There is good news: drug addiction and use are preventable. It is the responsibility of parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals to teach young people and prevent drug use and addiction.
What is Drug Addiction and How Does It Work? Addiction affects your brain, behaviour and brain. If you're addicted to drugs, it's impossible to resist the urge to use them. The sooner you begin treatment for drug addiction the better your chances of avoiding the most serious consequences.
Drug addiction doesn’t mean you have to use heroin, cocaine, or any other illegal drugs. You can become addicted by alcohol, cigarettes, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety and other legal drugs.
There are also risks of becoming addicted to prescription pain medications or opioids, whether illegally obtained or legally. This is a serious problem in America. Opioids were responsible for nearly two-thirds all drug overdose deaths in 2018.