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Some people don’t like being quoted statistics.  But when we speak of statistics on drug addiction, the numbers are actually important.  These numbers can help us identify problem areas with drug addictions and help us better understand what exactly is going on with drug addiction in the country.

For example, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States according to a 2005 survey.  Over seventy-six percent of the population reported using marijuana in that year’s time.

An estimated 15.9 million Americans aged twelve or older reported using illicit drug in the month prior to the 2005 survey.  That statistic represents 7.1 percent of the population 12 or older.  This is an increase of almost 8 percent from the previous year.

Drug addiction statistics can be a little bit scary as well.  Consider that in 2003, there were nearly 20,000 deaths directly attributed to drug use both legal and illegal.  Of those deaths, about 3 percent were to people 21 years of age and under.

In the year 2001 alone, use of the club drug Ecstasy increased by 58 percent from the previous year.  This statistic was calculated by the amount of people who were admitted to a hospital emergency room with Ecstasy overdoses.

Statistics on rehabilitation center admissions also paint a sad picture of drug addiction.  In 2006, there were over 175,000 people who checked themselves into a rehab facility.  It is estimated that 5 percent of those people returned to using drugs after they were released.

Methamphetamine use is on the rise as well.  In 2006, a whopping 15 percent of the population reported using meth as their primary illicit drug.  This can be attributed to the fact that meth is easy to make with common household items and produces a significant high for the user that cannot be obtained by using any other drug.

Perhaps the scariest statistics on drug addiction are the ones that involve our youth.  A significant percentage of young people report having been introduced to one type of drug or another on a regular basis by the age of 13.  Nearly fifty percent of those children will try drugs by that age, and 20 percent will become addicted before graduating from high school.

It can be a big, bad world out there – for adults and children alike.  We may sincerely want to bury our heads in the sand when it comes to drug abuse and addiction, but we can’t.  When presented with statistics on drug addiction, there’s really no way we can ignore the fact that there’s a problem in this country – a serious problem – with drugs.

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The facts about drug addiction can be scary.  They can be intimidating, and they can be all too real for those who are dealing with a drug addiction.  Drug addiction is actually quite a complex disease that affects a person both physically and psychologically.

Drug addiction is characterized by an uncontrollable craving for a drug and the inability to keep from using that drug.  Whether your drug of choice is marijuana, nicotine, alcohol, or something stronger like heroin or cocaine, it takes control of your life making it impossible for you to live without it.

The fact is that you have a physical dependence on the drug and when it is taken away from you – meaning if you don’t use it – the physical implications become too much to bear.  Addicts are beset with uncontrollable shaking, hallucinations, sleeping problems, and even heart arrhythmia when they don’t use drugs.

Drugs affect the way our brain works.  It takes hold of portions of the central nervous system and the effects of the drugs you use are shown in the way you act and think.  They also affect the chemicals in your brain and how they work to regulate your brain activity.  This is why drug use and addiction has such a strong hold on the user.

Drug addiction is also characterized by compulsive behaviors such as promiscuity, stealing, and acting in ways you wouldn’t normally without the drug.  In fact, most drug addicts will do whatever they have to do to get their drugs, even if it means acting in ways that are less than desirable.

Another fact of drug addiction is that there are certain people who are more prone to becoming an addict.  These include people who are children of drug abusers or users, people with low self-esteem, and people who feel they have no control over their lives.  Unfortunately, once individuals with these pre-existing factors begin using drugs, those drugs become part of who they are and they are almost powerless to stop.

Social circumstances also play a huge part in addiction.  Casual drug use often begins in social situations like clubs or parties.  Then it spills over into private life and the user will find themselves using when they’re not in these situations.  Eventually, they find they are addicted and cannot live without that drug.

Drug addiction knows no boundaries and doesn’t pick and choose its victims.  All walks of life are affected from the rich to the poor and everyone in between.  Well-known celebrities and everyday Joes can fall prey to its stronghold that drugs can put on their lives.  That’s why it’s so important to learn as much as you can about drug use and addiction and stop the problem before it starts.

The facts about drug addiction are vast and widespread.  But the cold hard fact is that it is an epidemic that is spreading and growing.  Drug addiction is a blight on society, and it needs to be conquered.  If we want to win the “war” on drugs and minimize its impact on our lives, we first need to get the facts – the facts about drug addiction.  You’ve gotten a good start by reading this article!

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 Often, poems and inspirational sayings can help lift spirits and focus on the important things in life.  When you are battling a drug addiction, poems can help keep you focused and on track with recovery.  It can motivate you toward action and getting help for your addiction.

Perhaps the most well-known poem is “The Serenity Prayer”:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
To change the things that I can
And the wisdom to know the difference

Since drug addiction requires people to leave their old life behind in order to recover, the next poem called “Begin Again” is quite inspirational:

One of the best things we can do in our lives is
Begin again

Begin to see yourself as you were when you were the happiest
Begin to remember what worked for you and what worked against you
Begin to try and re-capture the magic that is life
Begin to live a lifetime each day as you did when you were a child
Begin to forget your baggage, the problems that don’t matter anymore, the tears that cried themselves away, and the worries that are going to wash away on the shore of tomorrow’s new beginning

Tomorrow tells us it will be here every new day of our lives
If we are wise, we will turn away from the problems of the past
And give the future and ourselves a chance to become the best of friends

Sometimes all it takes is a wish in the heart to let yourself

Begin again

~ Author Unknown

People with a drug addiction can find some beautiful words to live by in a poem.  It can speak to them and motivate them to action.  For example, this next poem tells us of hope and letting go:  “Two Days”:

There are two days in every week
About which we should not worry
Two days
That should be kept free from fear and apprehension

One is yesterday with all its mistakes and cares
Is faults and blunders, its aches and pains

Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control
We cannot undo a single act we performed or erase a single word we said
Yesterday is gone forever

Then there is tomorrow
With all its possibilities, it’s adversities, its burdens, its rewards

Tomorrow’s sun will rise
Either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds
But it will rise

Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow
For it has yet to be born

That leaves today
Anyone can fight the battle of just one day
It’s when you add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow
That you break down

It’s not the experience of today that drives a person mad
It’s the remorse or bitterness of something that happened yesterday
And the dread of what tomorrow might bring

Therefore, it only makes sense
For peace of mind and hope
Live simply one day at a time
Live today!

~ Author Unknown

If you are struggling with a drug addiction, try writing your own poem.  Look inside your heart, see what the addiction is doing to you and express your feelings in a poem.  You may just find that you can inspire yourself!

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