A currently major concern and ‘abnormal’ behavior on the rise in contemporary Western societies is substance and drug abuse. Psychoactive drugs can alter people’s moods and behavior, and in many cases cause mental disorders. Their use and abuse is an important topics in modern society and has attracted much attention from both scientists and laypeople alike. Some drugs are legal, others illegal. Some are prescribed, others abused. Some work by altering the brain, others by triggering physical reactions. Regardless of what class they fall into, these drugs have one thing in common — they affect the brain.
Attitudes to drugs differ from culture to culture, however, generally, they are viewed as an issue once they’re believed to be abused – placing the user or others at danger, or causing them harm or inconvenience. The word “addiction” is now avoided both for its negative connotations, and also because it implies dependence isn’t a form of mental illness, as users hold no responsibility for their actions. Dependence could be physical (as with opiates, alcohol, or cannabis), or psychological (cocaine, ecstasy, or amphetamines, for example). When a habituated user stops taking the drug, withdrawal symptoms may occur. These may include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, insomnia, tremors, and seizures.
