Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology

Substance Abuse Causes in both Men and Women

Zenebe Negeri^* Department of Medical Physiology, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
^*Correspondence: Zenebe Negeri, Department of Medical Physiology, Institute of Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia, Email:

Received: 01-Nov-2021 Published: 22-Nov-2021

Description

Substance abuse, often known as drug abuse, is defined as the use of a substance in quantities or ways that are detrimental to the user or others. It's a type of substance abuse disorder. In the fields of public health, medicine, and criminal justice, many definitions of drug misuse are employed. When a person is under the influence of a substance, they may engage in illegal or antisocial behavior, and they may also have long-term personality changes. In addition to the potential for physical, social, and psychological harm, the use of some substances may result in criminal consequences; however the severity of these sanctions varies greatly depending on the local jurisdiction.

Alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, methaqualone, and opioids are the most commonly linked drugs with this name. The actual root of drug misuse is unknown, but there are two leading theories: a hereditary predisposition or a learned habit that, if it progresses to addiction, presents as a chronic debilitating disease.

Drug misuse, including alcohol abuse, can result in health issues, social difficulties, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, fatalities, motor vehicle accidents, murders, suicides, physical dependency, or psychological addiction, depending on the compound. There is a high rate of suicide in alcoholics and other drug abusers. The reasons believed to cause the increased risk of suicide include the long-term abuse of alcohol and other drugs causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry as well as the social isolation. Another factor is the acute intoxicating effects of the drugs may make suicide more likely to occur. Suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers, with 1 in 4 suicides in adolescents being related to alcohol abuse. In the US, approximately 30% of suicides are related to alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risks of committing criminal offences including child abuse, domestic violence, rapes, burglaries and assaults.

Drug misuse, including alcohol and prescription pharmaceuticals, can cause symptoms that are similar to those of mental illness. This can happen when drunk as well as during withdrawal. Substance-induced mental illnesses, such as persistent psychosis or depression following amphetamine or cocaine misuse, can sometimes last long after abstinence. Symptoms of a prolonged withdrawal syndrome might last for months after the drug has been stopped. Benzodiazepines are the most well-known medicine for causing long-term withdrawal symptoms, which can last for years after stopping usage. Withdrawal from alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines can all be lethal. Hallucinogen abuse can lead to delusions and other psychotic symptoms even after the drug has been stopped.

In terms of substance misuse, there are various gender variances. The consequences of drug misuse on men and women vary in the short and long term. Sexual dimorphisms in the brain, endocrine system, and metabolic system are to blame for these disparities. Gender inequalities in drug addiction are also influenced by social and environmental variables that disproportionately affect women, such as child and elder care, as well as the danger of violence. When it comes to women report higher damage in areas such as work, family, and social functioning as a result of substance addiction, but they react to therapy in a similar fashion. Women who abuse substances are more likely than men to have co-occurring mental disorders, and they are more prone to use substances to cope with the symptoms of these illnesses.

Substance misuse puts both men and women at greater risk of sexual assault perpetration and victimization. Men are more likely than women to use drugs for the first time in order to become a member of a group and fit in. Drugs may provide more pleasure to women than to males during initial encounter. Women are more likely than males to move from their initial encounter to addiction. Women escalate alcohol usage more quickly than males, according to doctors, psychologists, and social workers. Women stabilize at larger dosages of drugs than men after their addicted behavior is established. Women's stress levels rise as they quit smoking. When it comes to abstaining from alcohol, men have more symptoms.

When it comes to recovery and recurrence rates, there are significant gender variances. Men and women had identical relapse rates when it came to drinking. Marriage and marital stress were found to be risk factors for relapse in women. Being married reduced the likelihood of relapse in males. This disparity might be due to gender variations in binge drinking. Alcoholic women are far more likely than alcoholic males to marry partners who drink heavily. As a result, marriage may protect males from relapse, but women are at greater risk when married. Women, on the other hand, are less prone than males to relapse into substance abuse. When males revert to substance abuse, they are more likely to have had a favorable experience before.