Although the ill effects of drugs have not been entirely defined, there is sufficient evidence to determine that their use is not compatible with a healthy lifestyle. Although not everyone who tries recreational drugs becomes a regular user, the progression to drug abuse usually follows the same pattern. The individual has one or perhaps a few experiences with a particular drug out of curiosity or because of peer pressure. This is usually unplanned and generally occurs in social situations where the drug is readily available.
Drug taking becomes routine.
The individual's psychological and physical well-being is so closely linked to the chosen chemical that it becomes a necessity. At this stage of addiction, physical withdrawal signs occur if the drug is abruptly discontinued. The most popular drugs are the psychotropics such as marijuana, hashish, and cocaine, which distort sensory experience and produce pleasurable mood swings. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, changes in the way marijuana is grown have greatly increased concentrations of THC, its major psychoactive ingredient. Strengths of THC, which were in the range of 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent in the mid-1960s, are now reported in concentrations as high as 13.49 percent.