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CONSEQUENCES OF DRUG ABUSE AND MISUSE

INTRODUCTION
A world with or without drugs has diverse consequences. The one with drugs will surely produce positive results in terms of cures of ailments and disease whereas the one without drugs will experience many premature mortality and misery as it happened in the Seventeenth Century France. If the drugs spoken of were to hard drugs, the supposed good effect will be short lived whereas the adverse effect will be prolonged. In this brief article, the following points will be discussed: the notion of drug, drug abuse and misuse, drug addiction, tolerance, and dependence, the effects of drugs and alcohol and conclusion.

THE NOTION OF DRUGS
Drugs are chemical or synthetic substances manufactured for the purpose of curing ailments or diseases. Schiffers (1977:121) says that drugs represent one of the many ways by which doctors treat diseases. This is a legal notion of drugs. Such include drugs like paracetamol of aspirin used for curing minor ailments like headache or fever. This notion is obtainable in Nigeria and in some other countries. In places like the United States of America and Italy, the drug refers to narcotic or psychotropic substances. This is another understanding of drugs. This second one is normally termed hard drug' and raises eyebrow once it is mentioned.
DRUG ABUSE OR DRUG MISUSE
The ordinary notion of drugs is the legal one while the second understanding is the illegal one. The legal drugs can be abused or misused. When drug is not used according to the doctor's prescription it is drug abuse. When drugs are used not for the purpose for which they are made or prescribed it is drug misuse. Abuse and misuse are intertwined. Indiscriminate or excessive use of drugs irrespective of time and dosage to prevent or treat pains, fears, disease, including inappropriate medical advise or self-administration or for unsuitable purposes is drug misuse (Yusuf 1987:30). According to Yusuf (1987 pp. 38ff), "Every drug misuse is drug abuse". Every society has mood changing often used in such a way that is not socially approved. According to Cox (1967:642), all drugs from the beginning were used licitly before inappropriate use and the end it was directed made them to be categorized as harmful or illicit. Original, heroin was used for the treatment of or for the cure of morphine of addiction but was found to be more addictive and dangerous. The body quickly built up tolerance to heroin making it the most addictive

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