Drugs


What are the different types of drugs?

The most frequently used drugs are:
1. Cannabis derivatives, such as marijuana and hashish which are mostly smoked as cigarettes ('joints')
2. Amphetamines (Ecstasy, Ice, etc.), which can be either swallowed, inhaled or intravenously injected.
3. Cocaine, mostly inhaled ('sniffed'), but sometimes also taken though smoke or intravenously injected. The 'Free-base' is a mixture of commercial cocaine and pure cocaine. 'Crack' is a kind of free-base, often smoked, which impact is extremely strong and which holds a high-addiction level.
4. Opiates, namely including heroine but also morphine and codeine. Heroine can be inhaled, intravenously injected or swallowed.

What are the wanted effects during drug intake?

1. Cannabis derivatives bring a feeling of well being, euphoria, in addition to the obliteration of time and space notions, accompanied by an increase in sensorial perceptions (visual, auditory, tactile).
2. Amphetamines and cocaine trigger effects that are somewhat similar, including intellectual, psychological, driving and vigilance stimulation.
3. Opiates such as heroine lead the individual to a state of physical and psychological relaxation, along with emotional and perceptual reactions.
At a sexual level, drugs can increase the pleasure through the enhancement of sensations, but the increase in libido and sexual drive is rare.

What are the side effects of drugs?

The side effects are both physical and psychological. They vary according to the types of drugs used and how they are administered. Physical effects are various and may have an impact on the brain, heart, lungs or digestive system. They can also lead to loss of weight and infectious diseases… These consequences may be very dangerous and can lead to coma or even death.
Psychological effects are also diverse, including heightened anxiousness, agitations, aggressiveness, and confusion with focus and memory troubles, delirium and hallucinations.
The major risk in drug intake however lies in addiction.

What is addiction?

Addiction involves the repeated intake of a certain drug, leading within more or less short periods of time, to a constraining desire to use the product and get it at any cost. It also leads the person to a spontaneous inclination to increase the dosage, as the organism adapts itself to the drug effects, and consequently, to a physical and psychological subjection. Addiction also leads to the syndrome of physical and psychological need (the by withdrawal syndrome), whenever the use ceases.

Is addiction similar whatever the drugs used?

Addiction is not the same according to different types of drugs, but it is traditional to distinguish between soft and hard drugs.
Soft drugs, such as marijuana and hashish, have side effects that are relatively less important. They don't create any addiction unless there is an abusive and extended use, and as such, they do not bear any signs of weaning when the drug is stopped.
Hard drugs, such as heroine and cocaine, have serious side effects; they create a very high level of addiction and do bear signs of weaning (anxiousness, cramps, pain, nausea, agitation…) when the drug is no longer taken.

How and why does addiction develop?

Addiction develops following an extended period of drug intake, but it may also develop very quickly. As such, taking drugs 'just to try it' is a risky situation that should be avoided. Drugs have an impact on the brain's neurotransmitters, which explain the observed clinical effects as well as the development of addiction. Moreover, the weaning syndrome observed when drug use is ceased nurtures addiction, in the sense that the person will feel awful when trying to stop it and will therefore resume drugs to be relieved, and so on.

Who takes drugs and why?

Both adults and young people take drugs. Some psychiatric troubles increase the risk of taking drugs, such as personality problems, depression and psychosis.
The first time drug is used usually happens as a trial experience, as a search for new sensations, because one is swayed by his/her friends, so as to appear strong before others, and from then on, one become addicted and can't get out of it anymore. This explains the frequent use of drugs among young people.

How can we know that a person is taking drugs?

A diagnosis based on external signs only is very hard to determine. In the case of heroin intake, there may be some indicators, although not very specific, such as a change of behavior, the person becomes asocial, sometimes aggressive even, narrowing of the pupils, eyes reddening…
A diagnosis may be established in sure way through a urine exam, which gives certain results; providing it's taken within a set time delay.

How to treat a drug-addicted person?

There are two sets of treatment: the weaning period and the long-term rehabilitation care.
The weaning period must take place at the hospital under medical and psychiatric surveillance, with drug prescription to help the person overcome the weaning effects and prevent him/her from being tempted to go back to drugs during that period. During that period also, the first psychotherapeutic contact must be established. This period extends over 10 days usually. The long-term treatment can sometimes make use of methadone (which is not available in Lebanon) for heroine addicts, as a substitute product because it resembles heroine but with a decreased toxicity. Methadone treatment extends over several weeks or months, with gradually decreasing dosage. The risk however lies in a psychical dependency to methadone. A variety of psychotherapies recommended during the long-term therapy (behavioral and cognitive therapy, analytical therapy, family therapy…). Sometimes, post-cure centers aiming at the rehabilitation and development of certain personal qualities are also useful and necessary.

What are the therapeutic institutions in Lebanon?

The weaning period can be done in any hospital, providing that there is a psychiatrist and a specialized team.
The existing post-cure center in Lebanon is Om El Nour, which offers a program extending from 12 to 18 months, during which the person has to remain in the center. This program is strict and difficult to go through, but it yields satisfactory results