Why on earth do people use drugs?

Why on earth do people use drugs? What is it that makes drug use so attractive?

Devastating results of drug use can be seen every day, whether it be in real life, in the newspapers, or on the evening news. Doesn't it seem as though people would see these awful reports and run as far as they could from the destructive effects of any or all of these substances?

As far back as history is recorded people have used drugs. No culture has avoided this problem. There have always been people who have searched for and found substances that alter their moods, feelings, or thoughts. Is this so unnatural? Don't people often look for ways to feel different or strange in search of a stimulating or exciting experience? Kids often twirl around and get dizzy. People pay $35 or $40 per day to go to large amusement parks, where roller coasters and other devices will hang them upside down, throw them back and forth, and take them to the edge of sickness, all in search of a thrill.

Historically, several naturally occurring substances have been used and abused as methods to become drunk or to feel different, to escape from reality. As science matured, some learned to concentrate these naturally occurring substances into drug derivatives, which are sometimes 100 or more times stronger than the original substances.

Before the development of modern transportation people didn't distribute these substances to other countries. They just used them at home. But as modern transportation improved and people started moving about the earth more easily, they sometimes took their drugs to other cultures and/or countries for personal use, to use as seeds for planting and cropping, or to sell.Drugs were on the move. Wars have been fought over drugs: the opium wars between the British, who had occupied what is known as India today, and China, which had tried to disallow the importation of opium into its society. The subject of drugs has always inspired passion often because of the large amount of money associated with their use and trade.

Today possibly every drug that has ever been discovered in the history of the world is available for use in the U.S. No drug of abuse has ever been eliminated completely. Trends in drug use change, but the drugs themselves tend to weather all storms. Drugs continue to be used to alleviate anxiety, produce relaxation, provide relief from boredom, alleviate pain, increase strength or work tolerance, or provide a temporary distortion of reality.

Let's take a look at several substances that are commonly used, see how they affect the brain, and try to understand drug use better. We will also describe some of the problems associated with using these chemicals. These substances are often described as psychoactive, which means capable of altering consciousness and effecting mood.

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written by Gary L.Hopkins http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_n1_v14/ai_20182691