20 myths about drug use

Not only in past centuries has there been a lot of misinformation and myths about drug use. In our current reality many of these myths (erroneous beliefs) continue to persist that only they take us away from the real information that we can have about this topic that turns out to be very complex.

Therefore, in this article we will review several of The main myths about drugs and their consumption.

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20 myths about drug use (and why they are false)

Here are the 20 most common myths that people continue to believe about drug use.

1. Individuals with drug use problems made a bad decision

The problem of drug use is a health issue, which is linked to multiple factors. There are different variables that increase the probability that a person will start using drugs and maintain their consumption, generating a problem in their own physical and psychological well-being.

Some of these variables (genetics, environment, mental health, domestic violence, etc.) are beyond the control of the human being. It is inaccurate to believe that individuals with consumption problems made only one bad decision in their lives, since there are other factors that are related to the beginning of consumption, as well as their maintenance.

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2. Drugs affect men and women equally

Women metabolize drugs differently than men.. In addition to this, many of them who present a consumption problem are more likely to present other health difficulties, such as HIV or AIDS and other recurrent mental pathologies. Globally, one in three people who use drugs are women and out of five people, only one is a woman receiving treatment.

In addition to this, the statistical data show a greater number of females as opposed to males; who are incarcerated for criminal penalties linked to drug use. Finally, women suffer more discrimination and stigma than men.

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3. Using medication without a prescription is not dangerous

Using medication without a doctor's prescription is an imminent danger. It happens that many people self-medicate thinking they know what they have and the treatment they have to follow, what's more, many times they even review information from very unreliable sources on the internet, without taking into account the negative consequences that the consumption of drugs. Even several people end up presenting dependence on the consumption of pills.

4. All drugs that exist are prohibited

There are various drugs that under supervision are used for medical practice, research and occasionally in treatments such as pain or treatment for pathologies generated by the use of other drugs, as well as for the treatment of mental disorders. Each nation with its respective state institutions ensures that individuals who need these medicines can obtain them and prohibit their use without a prescription from a health professional, as well as their diversion to other purposes not doctors.

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5. Individuals with drug use problems cannot undergo treatment

Drug use and dependence tend to be a very severe health disorder, individuals who present this difficulty experience changes or reforms in the functioning of the gray matter (brain) that is kept at long term.

Therefore, it is well known that people on treatment are susceptible to one or more relapses (taking the drug again). However, this cannot be considered as a failure in the treatment they receive.

Contrary, the correct management of a relapse has to be a key and normal element of the services that are offered to treat the mental difficulties of drug use. Finally, it has been shown that individuals who have this type of difficulty and have access to a volunteer evidence-based treatment, as well as social protection and health care can lead productive and healthy.

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6. If it is only consumed on weekends nothing happens

Many people believe they are health professionals and believe they can know when it is healthy or not, the frequency of its consumption. Nevertheless, there are negative health consequences that drugs generate even when it comes to recreational use.

7. Marijuana is a natural plant, so it is not harmful

Today, with the advancement of science, we can know that everything natural is not healthy. Marijuana sold today has generally been genetically engineered to make its effects more potent.

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8. Alcohol and cigarettes are less harmful than other drugs

Currently we can know through the statistics presented by the international entities in the fight against drugs that both cigarettes and alcohol are legal drugs that kill silently and unnoticed in the persons. Since its sale is not prohibited, many people who have an addiction easily access them without controlling their consumption and consequently there are high rates of death due to the consequences that the consumption of both substances produces on health.

9. Smoking with an electronic cigarette is not harmful

The electronic cigarette has not been able to demonstrate safety in relation to the reduction of risks and negative consequences generated by smoking. Still it is too early to be able to ensure that the consumption of electronic cigarettes does not end up generating adverse effects.

Added to this, it has been proven that the substances they contain are highly harmful to human health.

Finally, this device does not have the approval to be used as a treatment for smoking, as they still exist in the Research is currently being done to identify whether it is safe and has acceptable levels of efficacy.

10. Drug use is a problem that only occurs in adolescents

Drug use is a socioeconomic problem that can affect all people, there is no distinction of gender or age.

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11. Only criminals use drugs

Today there are many people who have drug use problems. Some of these people could be criminals and others not, because the drug problem makes no distinction with social class or socioeconomic level. Even many people with a profession can present an action problem.

12. I control my consumption

There are several individuals who have this mistaken idea deeply impregnated, thinking that they control their consumption, when in reality it is the drug that controls them. It is important to be clear that many studies show that there are maintenance of negative effects in frequent and occasional drug users.

13. Taking drugs makes it easier to be sexually intimate

Many people believe that by using drugs they will make it easier to have sex, which which is totally false, because in reality drugs such as alcohol make it difficult to have sexual relations full.

14. drugs are always bad

As we have seen before, drugs in and of themselves are not bad. Conversely, many of them are used to treat different physical and mental illnesses in the human being. In any case, the bad thing is to use drugs without medical prescription for recreational, sporadic or frequent use.

15. The one who endures the drug the longest, is the strongest

This premise is not correct, since there is no link between strength, virility and enduring more a drug (for example, alcohol).

If you put up with a drug longer, it may be because your body has already generated resistance or tolerance to the drug, and therefore you would have a greater chance of becoming dependent on that substance. There are exceptional cases, where a person can tolerate a drug more depending on her body due to a purely biological factor.

16. Marijuana is not addictive

The chances are very high that a person will become addicted to marijuana or any other drug. Globally, one in 11 individuals who use marijuana becomes addicted.

17. Only people who use illegal drugs end up dying

Totally false, since more individuals die from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin and cocaine.

18. Drugs increase your creativity and your academic performance

Drugs generate a deterioration in basic and higher cognitive processes (memory, attention, perception, etc.) Therefore, drugs do not generate an increase in creativity, since there is no direct favorable association between these two factors.

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19. The drug is good to be able to work

Some drugs, such as cocaine, activate the nervous system, which generates an activation of the subject, but it does not mean that their performance will improve.

20. The drug helps us lose our shyness

Drugs like cocaine or alcohol disinhibit us, making us more social with others. Nevertheless, when consumption is increased it is very likely that the individual will become irritable and aggressive. These problems can even occur in people who do not have an addiction.