Drug abuse refers to the excessive use of drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, 'E'; amphetamines, pain killers and heroin.

Only heroin and crack cocaine are truly addictive drugs, the rest creating addictions through habit forming behaviours leading to pscyhological addiction.

People start using drugs for different reasons: peer pressure, boredom, distraction, stress management, being social and fitting in, as a reward etc, which then becomes a routine or habit. Whatever the reasons, some undesired symptoms may include:

* mood swings: intense highs followed by equally intense lows. 
* emotional problems become amplified
* disturbed sleep and rest (feeling unrested even after resting)
* sense of agitation and preoccupation with the opportunity to have the next 'fix
* secrecy. lying and denial
* overlooking or ignoring other healthy emotional needs, which begin to suffer from neglect, such as work or relationships.
* In addition, some drugs can mimic the symptoms of panic attacks (see panic attacks)
 
In addition, some people are drawn into the 'addictive mind-set' of beliefs such as:
 
* Life is boring without drugs, and I can't stand being bored.
* People who don't do drugs are prudes and boring. 
* I can do whatever I want, when I want no matter who it hurts
* I'm not upsetting anyone, we're all just having fun
* My drugs are more imporant than my relationships, so if push comes to shove, I choose drugs over others in my life.
 
Therapy for drug abuse may be needed for either the cause (the underlying reason why people started using) or for the effect (the habit forming side of the behaviour), or both. An inadvertant drug user usually just needs therapy to address the underlying problem. Once that is resolved, the system self-corrects, they adjust their lifestyle accordingly and leavign drugs follows nautrally. This usually takes 21 or more sessions. Other users may need more work with addressing their values, lifestyle and symptoms. As such, the amount of sessions needed varies according to the invidual.

 

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