Being aware of key information, being as well informed as possible, knowing the risk factors and the effects are good assets to avoid the worst. However, sometimes being well informed is not enough.
Be wary of your behavior when faced with drugs you may consume. Don’t forget that drug use impairs your consciousness and makes you forget several safety rules: unprotected sex (risk of HIV, hepatitis and other STIs contamination), dangerous driving… Additionally, any consumption of psychoactive substances can cause or worsen psychological issues.
For a long time, all drug-related behaviors and drug uses have been amalgamated under the term of drug addiction. People were convinced that drugs were at the root of all problems and that therefore the only solution was withdrawal and the goal was total abstinence. The reality is more complex.
The risks do not only come from the use but also from the products themselves: using cannabis every day is just as dangerous as smoking crack once a year, even if crack seems more dangerous than cannabis. Addiction is one of the major risks of drug use.
We are unequal regarding physical or psychological dependence. Some become “addicts” easier than others. Either way, it should be noted that compulsive consumption, i.e. the compelling need to take the product, alcohol and medicine included, must be a warning sign of dependence.
Another problematic use, related to occasional use, is abuse. Since the effects of drugs eventually weaken over time, or because of drug tolerance due to habit, habituation, or because the effects are concealed by other drugs (mixing), it is tempting to take another dose, or to take stronger doses.
Abuse is difficult to control, because it cannot be easily identified: the user doesn’t consider himself dependent because the use is limited in time and to specific moments (on weekends…). However, it’s a sign of a problematic drug use.
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