| You may rightfully get upset when you find out | | | | the brain and is frequently referred to as a disease |
| someone you love is an addict. You may think that | | | | because of these characteristics. The brain's |
| the person chooses to take drugs for fun. Choosing | | | | communication system is disrupted and changed from |
| to take drugs is not a choice in the life of an addict. | | | | repeated use of substances and so when the addict |
| He or she is addicted to drugs and it should be | | | | stops using drugs, a craving is induced. It is for this |
| treated like a disease. | | | | very reason that addicts are compelled to do |
| Estimates of the total overall costs of substance | | | | whatever it takes to purchase more drugs; |
| abuse in the United States exceed half a trillion dollars | | | | prostitution, theft or other crimes. In fact, most |
| each year. That includes $181 billion for illicit drugs, | | | | incarcerations are somehow directly or indirectly tied |
| $168 billion for tobacco and $185 billion for alcohol. | | | | to addiction. |
| What is important to know though is the cost of | | | | The next time you meet someone who might be an |
| drug addiction extends to every citizen in the United | | | | addict, try not to discriminate. In sociology, one learns |
| States of America. We pay for the drug addiction | | | | to be open minded to other cultures. Addiction is a |
| through family disintegration, loss of employment, | | | | culture by itself. The addict simply has a craving for a |
| failure in school, domestic violence, child abuse, and | | | | substance to satisfy a chemical imbalance in the brain. |
| other crimes. | | | | It has nothing to do with morality. These are the |
| Drug addiction changes the structure and function of | | | | facts about drug addiction. |