ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to understand the meaning of the term drug abuse and to discover reasons why people take drugs. It Identifies the effects of drugs on the drug user. The Bureau of Justice Statistics describes drug abuse as the use of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs for non-medical purposes or the use of illegal drugs. Treatment approaches that are personalized to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any simultaneous medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery. Drugs are chemicals. They affect the brain by tapping into the its communication system and interfering with the normal way that nerve cells send, receive, and process information. Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in the regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.
