohol 30days before