Drug Addiction and Recovery: SOLVING DRUGS

Solving Drugs: Drug Addiction and Recovery

Isabelle Blomdahl

First Colonial High School

Legal Studies Academy

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Abstract

This paper focuses on drug addiction, how it has evolved today, and the recovery process for

people who become addicted to drugs. The introduction discusses the history of drug addiction

and the first time drugs were introduced on Earth. The paper will then shift into discussing about

why drug addiction has been such a problem and why drugs are so common in today’s society.

The next part of the paper will discuss the physical, mental, and emotional effects of drugs. In

this part of the paper, the author will also discuss personal experiences people have had with

drugs and how the certain drugs made them feel. Later, the paper will shift to how drugs affect

family and relationships and discuss specific drug laws in the United States and how they have

differed over the decades. The last topic that will be discussed in this paper is the recovery

process for people who become addicted to drugs. The author will discuss a faith-based recovery

program called “Recovery for Life” and how it has played a part in the Virginia Beach

community helping addicts get back up on their feet. The paper will end with a conclusion that

will summarize everything discussed previously in the paper.

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Drug Addiction and Recovery: Solving Drugs

Origin

Addiction is a word that has been transformed over time into relating specifically to drugs

because it is so strong. For many years, it has been viewed that only people “with a particular

diathesis-physical, mental, or social-will succumb to addiction” (Musto, 1999). The truth is,

anyone can become addicted from teens to young adults to professionals. According to the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) National Survey on

Drug Use and Health, “23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug

or alcohol abuse problem in 2009 (9.3 percent of persons aged 12 or older)” (Abuse, 2011).

Drug addiction continues to grow and affect the body physically, emotionally, and mentally, but

specific drug laws and recovery processes bring hope to this global issue.

First Appearances

Addiction has been around as long as the start of when drugs first appeared. Addiction

started when people started abusing drugs and therefore couldn’t stop. It is said that drugs such

as mescal beans and peyote cacti could of been around for the last 5,000 years, but there is no

clear evidence that this is true. Besides this theory, the earliest documented use of drugs have

been marijuana in 2737 B.C. It has been discovered that Shen Nung, the Chinese emperor used

the drug and documented its effectiveness (Carpenter, 2015). Other discoveries of early drug use

and addiction date back to the early 1600s when Jamestown settlers grew it as a cash crop.

Opium addiction became very popular among Chinese railroad workers in the mid 1900s

("History of Drug Abuse," 2016). Morphine was a very popular drug among people who were

seeking pain relief from the Civil War. Morphine also caused some people who abused the drug

to become addicts since the drug was given out in generous amounts ("Opium," n.d.). LSDs
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were commonly seen ever since drug addiction started especially during the hippie generation in

the 1960s. Efforts to help those people affected by drug addiction have been thriving ever since

drugs started becoming abused. Rehabilitation and recovery are two helping concepts that have

improved the problem ("History of Drug Abuse," 2016).

Physical, Mental, and Emotional Effects of Abuse

People may wonder why addiction has been such a problem and only continues to grow

on a national and global scale. It’s because of the effects and how dangerously pleasurable and

mind-altering drugs can be. Drugs affect all aspects of person which includes mental, physical,

and emotional aspects. The problem with drug addiction is that it primarily affects the brain

which controls your mental and emotional side. The brain is composed of various parts that are

all different but work together to perform the same functions to keep the body functioning. The

brain enables an individual to interpret and respond to the things they experience. The brain

creates thoughts, allows us to express emotions, and behave the way we do. Drugs essentially

ruin the brain and stop these life giving bodily functions. Drugs can also “stimulate compulsive

drug abuse” which symbolizes addiction (Abuse, 2014). Drug abuse effects the following areas

in the brain: the brainstem, the cerebral cortex, and the limbic system. The brainstem is located

near the back of the skull. It controls human heart rate, breathing, and sleeping. The cerebral

cortex is located near the front part of the skull. It is divided into separate areas that enable us to

see, hear, feel, and taste. The frontal cortex is the center of the brain. It controls our thinking

and allows us to plan out problems and make decisions. The limbic system is located in the

center of the brain and allows the body to experience pleasure. Pleasures motivate us to repeat

certain behaviors. This system allows us to eat and socialize but can also trigger drug addiction.

The limbic system is also responsible for our positive and negative emotions. Many mood-
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altering drugs target this specific area which explains why mood is altered during usage. The

brain consists of millions of neurons that pass signals to the structures in the brain, nerves, and

spinal cord. The messages are sent in the form of chemical and electrical signals. and are passed

on once each one is received. The neurotransmitters act as the messenger when it comes to

passing signals from neuron to neuron. The neurotransmitter and neuron act a a “key and lock”

system when it comes to attachment. It attaches onto the receptor then sends the signal. Once

the neuron receives the signal, the neuron releases the neurotransmitter to go out and send

another signal. This is how the brain communicates. To demonstrate this better, think about the

childhood game you used to play when you were younger called telephone. Imagine each person

participating as a neuron. The secret message gets passed and once it is received and the person

comprehends what they heard, it is passed onto the next person through neurotransmitters

(Abuse, 2014).

How Addicting a Drug Can Be

How addictive a drug can be also depends on the type it is. Researchers have considered

many factors in order to rate how addicting a drug can be. One factor of the researcher’s ratings

is how much the drug affects the brain’s dopamine system. Other factors range from how much

the drug makes people feel good to how easy it is to get addicted and how expensive the drug is.

To date, heroin is the most addictive substance on Earth. It is even rated higher on the scale than

alcohol. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people that try heroin will become addicted at some point later

in their life. This drug is extremely dangerous because the deathly dosage is only five times

greater than that of a normal high from heroin. Cocaine is ranked the third most addicting

substances on Earth behind heroin and alcohol. Cocaine is so addicting that around 14-20

million people around the globe use it. Cocaine turns on all signals in the brain that allow the
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body to feel pleasure when using drugs. This makes people who use cocaine more out of control

and behaviorally abnormal ("The 5 Most Addictive Substances On Earth," 2017). Drug

addiction is so dangerous around the world because of the how they affect the brain and

stimulate unusual behaviors. This special stimulation of the brain is called a high.

Most Common Drug

The most popular and common drugs in 2013 were marijuana, or weed, and bath salts. These

were two drugs that were fairly easy to gain access to since they were so common, and bath salts

could easily be purchased at any convenience store. In 2014, a drug survey was conducted with

the following countries: U.S., Australia, Germany, France, Mexico and Brazil, along with twelve

others. The results of the survey showed that alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis were the most

common drugs in the world. It was also discovered from the survey that cocaine, amphetamines

(drugs that help hypersensitivity disorders, weight gain, and people who sleep too much during

the day) and MDMA (also known as “Molly”) were very common among most of the countries

closely behind alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis (Gordts, 2014).

Experiences with Drugs

There have been numerous people have said they experience when they do certain drugs

and how it makes them feel. For example, anyone who uses adderall, cocaine, meth, speed, or

MDMA, will typically feel confident and energetic (Lewis, 2014). A lot of the time people will

use the word euphoria to describe feelings when doing certain drugs. Euphoria is described as

intense happiness and excitement ("Euphoria," 2002). Sometimes feelings will vary among

different people who use drugs because every individual body is different. For example, some

people who use the same drug will experience feelings of contentment, chillness, and happiness.
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People have also said that an overuse of drugs such as meth causes pain. Some compare the

effects of using drugs to what it feels like to have a hangover (Lewis, 2014).

Effects on Relationships

Addiction to drugs tremendously affects family and other relationships with people.

“According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s)

2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.5 million ages 12 years and older had either a

substance use or alcohol disorder” ("The Effect Of Addiction On The Family," 2016). Too many

people who suffer from these drug addictions also make their family suffer alongside them. The

people that suffer from drug addiction sometimes do not receive the help they need to get better

on a day to day basis causing their families to be helpless and suffer with them. A drug addiction

problem causes tension and create stress among relationships in a household ("The Effect Of

Addiction On The Family," 2016). Drug addiction not only affects family life in the household,

but it also has effects on relationships with friends at school or co workers around the workplace.

Drug Laws

Addiction has been around ever since drugs appeared in 2737 B.C when the Chinese

emperor, Shen Nung abused it to document the effects. Drugs became more abusive in the 1600s

when the Jamestown settlers grew it as a cash crop and for themselves. Opioids really came

popular amongst the Chinese railroad workers in the mid 1900s as well as cocaine (Carpenter,

2015). LSDs have been very common since the introduction of drugs and became more popular

in the 1900s among the hippie generation ("History of Drug Abuse," 2016). Morphine was also

a drug that was used to treat severe pain during the Civil War. It was also a drug that got abused

by soldiers who took the drug generously ("Opium," n.d.). No efforts were taken to pass

legislation for these drugs by the United States’ government because at the time the federal
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government was not involved in the restriction or regulation of drugs. During the 19th and 20th

centuries, the United States’ government did not have special agencies today like the Drug

Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate “medical

and pharmaceutical practice” of drugs (Sacco, October 2, 2014; "Federal Agencies & Related

Links," n.d.). At the time, doctors had the freedom to prescribe drugs like morphine and cocaine

for pain issues. Scholars have identified the main reason why drug regulation didn’t seem to be a

driving priority in the 19th century. It was because, “attempts to establish federal control over

drugs were met with strong opposition from patent medicine firms and state officials” (Sacco,

October 2, 2014). The federal government ended up doing something about this dispute during

the 20th century. They began controlling the sale of drugs by placing taxes on them. “The

Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 (Harrison Act; P.L. 63-223), among other things, required

importers, manufacturers, and distributors of cocaine and opium to register with the U.S.”

(Sacco, October 2, 2014). The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 allowed the United States’

government to help control drugs, particularly opioids through registration with the U.S.

Department of Treasury. As part of registration, the U.S. Department of Treasury was to record

each transaction and make sure that a tax was paid on the drug. State and local governments did

play a role in the regulation of drugs, but it was fairly small compared to what the federal

government was implementing. For example, in 1875, a local government in San Francisco,

California passed the Anti-Opium Smoking Act that prohibited the smoking of opium, a drug

that is derived from poppy seeds (Osler, 1999). The Anti-Opium Smoking Act was the first link

in a chain of events to ban the smoking of opium. After San Francisco passed the Anti-Opium

Smoking Act, several states followed in their footsteps and began to pass similar legislation to

ban the smoking of opium. Eventually, prescription of drugs like opioids for pain were deemed
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illegal and enforcement agents (also known as “narcs”) were put in charge of sending drug

violators to federal penitentiaries. In the 1960s, however, attitudes toward strict law enforcement

on drug abusers began to shift (Sacco, October 2, 2014).

In 1963, the Presidential Commission on Narcotic and Drug Abuse (the 1963 Presidential

Commission) issued a report recommending more funds for narcotic research, less strict

punishment for drug offenses, and the dismantling of the FBN. Congress also began to

support the medical approach to addressing drug abuse. It heeded the recommendations

of the 1963 Commission and created the Bureau of Drug Abuse Control within the

Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and provided for civil commitment of

some drug addicted federal detainees.31 In the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act,

Congress declared its support for rehabilitation through treatment:

It is the policy of the Congress that certain persons charged with or convicted of violating

Federal criminal laws, who are determined to be addicted to narcotic drugs, and likely to

be rehabilitated through treatment, should, in lieu of prosecution or sentencing, be civilly

committed for confinement and treatment designed to affect their restoration to health,

and return to society as useful members (Sacco, October 2, 2014).

In the 1960s, the United States’ government focused less on enforcement and more on

recovery and rehabilitation of these drug abusers who were caught. The government wanted the

drug abusers to come away from their situation and be able to become a working member of the

community that will no longer participate in drugs. However after the 1960s, strict drug

enforcement began become more prevalent again. A lot more legislation for drug enforcement

came along during the 1970s when the country experienced the war on drugs under Richard

Nixon’s presidency. Nixon focused on creating legislation that would be comprehensive. He

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passed “the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in 1970) enacted as Title II of the Comprehensive

Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-513)” (Sacco, October 2, 2014). This

act “placed the control of select plants, drugs, and chemical substances under federal

jurisdiction” (Sacco, October 2, 2014). The main reason why this law was passed is because the

government wanted to consolidate all previous drug laws into one comprehensive statute. Since

the Control Substance Act had just been enacted, the government began to figure out what group

of people would control these illegal substances. In 1973, the United States’ government created

the federal agency the United States has now called the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The

DEA’s role is to assure “cooperation and coordination among the DEA, Federal Bureau of

Investigation (FBI), and other DOJ agencies involved in counterdrug operations” ("Front Page

The United States Department of Justice," 2017; Sacco, October 2, 2014). The Control

Substances Act gave the DEA authority to classify control substances. Controlled substances

were classified “under five schedules according to (1) how dangerous they are considered to be,

(2) their potential for abuse and addiction, and (3) whether they have legitimate medical use”

(Sacco, October 2, 2014). Heroin was the biggest drug to become addicted to throughout the

1960s and 1970s. This shifted during the 1980s when cocaine or “crack” started to become more

popular. The fact that drug abuse was only increasing every decade alarmed the United States

government that they needed to be doing more. The drug law enforcement budget was tripled

from its 1981 levels and the creation of the DEA and Controlled Substances Act was finally

seeing some pay off. In 1980, “alone over 10,000 drug criminals were convicted and nearly

$250 million of their assets were seized by the DEA, the Drug Enforcement Administration”

(Sacco, October 2, 2014). Although the problem of drug abuse only continued to grow larger in

the United States at the time, the government continued to create new drug enforcement
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legislation as well as enforce previously created laws. During the 1980s under Ronald Reagan’s

presidency, the Anti-Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988 were passed. “The Anti-Abuse Act of 1986,

(1986 Act; P.L. 99-570) was a significant development in pursuing enforcement action against

the illicit synthetic drug trade” (Sacco, October 2, 2014). Synthetic drugs are drugs “with

properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered

chemical structure, especially such a drug created in order to evade restrictions against illegal

substances” ("Synthetic Drug Frequently Asked Questions," n.d.). The Anti-Abuse Act of 1986

also established criminal penalties for anyone who had possession of even the smallest about of

drugs. The Anti-Abuse Act of 1988 differed slightly. It “aimed to coordinate federal agencies’

efforts to reduce drug supply and demand by establishing the Office of National Drug Control

Policy (ONDCP) and the Director of National Drug Control Policy (commonly referred to as the

“drug czar”)” (Sacco, October 2, 2014). From the 1990s till today, the government has

continued to pass legislation geared more toward the regulation of synthetic drugs. Over the past

years, heroin and marijuana have become very popular.

Recovery from Addiction Today

Addiction is soon followed with steps toward recovery. The Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) states that: “Recovery from alcohol and drug

problems is a process of change through which an individual achieves abstinence and improved

health, wellness and quality of life” (Wilcox, 2015). To date, laws continue to get implemented

in order to prevent addiction from becoming a bigger problem. Currently in the United States,

The federal government prohibits the manufacturing, distribution, and possession of

many intoxicating substances that are solely intended for recreational use (notable

exceptions are alcohol and tobacco); however, the federal government also allows for and
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controls the medical use of many intoxicants. Federal authority to control these

substances primarily resides with the Attorney General of the United States. Over the last

decade, the United States has shifted its stated drug control policy toward a

comprehensive approach; one that focuses on prevention, treatment, and enforcement. In

order to restrict and reduce availability of illicit drugs in the United States, a practice

referred to as “supply reduction,” the federal government continues to place emphasis on

domestic drug enforcement. According to the most recent drug control budget (FY2015)

released by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), approximately 60% of

all federal drug control spending is dedicated to supply reduction, with approximately

37% of the total budget dedicated to domestic law enforcement” (Sacco, October 2,

2014).

Today, The United States government focuses most on “supply reduction” through

legislation and federal arrest for those who possess drugs even the smallest amount. This helps a

little bit but does not help much in the grand scheme of the drug problem since it is inevitable to

prevent all drug abuse and private selling of drugs. The arrest of people who use drugs does cut

down on the fact of them becoming more addicted because they are placed in prison and have a

reduced access to drugs for however long they are sentenced. For example, “In the United States

in 2012, the DEA arrested 30,476 suspects for federal drug offenses while state and local law

enforcement arrested 1,328,457 suspects for drug offenses.” This number of arrests just

prevented 1,358,933 criminals from future sale and abuse of drugs. Drug laws tend to vary

within the government of a country based on its needs and how big of a problem it is in the

country. The United States’ government has drugs on the top list of priorities. “Drug cases
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represent the second highest category of criminal cases filed by U.S,” therefore, a lot of

legislation is focused in on this area (Sacco, October 2, 2014).

Interview Dr. Paul Hardy

The author had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Paul Hardy and his wife Suzie Hardy a

few weeks ago. The two are the founders of a program called, “Recovery for Life.” “Recovery

for Life” is a faith based drug addiction recovery center for anyone addicted and wishing to get

back up on their feet in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Paul usually works with men while Suzie will

work with the women. Each of them started pursuing this career because they were passionate

about helping people struggling with drug addiction. They enjoy investing in people to help

them effectively recover from addiction through weekly meetings that incorporate faith based

lessons. The people suffering from drug addiction usually commit to the program six months at

a time and can renew their enrollment for another six months after that as well. Paul and Suzie

work as a couple to mentor these people and allow them to share their stories, experiences, and

struggles in a safe and non-judgmental environment with like minded people. Drug addicts

going through this program stay in households called Transition Homes for Hope. These homes

are separated by gender and are located in the Oceana part of Virginia Beach. Currently, there

are two mens’ houses and one house for the women. The houses can vacate up to eight people at

a time. Men and women who agree to go through the program and live in these houses also

agree to keep the house clean and check in and out with a sheet if they wish to leave the house at

any time to go to work or run an errand. Large home good stores such as Restoration Hardware

and Home Depot have personally donated as a company with supplies and donations to help

further the building of more transition homes. Paul and Suzie take wonderful care of their

patients and make sure that they leave the program with sustainable and healthy lifestyles that
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are drug-free. “Recovery for Life” is just one of many drug recovery programs in America (P.

Hardy & S. Hardy, Personal communication, October 28, 2017). These programs are

phenomenal and help people who have suffered from drug addiction get back on their feet

through educating them about what drugs have done to their body. The programs leave patients

educated enough to raise further awareness to other people that may be suffering from the same

problem.

Conclusion

Drug addiction has been a problem since 2737 B.C. and will continue to be a problem in

our growing society but with legislation and recovery processes, drug addiction can be

contained. Drug addiction is such a pressing issue today because of the way these illegal drugs

can mess with the brain and alter one’s behavior. Drugs can affect the mental, physical, and

emotional aspects of a person. These changes can cause severe issues within a family household

or with friends or colleagues in the workplace. It is left up to the government to pass legislation

that will effectively prevent drugs from becoming more prevalent in the United States. It is also

up to the citizens of the United States to raise awareness of the drug problem in America and

take steps to encourage other people to stay away from these body decaying illegal substances

for pleasure.
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