What I Know About Substance Abuse
As a substance abuse counselor, here’s what I know about alcohol and drug abuse. First, it is human nature to desire an altered consciousness. Second, the risks are many associated with abusing a substance. Third, the methods of achieving an altered state is constantly changing. And fourth, addiction will not be eradicated.
People love to alter their senses. Humans have altered their consciousness throughout history. People use substances for myriad reasons, some good and some bad. Every substance has slightly different effects on the brain, but all addictive drugs produce a pleasurable surge of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Alcohol, opioids such as morphine, cocaine, psychedelics, nicotine, and cannabis are widely used. Less commonly known means of achieving euphoria are paint thinners, cough syrup, mothballs, nutmeg, steroids, motion sickness pills, and anti-diarrheal pills. Even the medication Viagra is abused. These items have been inhaled, digested, snorted, or injected. People will go to great lengths to experience an altered state, regardless of the risks.
The risks of substance use are high. Alcohol-related deaths were up 25 percent in 2020 compared with 2019. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a division of the National Institutes of Health, reports that the number of Americans who died of alcohol-related causes increased during the first year of the Covid pandemic.
In addition to injuries, such as motor vehicle crashes, falls, drownings and burns, alcohol misuse can lead to violence, including homicide, suicide, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems.
Drug overdose deaths also soared during the first year of the pandemic, with more than 100,000 Americans dying of overdoses during the 12-month period that ended in April 2021, a nearly 30 percent increase over the previous year.
Too much cough syrup can slow your heartbeat and breathing, especially if you mix it with alcohol. Inhaling gas fumes, glue, mothballs, or paint thinners can cause brain damage or death. The fumes can cause heart failure or clog your lungs so you can’t breathe. Nutmeg poisoning can give you heart palpitations and make you feel dizzy, nauseous, tired, or anxious. Some people have died from eating too much nutmeg. Too much of a motion sickness drug can make you violent or out of touch with reality, cause memory loss, or make you unable to speak or control your bladder. It’s not clear how many pills will produce a high or how many will kill you. High doses of an anti-diarrheal pill can send you to the ER or even kill you.
Substance misuse is constantly changing. How substances are manufactured, how they are administered, their potency, their effect, and popularity vary with time, place, and people.
I had not heard of “Gray Death” until reading that it was discovered during a drug arrest in nearby Boscobel, Wisconsin. It is a newly created synthetic narcotic. The term Gray Death is a slang term that refers to a mixture of manufactured opioids. Samples have been found to contain heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil, and the designer narcotic U47700. It can be a deadly overdose combination. It could take up to 5 to 10 doses of Narcan before emergency responders may see a reviving effect.
Houston Police are now cracking down on a relatively new drug linked to a wave of drug overdoses, partially attributed to a product called Kush. It is a chemical powder that’s mixed with a solvent like acetone and sprayed onto a plant or similar substance. Kush is also problematic in Sierra Leone, where 90% of the male admissions to the central psychiatric ward are due to Kush use.
Addiction is not going away. Almost twenty-one million Americans have at least one addiction, yet only 10% of them receive treatment. Because it affects the brain’s normal functions, a substance use disorder compels someone to repeatedly use substances or engage in behaviors, even though they have harmful consequences. Addictions can destroy marriages, friendships, and careers and threaten a person’s basic health and safety.
Treatment is effective. Most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using substances, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning. However, individual treatment outcomes depend on the extent and nature of the patient’s problems. The most effective treatment is the one that the individual agrees to participate in.