Can substance abuse and dependence be prevented?

Answer 1

Substance abuse prevention is important because substance abuse is devastating on your body.

Alcohol kills brain cells, negates people's skills in judgement and reasoning, and I'm sure you've seen the alarming rates at which people get killed in car accidents instigated by drunken drivers.

Marijuana also affects brain cells. Negatively. It also alters the senses. That's why people describe feeling "stoned." Now, there's a lot of people who smoke marijuana that will tell you it's harmless, but this is far from the truth. However, marijuana does kill less people than alcohol, but alcohol is legal, so you can see how the government's priorities might be a tad off.

Amphetamines, methamphetamine is probably the most common illegal amphetamine. Methamphetamine, or, 'Meth' is dangerous because it warps thought. First of all, when people take Meth, it stays in their system for a long time. People who take Meth can be high for over 12 hours. During this time, they may scratch at their skin because they think there's bugs under their skin, even when there's nothing there. Also, they forget to brush their teeth and drink anything, so their oral health plummets. Their teeth rot, turn yellow, and fall out. There's also legal amphetamines, these take the form of prescription drugs like Adderall. These are dangerous as well, but when taken in moderation, they are safer.

Hallucinogens, Hallucinogens, drugs such as LSD, mushrooms, and PCP, are also dangerous. It is easy to extrapolate from the title of the drug category, that these drugs cause people to hallucinate. People on hallucinogens will often jump off high places because they're convinced they can fly. Or they may cackle madly while ramming themselves into a wall. These drugs basically bring out the insanity in a person's brain, and that can be detrimental for their health.

These are just a few of the drugs that can destroy people's bodies and lives. Hopefully I've properly answered your question as to why preventing substance abuse is necessary.

Answer 2

1) So you can make reasoned decisions about what (if anything) to put into your body.

2) So you can distinguish between responsible use and abuse or addiction.

3) So you can better help friends or loved ones who are addicted.

4) So you can improve society by supporting drug policy based on truth instead of fear or hedonism.

This is a controversial subject, and most of the information out there is inaccurate or deliberately misleading. It isn't enough to just listen to your D.A.R.E officer or your stoner friend - odds are they are both pushing agendas, and you are going to get Propaganda instead of facts.

While it's important to be critical of everything you hear, be especially wary of information coming from the government, especially the DEA or NIDA. Whether or not you believe in their goals, both of these agencies ignore research, manipulate data, and lie outright to get what they want - any scientist working for the private sector will tell you as much. Sadly, because of political pressure, American drug research should be considered suspect until proven otherwise - better to look at the research coming out of Western Europe.

A good example of the kind of problem you will run into is contained right in your question: the phrase "substance abuse". This phrase was created by the government, and they push it wherever they can instead of something more neutral like "substance use" in an attempt to control the terms of the discussion. All drug use is assumed a priori to be abuse and the possibility of positive drug use is precluded before any debate has taken place. The pro-drug lobby uses similar propaganda, but it tends to be less dangerous because, frankly, it lacks sophistication and the resources to back it up. Whatever the truth, we will find it through honest dialouge, not linguistic tricks.

Answer 3

Prevention is best aimed at teenagers, who are at very high risk for substance experimentation. Education regarding the risks and consequences of substance use, as well as teaching methods of resisting peer pressure