Alcohol and drug addiction are perhaps the most serious and dangerous scourges of our time. This is not the problem of one person and those around him, but the problem of the whole society, the nation, since each person is a part of society.
Alcohol hostages
These negative habits shorten a person's life, thereby increasing mortality, entail the birth of inferior offspring with congenital anomalies.
By leaps and bounds, the figure that reflects the worldwide amount of alcohol consumed is growing. Both young and old suffer from this. An incredible number of people are becoming hostages of alcohol.
The problem of drug addiction has reached no less catastrophic proportions. Illegal trade, drug abuse, increased overdose mortality - such headlines can be found in press reports of any country, from an underdeveloped one to a giant of an economically - political scale.
As a serious illness that destroys the body from the inside, drug addiction and alcoholism, in addition to health, destroy a person's life, cause troubles and failures, where they begin to persecute on the path of life. The insidiousness also lies in the fact that these diseases subjugate not only the person himself, but bring suffering and torment to his family, close circle. Often, the life of most of these people is reduced to the struggle with alcohol and drugs, but, unfortunately, this struggle does not always bring a positive result.
It has been repeatedly noted that in a family with an alcoholic father, the most negative consequences are reflected in children. Not every woman has enough love, strength, patience to fight her husband's illness. Often the wife gives up and, succumbing to the influence of alcohol, begins to drink herself. It is not difficult to imagine that children, deprived of parental attention and care, are left to themselves.
This free space, lack of control, freedom of action in most cases leads to the fact that children of alcoholics begin to rampage, become offenders. Drinking parents whose children are minors can be deprived of parental rights. This is a very unpleasant process, but, unfortunately, there are much worse options when a child, looking at the parental example, also begins to abuse alcohol. Often he gets drunk, ruins his body and has a much more terrible chance of dying young.
There are families who do not have the strength and patience to deal with these terrible ailments. As a result, the closest people refuse to suffer from alcoholism in order to avoid life in constant fear and stress. Family members of those who have not escaped this disease simply give up in the fight against this evil.
Drug addiction and alcoholism
A parallel can be drawn between drug addiction and alcoholism. Both the first and the second are elementary dependence on chemicals. Drug addiction - dependence on a substance contained in a drug. Although, in themselves, these substances can be drugs. The main constituent of alcohol is ethyl alcohol, which causes the habit. Unfortunately, this addiction is the work of the person himself.
Science has proven that getting inside the body, alcohol gets through the blood to every human organ, harming and destroying it. Do not exclude the content of carcinogenic and toxic substances in low-quality alcohol. Alcohol helps them easily get into the human body.
It irreversibly and destructively affects the cells of the brain, weakening the reproductive centers located in the spinal cord. In abusing women, the work of the mammary glands is disrupted, and subsequently, in general, it may stop.
To provide assistance to an alcoholic or drug addicted person, it is necessary to have an idea of the causes and consequences that they are fraught with.
There is such a concept "dependent behavior". It is characteristic of those people who are predisposed to habits of one kind or another. An important imprint on this is heredity. Those people who had drug addicts or alcoholics in their family can be safely attributed to a rather dangerous category. This in no way prejudges the fate of a person, you just need to know about such a predisposition and control your actions.
Biochemical characteristics of a person under the influence of alcohol
Each organism is individual, and each has its own biochemical characteristics.
The human body contains an enzyme that breaks down ethyl alcohol - alcohol dehydrogenase. But in different quantities. For example, women are more deprived of it than the male part of the population. From which we can conclude that alcohol dependence will overcome the fair sex faster. One of the reasons for the emergence of addiction in women is a psychological background - their excessive emotionality and sensitivity. But in contrast, you can call the instinct of self-preservation, which by nature is more inherent in women. This may be one of the reasons why there are more men than women in drug treatment clinics.
Society, habitat, family traditions, upbringing, in which the formation of personality takes place, has two opposite properties - to protect a person, and to push to any of the forms of dependence. Elementary frivolous curiosity or a dysfunctional environment can be fertile ground for the first acquaintance with drugs or alcohol. Further, the substance itself performs its black "work", interfering with the biochemical processes of the body. People with a predisposition to alcoholism and drug addiction already have a need for this substance, even despite the knowledge of the harm they bring.
Drugs have their roots in ancient times. The Greek translation of this word is numbness, madness, passion. Abnormal, crazy fun after consuming substances of plant origin accompanied more than one religious holiday of different tribes of the jungle, orgy in Greece and Rome ...
Addiction is a continuous process of using toxic substances, which are very similar in one of their features - they create in people the illusion of temporary support and pleasure.
The most acute process of a lot of pleasure, for the sake of which drug addicts are ready for any wrongdoing, lasts no more than a few minutes. Further, there comes a stage of a kind of amorphousness, complete indifference to the surrounding reality. The person is in a semi-sleep, delusional, relaxed state.
The reason for the prevailing opinion about the greater evil of drug addiction than alcohol is unclear. Drinking alcohol in huge doses is not as shameful as becoming a drug addict. Some countries are striking in their loyalty in this regard. People who use drugs will be punished according to the Criminal Code, and anyone can buy alcohol both in terms of cost, as well as availability, which leads to complete national degradation, the soldering of a huge number of the population.
Although in fact it makes no sense to compare whose appearance is more pathetic and depressing - alcoholics with shaking hands or thin drug addicts with sunken gaze. And with that, and with the other you need to radically fight.
Combating alcoholism
The first outbreak of widespread drug use was an attempt to eradicate mass alcoholism.
In the most banal way, one evil was replaced by another - alcohol began to be replaced with drugs.
Thomas de Quincey, a poet who lived in 19th century England, suffered from alcoholism. In his works, he colorfully described the sensations he experienced while using the drug. He got a crazy idea how to cure one addiction with another. Thanks to a large fan base, this idea has grown at a tremendous rate. Communities, clubs of opiate smokers appeared, which were attended by many people, comforting themselves with the thought that they were fighting alcoholism. For more than a dozen years, one generation after another in England fought evil in the most absurd way, using no less harmful means.
Drug addiction can be caused by a number of reasons:
- curiosity;
- stressful situation;
- serious illness;
- elementary imitation.
A negative example is set by celebrities, some of whom are not easy to use drugs, but in a peculiar way advertise such an impartial lifestyle.
Not only is it not hidden, but becomes public, some describe in paints the feelings they experience, thereby warming up interest and awakening the desire to try.
There are some kind of youth drugs that allow you to have fun in clubs without getting tired. A large percentage of young people swallowing these pills do not even bother to think that this is not a harmless drug that produces energy, but in fact the same drug.
Unfortunately, there are circumstances when, for health reasons, a person is forced to take painkillers, sleeping pills, psychotropic drugs, one of which is a drug. Such situations are quite risky, since the systematic use of drugs containing drugs can lead to addiction. As a result, the patient needs a dose of medicine not for the purpose of treatment, but to combat the breakage and discomfort that accompany it.
Quite often you can hear the opinion that alcohol is less of a problem than drug addiction. The person himself chooses what to face and his choice does not depend on the "lightness" or "severity" of the problem. It is convenient for him, he, unfortunately, likes it, in the end, it suits him and corresponds to his personality.
Negative functions of addiction
Alcoholism and addiction cause irreparable harm to the human body, destroy its personality. The only difference is that drugs are quicker to accomplish their terrible purpose.
The life expectancy of people who use drugs is very short. Only a few survive to old age. Often, drug addicts die not by their own death, but by accident or from an overdose. Drug overdose is a process that only takes a few seconds. In the human brain, the respiratory center is blocked and the person dies due to respiratory arrest. Since this process is practically instantaneous, there is simply not enough time to save the life of a dying person and doctors remain powerless.
Alcohol, too, cannot be written off, only it, unlike drugs, acts more slowly. Many people who consume alcoholic beverages believe that this is not a problem and that vodka with wine, unlike drugs, does not cause withdrawal symptoms.
Doctors - narcologists dealing with the problem of alcoholism, believe that addiction has already appeared in those people who consume alcoholic beverages more often than once a week. Of course, stronger drinks do their job faster due to the higher percentage of alcohol they contain. But the same beer is ahead of other, stronger alcohol in its negative qualities. It has a negative effect on the endocrine and cardiovascular systems of the human body.
Repeatedly you can observe how people after a working day allow themselves to drink a couple of bottles of beer. For no reason, simply believing that beer is relaxing and stress-relieving after work. If we have the ability to relax by nature, is it worth resorting to such artificial deceptive relaxation due to chemicals? The production of endorphins, the so-called hormones of pleasure, is inherent in the human body by nature, so you must safely avoid artificial and far from harmless substitutes.
Unfortunately, alcohol and drug addictions are getting younger every day. Drug addiction is very widespread among adolescents and young people. For many children, the introduction to the potion takes place on the school grounds.
First of all, parents themselves have no right to set a bad example for children - to use alcohol or drugs.
But unfortunately, even in prosperous families, no one is insured that a child will take the path of alcoholism or drug addiction.
Often, parents do not notice what is happening with their child. Mild suspicion can turn into conviction when the situation is already on the brink. There is a category of parents who, like snails, hide in their shell, rejecting even the slightest thought that the child has taken the wrong path.
But only the mother and father have every chance not to let the maturing problem take its course. Who, if not they, will notice the slightest nuances:
- in the behavior and mood swings of your child;
- a new company or individuals with whom he began to communicate more often;
- hear unusual, suspicious music;
- catch the notes of deceit;
- resourcefulness.
High teenagers behave differently from normal and usual behavior. An attentive parent will notice the difference.
Signs of addiction
A person under the influence of a narcotic substance has dilated pupils. This is one of the clear signs. But experienced drug addicts solve this problem with the help of special drops. In addition to the pupils, at first, there is an increased and not quite adequate to the situation hysterical giggle, or vice versa:
- excessive calmness;
- complete indifference to what is happening.
Another alarm bell may be an unusual smell emanating from a teenager, strange objects that parents did not notice before:
- tubes;
- plastic bottles with cut holes;
- spoons burnt over the fire.
Along with the habit of using drugs, children develop the habit of lying and dodging. And to do it with special pleasure and excitement. This painful need to lie and get out can be safely considered one of the signs of impending disaster.
There is an opinion - in order to prevent, you need to warn. But this is controversial enough. Each person is individual, and the personality of a teenager is even more vulnerable and, perhaps, not fully formed, therefore it is necessary to take into account all the subtleties of his character and capabilities in order to correctly convey the idea of the dangers of alcohol and drugs.
Strong adolescent curiosity
Excessive curiosity inherent in a child can play a cruel joke and only push him to want to experience it on himself. Conversely, a suspicious, fearful child will forever abandon the thought of acquaintance with alcoholic beverages or drugs.
This is not the easiest task for parents, but who, if not they, will pick up the key to their child and will not let him stumble.
If, nevertheless, alarming suspicions led to disappointing conclusions, then there is an easy way to be sure - to conduct a urine test.
In the pharmacy, along with other tests, there are devices that check for the presence of several types of drugs. You can carry out this procedure at home and the result will not be long in coming.
There is a flip side of the coin in observing the younger generation - excessive suspicion. If several family members begin to simultaneously look for the unusual in the appearance and behavior of the younger in the family, then this can aggravate the situation. To avoid exacerbating the relationship and undermining the child's trust in you, carefully but firmly make sure that the suspicions are not unfounded.
The harmful effects of alcohol and drugs
In addition to the fact that alcoholism and drug addiction bring enormous harm to the person who uses them, the life of society as a whole depends on them.
A large percentage of illegal actions occurs under the influence of alcohol and drugs:
- hooliganism;
- violence against the person.
There comes a kind of stage of aggressive excitement, when drunk people commit unpredictable and often wrong actions.
Narcotic substances are quite expensive and drug addicts commit a lot of crimes in search of funds for a new dose.
The number of accidents is much higher in those people who use alcohol and drugs:
- their concentration of attention decreases;
- working capacity decreases;
- labor discipline begins to "lame".
A huge number of road accidents occur most often at the moment when a drunk driver or pedestrian is on the road.
Studies show that drug addiction and alcoholism in most cases are characteristic of people who have no social prospects, are unsettled in family, work, and everyday life. These problems come from the country as a whole:
- economic crisis;
- social injustice;
- unemployment;
- lack of opportunities for cultural development.
The radiation of the country in relation to alcohol is of great importance. Naturally, where the use does not rise to the level of permissibility, the percentage of alcoholics and drug addicts is much lower.
How to get rid of addiction?
Getting rid of addiction is not an easy and rather lengthy process. One has only to imagine how difficult it will be to fight, change your habits, completely abandon what was almost the first place in a person's life.
There are several ways to help you fight addiction. But one of the most important components is the desire of the person himself to part with the addiction.
One of the most effective methods is coding, long-term treatment in a system with psychological and drug therapy.
There is a category of addicts who visit anonymous groups of drug addicts or alcoholics, where psychotherapists work with them. As a result, many of them achieve a state of stable remission and, upon termination of their treatment, try to provide assistance to those who have become addicted.
Unfortunately, there are often patients who need to be brought to a doctor or clinic with enormous efforts. They show denial of the disease. To be left alone, they can repeatedly promise that they themselves will cope with their addiction. But desire alone is not enough, and a doctor should be in charge of the process. You should not look for specialists in narcology by an advertisement in a newspaper. It is recommended that you go to a specialized clinic to find a competent doctor.
It is not easy in this situation for the patient's relatives. It is quite natural that one wants to understand, regret, make concessions. But this is a kind of "disservice". It is necessary to separate the person from the disease. The daily mention of the disease, poking your nose will be wrong. But it is not worth allowing to postpone treatment indefinitely. It is necessary to make every effort to ensure that the addicted person gives the go-ahead to visit a specialist. After all, a competent narcologist will be able to assess the scale of the problem, establish the correct diagnosis, give recommendations not only to the patient, but also help his loved ones find the right approach to getting rid of the addiction.
Addiction treatment
Treatment is accompanied by considerable psychological difficulties, because it is physically insufficient to cope with the problem. There are enough techniques in the world that are used in the fight against addiction:
- hypnosis;
- coding;
- ampoule sewing;
- drug treatment;
- psychotherapy.
And the possibilities do not end yet, but develop every day.
Medicines help to cope with physical cravings, reduce sensations that cause discomfort. These are just the first steps in the fight against the disease.
An alcoholic or drug addict who is worried that the withdrawal process will be very difficult, his whole life will be broken by treatment, it is worth thinking, a life full of healthy human joys is worth fighting.
Medicine and scientific discoveries do not stand still. There are medications that can help you manage addiction without causing the withdrawal thrill or reducing it to a bearable level. In addition to coding, there are a large number of treatment regimens, according to which it is not always necessary to go to a hospital or a closed clinic. Often, a person can continue to lead their usual way of life, study, work, travel, but at the same time wage the most important struggle with their addiction.
Psychological restructuring of the worldview
The most difficult is the psychological restructuring of the worldview. A drug addict or an alcoholic with experience is used to living differently, not thinking about others, not thinking about relatives and friends, not caring about anything, except how to get a new portion of funds that help achieve euphoria. The man has acquired new acquaintances, where people think like him. And as we think, so we live.
If possible, it is necessary to change the social circle of the addicted person, to protect from contacts with past harm, acquaintances, to be torn away from the harmful environment where he previously lived.
In this situation, it is the organizations that fight against drug or alcohol addicts that can help. There people come into contact with the same people who are stuck in addiction, together they are looking for a way out of a difficult situation, they support each other. Under the influence of the above factors, old negative habits gradually fade away, a person's view of the surrounding reality changes, he sees other life examples, a change in stereotypes, and, accordingly, he can change himself.
Summing up, alcohol and drugs can be safely called a virus that hovers in society. Everyone should remember that this very society is not abstract, not somewhere outside the window, on a TV screen, on another street ... It is nearby and surrounds us every day. You, neighbors, shop assistants, passers-by on the next street, people on the other side of the city, this is the whole society, one big organism. And everyone knows what can happen if a dangerous destructive virus enters the body.
A radical change in life
If you want to live a happy life, achieve success, solve emerging problems and change your life for the better, you need to be able to be aware of what is happening, not to hide from problems and look for possible ways to solve them. Drugs and alcohol often make people indifferent, unable to be aware of anything. It is unlikely that drug addicts think that their body is falling apart by leaps and bounds and they are moving with leaps and bounds to the edge of the abyss. Homeless alcoholics do not realize how impartial, repulsive they will look and how unpleasant the smell emanating from them is.
With each dose of the drug, with a new sip of alcohol, the ability of people to realize the negative changes taking place in their lives decreases. As a result, the last awareness will be the thought of how to get more. And before that, the realization that he lies a lot, commits illegal actions, causes suffering and pain to the people around him will pass by the person.
This problem needs to be addressed at the level of each person. There are countries in which prohibitions are practiced, but as you know, the forbidden fruit is always sweet, and may entail not a recession, but an even greater wave of addiction. While it is not late, it is necessary to educate the younger generation, to give a correct understanding of these diseases, to show the true "face" of alcoholism and drug addiction. Indeed, if humanity does not stop, does not begin to think about the future, not only of its own, but also of future children, then it will doom itself to a slow but sure extinction.
MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
KRASNODAR UNIVERSITY
I approve
Head of the Department of Criminalistics
police colonel
K.V. Vishnevetsky
"___" _______________ 200__
Discipline: Forensic medicine and forensic psychiatry
Specialty: 030501.65 - jurisprudence
LECTURE
Topic number 7. Alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse
PLAN
Introduction
Main questions:1. Violation of the psyche in alcoholism
2. Forensic psychiatric assessment of alcoholism
3. Violation of the psyche in drug addiction. Forensic Psychiatric Assessment of Addiction
4. Violation of the psyche during substance abuse. Forensic Psychiatric Assessment for Substance Abuse
Conclusion
Literature
Introduction
The steady increase in the incidence of alcoholism in many countries of the world, economic and social damage, and the medical consequences of alcohol dependence contribute to a deterioration in the health of the population and indicate that this disease is one of the most important socio-biological problems of our time.
One of the most tragic components of this situation is violent mortality as a result of auto-aggressive and aggressive actions, poisoning and accidents, as well as the importance of manifestations of alcoholism in mortality, with alcohol-associated somatic pathology, road traffic accidents, domestic and industrial alcoholism.
Alcoholism in the social sense is the steady consumption of alcoholic beverages that have a harmful effect on health, life, work and the state of society. Alcoholism in the medical sense is a chronic disease that occurs as a result of frequent, excessive use of alcoholic beverages and a morbid addiction to them.
Substance abuse is a chronic substance abuse disease resulting from the use of psychoactive drugs that are not included in the official list of drugs, and characterized by the development of mental and, in some cases, physical dependence and changes in tolerance towards the intoxicating substance consumed. Substance abuse is often formed in persons with mental disorders receiving long-term treatment with psychotropic drugs.
The definition of drug addiction includes a complex of clinical manifestations combined with legal and social aspects.
The prevalence of drug addiction over the past decade in our country shows a clear upward trend. So, if in 1986 the prevalence of drug addiction was 11.3 cases per 100 thousand people, in subsequent years it doubled or more.
This lecture is devoted to the mental changes that occur with a person using certain potent narcological substances.
Target of this lecture is to get acquainted with the causes and stages of alcoholism, substance abuse, drug addiction, their forensic psychiatric assessment. To achieve this goal in the process of studying the topic, it is necessary to solve a number of tasks: master theoretical knowledge, be able to use special literature, develop the skills and abilities necessary to apply the knowledge gained in practice,
As a result of studying this topic, students should:
have an idea:
On the causes of alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse;
About the stages of these diseases;
About alcoholic psychoses;
know:
Forensic psychiatric assessment of alcoholism and alcoholic psychoses;
Forensic Psychiatric Assessment of Addiction;
Forensic psychiatric assessment of substance abuse;
be able to:
Distinguish the symptoms of alcoholic psychosis;
Distinguish between the symptoms of narcotic and toxicological poisoning.
1. Violation of the psyche in alcoholism
18.1. Concept, prevalence and classification of drug addiction
Drug addiction is a chronic progressive exogenous organic disease, which is characterized by the presence of physical and (or) mental dependence on psychoactive substances recognized as narcotic, the formation of characteristic personality changes, reaching the extreme degree of degradation, somato-neurological complications and social consequences.
According to the assessment of the United Nations in the late 90s. XX century. in the world there were about 180 million people, which is 4.2% of the number of people aged 15 years and older who used drugs, incl. cannabis (144 million), amphetamine-type stimulants (29 million), cocaine (14 million) and opiates (13.5 million, including 9 million heroin addicts).
According to law enforcement and health authorities, at the beginning of 1999 the total number of Russian citizens who use drugs exceeded 2 million. The legal foundations of the state policy of our country in the field of trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and in the field of combating their illicit trafficking are established by the Federal Law of January 8, 1998 No. 3-FZ "On Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances" (as amended on July 25, 2002 ).
Narcotic substances are different in their chemical composition and effect on the human body. Features of action onpsyche allow us to conditionally distinguish their main groups:
acting sedatively (from Lat. sedation - "sedation");
acting exciting;
creating fantastic experiences, transferring the intoxicated from the world of reality to the world of distorted perceptions and assessments.
Political substance abuse is the simultaneous abuse of two or more non-narcotic psychoactive substances with addiction.
In the presence of abuse with symptoms of dependence, two or more drugs in combination with several psychoactive substances speak of polydrug abuse.
In accordance with the definition of the International Classification of Diseases of the last 10th revision (ICD-10), acute intoxication with psychoactive substances is a transient condition arising in connection with their use, accompanied by a disorder of consciousness, cognitive functions, perception, emotions, behavior or other psychophysiological functions and reactions ...
Most psychoactive substances are included in the List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to control in the Russian Federation (approved by the RF Government Decree of June 30, 1998 No. 681).
Acute alcohol intoxication
Ethyl alcohol (alcohol) is the most common substance with narcotic properties.
The main property of alcohol is its effect as a narcotic poison on the psyche.
With simple alcoholic intoxication, three phases (degrees) of this effect are distinguished:
excitation;
oppression of the higher parts of the central nervous system;
sleep and drug paralysis of central functions.
A characteristic sign of the influence of alcohol on mental function is a change in mood, which is detected already in the initial stage. In the first and second stages of intoxication, the mood usually changes in the direction of its increase, often to the point of euphoria, with a feeling of gratuitous fun and complete well-being. Reality and relationships with others are presented in a peculiarly distorted form ("through rose-colored glasses") -
The present and the future are drawn in a rainbow light. All troubles and difficulties seem trivial, easily surmountable, not worthy of serious attention. A pleasant sensual background corresponds to a feeling of comfort, health and vitality. Where there was a condition of the so-called. "Tension", the latter weakens, a kind of relaxation sets in, pain sensations decrease.
The intoxicated usually become "extremely complacent", playful, experience a surge of warm feelings towards unfamiliar and even strangers who seem unusually sweet, to whom they "open their souls", talking about events and experiences, often of an intimate nature, hidden at ordinary times ("drunk outpouring ").
Along with sympathy, feelings of enmity can suddenly flare up. Drunk people cease to reckon with others, lose their sense of tact and shame, there are such well-known signs of intoxication as carelessness, swagger, a tendency to flat jokes, boastfulness, increased self-confidence and self-esteem. Sometimes there is even an omission of their exclusiveness, omnipotence.
In a number of persons, the mood turns out to be lowered, with a tendency to weak-heartedness, the intoxicated at the same time tearfully complain of their fate, their relatives, and their "broken life." Less often, the mood has a distinctly depressive coloring with ideas of self-accusation, suicidal thoughts and attempts to commit suicide (however, the latter kind of attempts can also be demonstratively hysterical). Many in a state of intoxication become annoying, annoying, suspicious and touchy.
Sometimes the entire period of alcohol poisoning is even less typical: with dysphoria, tension, malice and aggression, or with asthenia, apathy, lethargy, drowsiness.
As a rule, with simple intoxication, positive and negative emotional reactions are not only exaggerated, but also unstable; they quickly transform and replace each other. From complacency, affection and forgiveness, drunken people, for the most insignificant reasons, can go on to anger, hostile actions, starting scandals and fights. At the same time, there are also “mixed states”, where features of explosiveness, anger, weak-heartedness, etc. are interspersed into a picture, for example, of cheerful excitement.
The ability to distinguish what is desired from what is possible and what is acceptable is significantly weakened. A drunken man persistently tries, like a capricious child, to immediately achieve the satisfaction of his desires, regardless of the objections of others.
Elementary drives and instincts, in particular sexual ones, are sharply increased. Intoxicated are often hypererotic.
Foolishness is often revealed in the behavior, from the side it resembles a clownery and causes laughter of others. Drunken people "play the fool", "play the fool."
Motor and speech activity intensifies, facial expressions become more lively and expressive, the intoxicated are mobile, noisy. They cannot stay in one place, they are attracted to people, they are voluminous, looking for interlocutors.
The speech of drunks is often colored with a kind of humor, sometimes quite juicy, but more often flat and rude.
The influence of alcohol on intellectual and mnestic functionstion, on the processes of perception and attention is negative. The consistency of thought, the ability to concentrate and to remember is weakened. Distraction increases, the course of associative processes changes, associations by external similarity, consonance, etc. become more frequent. Criticism to their actions is violated, there is an overestimation of their own capabilities.
The intoxicated lose the ability to grasp the whole situation as a whole, misunderstand and interpret the words of others, actions are dictated by random ideas and impressions. The latter do not undergo sufficient intrapsychic processing and have an instant effect on behavior, are realized in motor acts. This determines the impulsive, sometimes incomprehensible nature of the actions of drunks.
Despite the subjectively felt burst of energy, the ability to perform intellectual operations and performance are inhibited after a transient short-term period of amplification.
Deep intoxication is accompanied by even more incorrect behavior, absurd actions, qualitative disorders of thinking are increasing, gait and coordination acts are grossly disturbed. Speech becomes more and more incomprehensible, interrupted by shouts, threats, curses, meaningless laughter or crying. The drunk is striving somewhere, running, defending himself. Such states are accompanied by a deeper disorder of thinking, judgments, and inferences. Mental experiences can take on a fantastic character. Sometimes during this period there are bouts of rage and aggressive actions (more often, however, this is characteristic of complicated and pathological intoxication). Heavy intoxication ends with deep stunning, lethargy and drowsiness.
Consciousness with simple intoxication, which occurred in a healthy person after taking a moderate dose of alcohol, is not grossly upset. Orientation and internal connections are preserved, as well as memories of what happened. With a deeper intoxication (second and third stages), consciousness changes quantitatively more clearly. The orientation in time and place is violated (while maintaining one's own orientation). The environment is perceived indistinctly. A drunk person does not understand well the speech addressed to him, he answers inappropriately not so much to the interlocutor as to the thoughts that pop up in him.
The behavior of an intoxicated person is largely influenced by individual personality traits, habits, upbringing and the environment. In a state of intoxication, promiscuity is often noted, a desire to impress others, surprise them, and attract attention.
With an increase in alcohol intoxication, gait and coordination acts are grossly disturbed, speech becomes more and more incomprehensible, interrupted by shouts, threats, curses, meaningless laughter or crying.
Pathological intoxication is a short-term acute psychosis caused by alcohol, lasting from several minutes to one hour or more, but not more than a day.
Pathological intoxication usually occurs suddenly, without any precursors. The quantity and quality of alcohol does not play a significant role; moreover, pathological intoxication often occurs after relatively small doses (150-250 g). Unlike idleness, there is no euphoria in pathological cases, there is no unsteady gait, and speech does not change.
Clinical picture pathological intoxication is expressed v severe clouding of consciousness of the type of twilight "state, with a loss of orientation in the environment. Against this background, the patient develops the affects of fear, anger, rage.
Illusions, visual and auditory hallucinations often appear. The patient sees various animals, monsters, birds, insects, reptiles, freaks, etc. They hear whispers, abuse, threats; it seems to him that they are watching him, sneaking up on him, accusing him of serious crimes, attacking him. The patient takes his friends for enemies and begins to fiercely defend against them. Sometimes delusional ideas of relationship and persecution come to the fore.
In most cases, there is complete amnesia during the period of intoxication, and only some patients retain fragmentary memories of it. Motor excitement is almost always observed. Behavior is adequate to the experienced affect. There is a tendency to aggressive behavior. The patient swears, shouts, enters into a fight, insults by word and action, uses knives, weapons, commits socially dangerous acts that are striking in their cruelty. Often, under the influence of frightening affects, he inflicts damage on himself, makes attempts at suicide, while showing great dexterity and the ability to overcome obstacles.
Pathological intoxication ends with prolonged sleep. Waking up, the patient does not remember what happened to him in a state of intoxication.
Alcoholism and drug addiction have become dangerous problems of our time. This problem concerns not only the person himself and his family, but also the whole society, since the family is an integral part of it.
Dangerous disease and its impact on the social life of society
Like cancer, drug addiction and alcoholism destroy the personality and become the cause of many failures of the person who becomes an alcoholic or drug addict. His family members become hostages of these problems. And more often than not, the whole life of these people is to constantly overcome them. It is not always possible to solve problems of this kind.
The social life of society is under the influence of a terrible disease called "alcoholism and drug addiction." In a family where the husband is an alcoholic, children suffer the most. The wife, tired of fighting her husband's alcohol addiction, often begins to drink herself. Children, left without the attention of their parents, are completely abandoned. Some start to go homeless and commit crimes. Minors who have not reached the age of majority can be taken away from their parents, who are deprived of their rights to a child. This is how the family breaks up. But this is not the worst outcome.
There are families in which, looking at their parents, children start drinking. They drink too early and die. Some families give up alcoholics, not wanting to expose other family members to constant stress. Less often, it happens that the family fights and conquers a dangerous illness. Unfortunately, this is very rare.
Drug addiction is not as plentiful as alcoholism. But a person's dependence on it is much stronger. If people of all ages are susceptible to alcoholism, then drug addiction mainly kills the younger generation. The country's gene pool is suffering.
What offspring will be born? After all, it is known that physically weak children are born to alcoholics and drug addicts. Parents' addictions also affect their mental health. Often, parents who are alcoholics and drug addicts have children born with alcohol and drug addictions. That is, already at the genetic level, the offspring is infected with this disease. And this is passed down from generation to generation.
What is happening in our society? It is gradually dying out. Recently, the number of drug addicts and alcoholics has not decreased, but is constantly growing. Shouldn't you think about it seriously ?!
Where does it all start? How does a person become infected with this ailment?
Our society is infected with a terrible disease called alcoholism and drug addiction. Alcoholism and drug addiction have different roots, but the end is always the same. People suffering from this disease, decomposing and dying themselves, cause irreparable harm to society. It will be very difficult for society to get rid of this disease.
Alcohol is everywhere. Both in joy and in sorrow. They are accompanied by holidays, celebrations and meetings of friends. Business receptions and discussion of transactions are accompanied by alcohol.
It is impossible to prove to people that you can have fun without this potion. And an alcoholic never considers himself to be such. Although only he himself can cope with the disease. And the family and society should support him and start.
The state needs to limit alcohol consumption. It is obliged to better control the flow of drugs into the country. Otherwise, a decaying society will face inevitable death.
What does the use of alcohol and drugs lead to?
With the constant use of drugs and alcohol, a complete decomposition of the human body occurs. All his organs and brain activity suffer. Immunity is impaired. The cardiovascular, nervous systems and digestive organs are destroyed.
The human body with the constant use of alcohol and is saturated with toxins. He cannot get rid of them on his own. Required "sick" in a medical institution and.
A person pays for his addictions with health and even life. He may not be the only one to suffer. In a state of intoxication or under the influence of drugs, he can kill a child, run over a person with a car. It can start a fire, and at the same time people will die or become homeless. So the alcoholic by his behavior affects the life of society, disrupts the normal course of events.
Under, in search of money for the next dose, the addict may stop at nothing. He becomes dangerous to society. Violation of social rules becomes the norm for him.
In a state of alcoholic intoxication, a person's mind becomes cloudy. He cannot control his actions and emotions. Often, he doesn't even remember what happened to him. By hurting other people, such a person harms the whole society.
Losing the ability to think normally, a person degrades morally. He is not interested in the life of his loved ones. He is worried about one thought, how to find another glass of alcohol or where to get money for a dose.
Gradually killing himself, he destroys everything around. Kills the kindness of others and disgusts them. With such an attitude of people towards alcoholics and drug addicts, a split in society arises, which leads to its decline.
Not only the body of the alcoholic and drug addict perishes, but also the soul. Left alone, he cannot cope with the disease, he suffers. Death becomes the solution to all his problems.
The tragedy of one person affects the life of the whole society.
Is life really worth it to dispose of?
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Page 17 of 22
Alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse
In the group of mental disorders arising from the use of psychoactive substances (that is, those that, even with a single dose, cause the euphoria, excitement, activity and other psycho-emotional states desired for the consumer, and when they are abused - mental and physical dependence), chronic alcoholism is especially distinguished. drug addiction, substance abuse. This is primarily due to the fact that mental changes caused by these diseases noticeably disrupt the social stabilization of society. The proportion of subjects who committed illegal actions in a state of intoxication and undergo a forensic psychiatric examination in connection with “improper behavior” reaches one third. The most criminogenic is asocial behavior in simple and pathological alcoholic intoxication, advanced forms of chronic alcoholism, alcoholic and drug addiction psychoses.
Alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse are progressive chronic mental illnesses of non-psychotic etiology, artificially induced and widespread. With these diseases, individuals gradually develop mental dependence on psychoactive substances, to which physical dependence joins, then a pathological attraction to their intake and a change in the reactivity of the body, and in the absence of the possibility of re-taking these substances, it is difficult to tolerate withdrawal state (hangover syndrome).
Patients gradually develop vegetative-vascular, somatoneurological and psychopathological disorders, specific personality changes and the corresponding behavioral reactions. Among the latter, the prevailing desire is to get and take alcohol (drugs) or other substances, ignoring the moral and material interests of the family and the moral and ethical limitations of society. Ultimately, such persons experience an increase in social and labor maladjustment, which greatly contributes to the growth of offenses and their severity. At remote stages, as alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse progresses, psychiatrists state in this group of patients (as a result of prolonged and chronic intoxication effects on the body of ethanol, drugs and toxic substances) organic brain damage and, as a result, growing dementia.
Alcoholism... The greatest difficulty is the establishment of a diagnosis of simple or pathological intoxication, which is determined mainly by clinical manifestations, while laboratory tests are only of auxiliary value.
At the heart of simple intoxication there are certain mental and somatoneurological disorders arising from the intake of even a small dose of alcohol. Alcohol selectively inhibits, first of all, the central nervous system, disrupts the normal course of physiological processes of inhibition and excitation, thereby determining human behavior. At the same time, the degree of intoxication depends not so much on the amount of alcohol consumed, but on the state of the body, the functional capabilities of the brain, addiction to alcohol-containing drinks, the way it is introduced into the body, and a number of other reasons.
Simple alcoholic intoxication has a certain mental, neurological and somatic dynamics, according to the clinical features of which forensic psychiatrists give a medical opinion.
Simple intoxication is often found in forensic psychiatric expert practice, and solving the issue of sanity does not cause difficulties, since such persons maintain contacts with external stimuli for a long time, the ability to critically perceive the situation, realize the nature and social danger of their actions and control them. They do not develop psychotic states (in the form of twilight clouding of consciousness, delirium, hallucinations) and therefore are subject to criminal liability (Article 23 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
Pathological intoxication occurs only in isolated cases in individuals who, as a rule, do not drink alcohol regularly, who have suffered traumas or diseases of the brain in the past and are considered mentally healthy persons, in conditions of emotional stress, overwork, chronic lack of sleep, insecurity, fear. It is based on rather complex psychophysiological mechanisms, including at the intramolecular level. This is a qualitatively different morbid state of the psyche than with simple alcoholic intoxication, requiring a different (apart from medical and legal) approach. This type of intoxication is possible literally a few minutes after drinking alcohol and usually proceeds regardless of the dose taken. Forensic psychiatrists in their retrospective studies, as a rule, establish that intoxicated, some time after drinking alcohol, unexpectedly for others, became anxious, confused, detached, inaccessible to any contacts. Movement and posture acquired a protective character due to the fact that reality began to inspire them with unaccountable horror.
As a result of acute alcohol intoxication, such a person develops a short-term psychotic disorder with a deep twilight clouding of consciousness, delusional and hallucinatory experiences and the resulting inappropriate behavior, which largely depends on the characterological characteristics of the individual. But motor excitement usually ends suddenly (after a few minutes), passes into a state of physical weakness, and then into sleep, followed by amnesia of the events taking place.
In a forensic psychiatric examination, doctors, analyzing pathological intoxication, diagnose it as a rapidly progressing psychotic disorder in the form of psychosis and recognize such experts as insane for the committed act.
Socially chronic alcoholism is considered as excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, leading to violations of norms of behavior in everyday life and society, causing noticeable damage to health, moral, moral and material well-being of the family. In medical terms, alcoholism is a disease that leads to pathological changes in internal organs (liver, heart, pancreas), the nervous system and selectively the brain. Alcohol has a relaxing (relaxing, stress relieving), euphorizing and partly sedative (calming) effect on the mental sphere. The need for such an effect is more characteristic of people who are poorly adapted, with neurotic and psychopathological characterological features. In this case, the microenvironment, upbringing, traditions, mental and physical stress, psycho-traumatic situations matter. The causes of alcoholism are also (conditionally) heredity, various metabolic (metabolic) disorders of internal organs, some physiological disorders, primarily of the autonomic nervous system. Three successive stages are noted in its development:
- initial (compensated) with neurasthenic symptoms and mental dependence on alcohol;
- medium (subcompensated) with the addition of organic symptoms to functional changes, the appearance of physical dependence on alcohol, withdrawal (hangover) syndrome (in this case, alcoholic psychoses are already possible);
- severe (decompensated) with irreversible somatoneurological disorders (dementia and personality breakdown), phenomena of mental and social degradation, the appearance of chronic hallucinations and other psychopathological disorders.
When analyzing the acts of forensic psychiatric examinations of patients with alcoholism, lawyers need to pay attention to the fact that the basis of their offenses is the activation of instinctive mechanisms (primitivism in their implementation), increased suspicion (acquiring a painful character), sharpening of personal characteristics (straightforwardness, truth-seeking), the emergence of a number of new, uncharacteristic features before alcoholism (deceit, cynicism, cruelty, etc.), which noticeably affect the intent and nature of actions (often aggressive, meaningless and unpredictable).
Forensic psychiatric assessment of patients with chronic alcoholism is not difficult. In view of the fact that the disease itself (alcoholism) does not deprive them of the ability to realize the actual nature and social danger of their actions (inaction) and to control them, these persons are recognized as responsible for the offenses committed (part 1 of article 97 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and part 2 of article 99 Of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Exceptions are those cases when alcoholism is combined with severe atherosclerosis of the cerebral vessels or age-related involutional changes that have taken on the character of severe dementia (dementia).
Alcoholic psychoses are complications of chronic alcoholism. They can be provoked by: various psychogenias (including a crime situation, arrest, investigation, detention in a pre-trial detention center, etc.); forced abstinence from the habitual and regular intake of alcoholic beverages; in more rare cases - massive alcohol intoxication at the peak of the binge. The most common in legal practice are (depending on the prevailing symptoms) the following acute alcoholic psychoses: delirium (delirium tremens), acute hallucinosis and paranoid. The behavior of such patients during psychosis is due to confusion of consciousness and is adequate to hallucinatory delusional experiences that determine the nature of their motor activity and can cause fears for the life of the patient and those around him. In this state, they do not have an awareness of the actual nature and social danger of their actions and the ability to guide them (that is, criticism and will). Therefore, persons who have suffered alcoholic psychoses during the period of the incriminated acts are recognized as insane.
In forensic and investigative practice, offenders are encountered with such a variant of alcoholic illness as true binge (dipsomania). This is a paroxysmal, painful and irresistible attraction to alcohol and its surrogates, which can be joined by melancholy, paranoid mood, olfactory hallucinations and other psychopathological symptoms leading to aggression.
In the forensic psychiatric analysis of dipsomania, it is necessary to take into account the possibility of an acute attack of congenital biological dependence (insufficiency) to endogenous ethanol (produced by the body) and the recognition of such patients as insane during an attack, and outside of hard drinking - sane for committed acts.
Addiction. This is a group of diseases united by painful addiction (addiction), as a rule, to non-medical use of narcotic drugs, which are classified by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation as a narcotic substance. In Russia, morphine, omnopon, codeine, poppy straw, hemp, synthetic substitutes (promedol, fentanyl, LSD), stimulants (perventin, caffeine) are most widely used. They have a specific effect (stimulating, euphorizing, sedative, hallucinatory, etc.) on the central nervous system. Medicinal and other chemical substances not included in this list (including “folk remedies”) are classified as toxic, and the diseases they cause are called substance abuse; despite the fact that they have a number of narcotic properties, the social danger of their abuse is not so high. This division is rather arbitrary and is mainly of a legal nature.
Addiction- the general name of a group of diseases manifested by a pathological, irresistible urge to constantly take drugs and substances in increasing doses due to persistent mental and physical dependence on them with the development of abstinence when they stop taking them.
Drug addiction is characterized by adverse mental, somatic and social consequences. This is especially evident during the period of forced abstinence from the habitual use of drugs. Drug addicts show mental and physical dependence on drugs, the desire to increase the dose (increase tolerance) to get even more euphoria, complacency, good mood, a surge of strength, ease, detachment from the world and emerging problems. Hence the painful need for repeated drug use and active actions aimed at acquiring them. All this leads to the sharpening of personality traits, somatoneurological and mental disorders, and then to mental, biological and social degradation. Often, psychiatrists diagnose psychotic states in drug addicts with twilight clouding of consciousness, delirium, hallucinations and other manifestations of mental disorders.
Psychiatrists have also found that drugs cause marked changes in speaking. With their intake and acute intoxication and, accordingly, pleasant excitement and euphoria, there is a tendency to fast speech, the use of jargon expressions, a manic increase in pronunciation defects, flat humor, cynicism, buffoonery, etc. With withdrawal symptoms (during forced abstinence from the usual doses) and Accordingly, depression is marked by a slowdown in the rate of speech, an angry reaction to remarks (inadequate in form and intensity), “heavy speech”.
Another important diagnostic criterion is writing and speaking defects in drug addicts. Forensic experts note that their handwriting is distinguished by quite definite changes, consisting of general and particular features. So, under the action of drugs - feelings of "complacency and euphoria" - the handwriting noticeably improves, when the action of the drug stops (withdrawal changes occur), it "deteriorates", becomes uneven, "nervous", sharp, with a lot of damage to the integrity of the paper, blots , blots, etc. At the same time, the disorder (change) of handwriting under the influence of narcotic drugs also depends on the type of higher nervous activity and the mental state of a person, on the preliminary intake of hypnotics and “sedative” drugs. It has been established that the latter relax the psychomotor and muscle analyzers and thereby have a definite effect on the qualitative and quantitative features of handwriting.
The main objective method for the determination of narcotic substances and their alkaloids (as well as alcohol and other "potent" substances) are chromatographic and spectral analyzes, as well as the radioimmunochemical method. In narcological institutions of public health authorities, the express method is used to determine dry drugs. In addition, for the diagnosis of drug intoxication in people suspected of taking drugs or toxic substances, these institutions use new imported and domestic devices, with which they determine the presence of drugs in the blood and urine of the subjects. In this regard, the recognition of drug addicts using the above criteria (in appearance, changes in oral and written speech, clinical data, laboratory research results) is important for improving operational investigative activities, developing investigative versions, building charges or defense in court. The painful signs of drug addiction, ascertained by the employees of the investigation, prosecutor's office, court and advocacy (in the process of personal contact or observation), should be considered as subjective, having auxiliary value, since to make a diagnosis of drug addiction, only a psychiatrist or psychiatrist - narcologist is required to be examined. Diagnosis of clinical symptoms in the dynamic course (and not in static) of a mental illness of non-psychotic etiology (which is what drug addiction is) refers to objective research and is recognized by the courts as a type of evidence.
When analyzing forensic psychiatric reports of persons who have committed crimes while intoxicated with drugs, in accordance with Art. 23 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, as a rule, are recognized as sane. Cases of offenses directly related to acute drug intoxication are extremely rare (because of the severe physical and mental state of drug addicts and their helplessness at this time).
Only the acts committed by them in psychotic states (twilight clouding of consciousness, delirium and hallucinations) or with profound personality changes (degradation) and severe dementia, force experts - psychiatrists to recognize them as insane and send them without fail for compulsory treatment in psychiatric hospitals.
Persons suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction complicate the conclusion of marriage, family, housing and property transactions. In the civil process, the examination of their legal capacity presents certain difficulties. Therefore, civil legislation allows for the possibility of limiting their legal capacity (Article 30 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) and establishing guardianship. The court, issuing a ruling on this, decides all issues individually, taking into account the behavior of these persons, the data provided by psychiatrists-narcologists and their mental state, the degree of degradation, and the possibility of medical and social rehabilitation.
In the terminology of the World Health Organization (WHO): drugs are drugs that cause mental or physical (or both) addiction.
Substances that cause alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse, in the aggregate, can be called narcogenic substances, since, despite the difference in the mechanism of action, the course of the disease proceeds quite similarly.
A healthy person who first starts using a drug intoxication usually does not have euphoria. There is a violent rejection reaction and signs of poisoning: headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness. In addition, other reactions occur, depending both on the specific characteristics of the drug and on individual tolerance. There may be a cough, increased heart rate, cold sweats, hallucinations, anxiety and even fear of death, which often turn into oblivion and sleep. However, with subsequent drug use, these phenomena disappear and the first stage of the disease begins.
Alcohol, nicotine and other narcogenic substances affect the nervous system in different ways. Nicotine disrupts the functioning of the nerve nodes of the autonomic nervous system, alcohol affects the brain, a number of drugs disrupt the nerve conduction of the diencephalon, etc. But all these substances are capable of disrupting the work of the emotional centers. In some cases, they cause a state of detachment, tranquility, in others - a state of fun, euphoria, and such a state later becomes a human need.
The second feature of alcohol, drugs and substances that cause substance abuse is that, with repeated consumption, they are able to be included in the metabolism. In this case, the metabolism is disturbed. That is why, in the advanced stages of the disease, the deprivation of alcohol, drugs or substances that led to substance abuse causes severe disorders in the patient, and not only mental, but also bodily intolerable headaches, pain in the lower back, spine, joints. For each substance, these sensations are different, the common thing is that they arise when a person is deprived of a familiar potion.
Alcoholism is a form of chemical addiction that differs from drug addiction in that alcohol is a legal substance. The most important feature of alcoholism is that a sick person cannot come to the conclusion that he needs to completely stop drinking alcohol and never return to it.
Alcoholism is a disease of chemical dependence with the same traits as drug addiction and affects all areas of the human being.
Alcoholism is a disease:
- 1) primary, i.e. not a symptom or consequence of another disease;
- 2) progressive;
- 3) chronic (long-term);
- 4) incurable;
- 5) deadly.
The "prelude" of alcoholism is drunkenness - at first moderate, then chronic. At the same time, ethyl alcohol is constantly present in the human body, it is converted in the process of metabolism. Alcohol entering through the digestive tract breaks down to poisonous acetaldehyde and has a destructive effect on cells and organs.
One of the main symptoms of the disease is its denial (denied by both the patient and relatives). The disease is incurable, but it is possible to delay its development and improve the condition if the patient is ready to take responsibility for his recovery and change himself.
Alcoholism is caused by the abuse of beverages containing ethyl alcohol. Usually alcohol acts in rather large doses, amounting to tens of grams. Alcohol is primarily a nerve poison, but it also affects other organ systems. It disrupts the permeability of cell membranes, causes restructuring of enzyme systems, excites or inhibits entire ensembles of nerve cells, disrupts the liver and kidneys. At the level of the whole organism, alcohol affects the function of the heart and blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, disrupts the regulation of organs and human behavior. Under the influence of alcohol, energy metabolism is also significantly rebuilt. In patients with alcoholism, ethyl alcohol is used as an energy substance, and glucose is converted into fat. Hence the obesity of the heart and adjacent vessels. The heart of alcoholics can be large in size, but poor performance.
Alcohol destroys liver cells, and in fact it is the formation of ATP (adenosine triphosphoric acid - the main source of energy in the body), detoxification (neutralization) of poisons and much more.
Alcohol is especially harmful to a growing body. Those doses that are acceptable for an adult can be fatal for young people. Alcohol intoxication occurs in them more often and faster. With brain damage, irreversible phenomena can occur that can lead to disability and death.
Alcohol abuse leads to personality degradation, makes a person mentally unbalanced. 70% of crimes against the person are committed in a state of alcoholic intoxication. These are the most severe social consequences of alcohol addiction.
In recent years, the consumption of low-alcohol drinks and beer has increased significantly. But beer craze can also lead to dire consequences for a number of reasons. First, the beer is made using the so-called artificial (cultured) yeast. And the components of this yeast cause damage to the human brain, lead to oncological diseases - this has been proven by research by scientists from the USA, Canada, and Germany. Secondly, frequent and excessive drinking of beer leads to fatty liver (doctors have an expression - "beer liver"), then there is an accumulation of fat throughout the body, ie. obesity occurs. These processes are intensified when leading a sedentary lifestyle, in an urban environment.
Addiction is a serious illness caused by drug abuse and the acquired pathological dependence of the body on sedative, intoxicating, vision-immersing substances (drugs). Moreover, having appeared once, the mechanism of drug addiction operates constantly.
After the collapse of the USSR, many of Russia's borders with the former fraternal republics became transparent and conditional. As a result, a stream of drugs poured into Russia from Afghanistan through Kazakhstan (border with Russia - 7500 km). As a result, the massive distribution and use of drugs of all kinds began, taking on the scale of a national disaster.
Addiction is a disease. Children of alcoholics are 4 times more likely than other people to fall ill with alcoholism and drug addiction. The presence of heredity proves that a sick person undergoes changes at the biological level in the process of using alcohol or drugs. Drug addiction or alcoholism cannot be cured by simply replacing the drug or alcohol with a medicine. In the process of using drugs and alcohol, a person develops a mental defense that does not allow him to see and correctly explain what is happening to him.
The main defense against chemical addiction is denial. A sick person himself is unaware of what is happening to him, and, even if he wants to stop using drugs, he cannot change what he has no idea about. The main change in the spiritual sphere is the loss of the meaning of life, the emergence of a feeling of one's own worthlessness. The addicts themselves note that drug use in itself becomes the only meaning of life. For them, this is more important than study, work, sex, relationships with loved ones and much more.
Most people suffering from drug use problems believe that it is enough to stop using them and life will be better. This is where the main paradox of chemical addiction manifests itself: in order to restore your life and recover, you need to stay clean and sober, and the damage caused by drug use itself does not allow you to lead such a lifestyle. The most frequent consequences of drug use for physical health are diseases of the cardiovascular system and respiratory tract, hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver, psychosis, epilepsy, etc. Depression, feelings of guilt, powerlessness, hopelessness, resentment and resentment develop. Spiritual qualities are violated: apathy appears, loss of the meaning of life, a person begins to feel the hostility of the world around him.
The social consequences of drug addiction are the addict's dependence on the drug dealer, earning money not through labor, and sometimes even by criminal means. The treatment of drug addicts and the maintenance of their sick children is a heavy social burden. Moreover, drug addiction treatment is a long and expensive process.
Substance abuse- a disease characterized by a pathological addiction to substances that are not considered drugs.
According to the definition of the World Health Organization, substance abuse (drug addiction) means a state of periodic or chronic intoxication caused by a natural or synthetic substance that is dangerous for the individual and society. This condition is characterized by an attraction to a given substance, a tendency to increase the dose of this substance, as well as a mental (and sometimes physical) dependence on the effect of this substance.
Addiction and substance abuse develop very quickly, growing out of the short-term habit of using mind-altering substances.
There are three main types of changes in consciousness:
- 1) illusion. A person begins to perceive reality in a changed way;
- 2) hallucination. A person begins to receive sensations from something that does not really exist. There are visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory hallucinations;
- 3) rave. This is a wrong explanation of the real events taking place, while false ideas about the structure of the world arise.
According to the type of effect, substances that alter consciousness are divided into three main groups:
- 1) stimulants. These are cocaine and amphetamines, a number of medicines, derivatives of ephedrine, caffeine and nicotine, substances used to reduce appetite;
- 2) antidepressants. These include sedatives and sleeping pills, all substances of the opium group (opiates and opioids) and alcohol;
- 3) hallucinogens... These are LSD (used in the United States to test for "lie detector"), marijuana, "ecstasy", ketamine, some medications with hallucinogenic side effects, hallucinogens are also found in some mushrooms and cacti.
The use of any of these substances leads a person to addiction. One of the main reasons for drug use and substance abuse, despite the harmful consequences, is the development of chemical dependence.
Chemical dependence (alcoholism, drug addiction, substance abuse, tobacco smoking) is a primary, chronic, progressive and often fatal disease with hereditary, psychological and social factors that affect its development.
Substances that change consciousness affect the functioning of the systems of the human body, giving it a level of sensations that does not correspond to reality; when a person falls ill (drug addiction), the use of drugs becomes not just a desire, but a need, since the required level of comfort is not felt without drugs.
The negative phenomena generated by the consumption of alcoholic beverages are fraught with great danger to society. Alcohol consumption is primarily harmful to people's health. Alcohol abuse contributes to the development of somatic and mental illnesses, and this is one of the causes of mortality in the population.
The incidence of accidents and injuries among men who drink alcohol is higher than among the entire male population of the country. Alcoholics experience a decline in their ability to work and a deterioration in work discipline. Drunkenness also contributes to high crime rates. Drunk drivers and pedestrians are responsible for most road accidents.
Drug addiction is not less, but rather the opposite, than drunkenness accompanies crime, because, firstly, with the aim of taking possession of drugs or means for their acquisition, drug addicts commit grave and especially grave mercenary and selfish-violent crimes. Secondly, drug addicts often commit crimes under the direct influence of drugs on the psyche.
The relationship between drug addiction and crime is also manifested in the commission of illegal actions related to illegal operations with drugs (manufacture, storage, sale, purchase).
The study of the medical aspects of drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism allows us to talk about their common legal nature, and, as a result, about the unity of measures to combat these phenomena and their prevention.
Anti-drug propaganda in schools and other educational institutions should be carried out regularly and purposefully. Its main tasks are to warn young people about the harmful effects of drugs and to create drug resistance. At the same time, one should take into account the fact that recently drug dealers have been striving to accustom young people to drugs through smoking ordinary cigarettes filled with narcotic substances. Thus, addiction to drugs goes on imperceptibly to complete drug addiction.