Show I f What hat Do We Me Mean n y Word Drugs There is s a good deaf of confusion misunderstanding and misinformation prevalent I about drugs these days about I good and bad drugs and andI I about their use and abuse IT IT fA 1 MAY Y be well therefore therefore there there- fore fore ore to take a look for a moment at the entire subject subject sub- sub Meet of drugs and what we mean when we speak of dru drugs s. s A medical dictionary definition definition def- def of the word drug to which comes from the old English tersely says that drug means a substance used as a med- med N ACTUALLY this comes pretty close to what we mean Tl when we apply the term JI to substances for for treating mental illness but further explanation is in order Nearly anything that man mantakes takes into his by body r swallowing inhaling inS in- in S s. s jetting or even receiving a his skins skin's through pores can St S be called a drug Any chemical chem chem- 1 l ical substance that affects th 4 living Hiving organisms is in a aL aL L sense a drug ri BESIDES a substance can 1 be a drug at one time pry pr and something else at ati i another For example a ath th substance known as m to has been used in industry in ceramics and metallurgy i However owing to recent res research re- re s search arch it is also now used Tin in treating certain cases of mental illness To further add to the com com- ja corn corn- Alex plex picture are the various l uses of drugs for purposes I that are not medical but which may be religious in some societies poetic aphrodisiac and so on THEN THERE are such things as the question of whether a drug is employed employ employ- ed principally to affect t tint e body or the mind In t the e latter case the drugs are oCt often en called psychoactive mind affecting drugs and form Corm a major part of all the substances prescribed by physicians Approximately prescribed and properly used several kinds of psychoactive drugs can and do play an important important important im im- im- im role in the prevention prevention prevention tion and treatment of various mental illnesses AMONG the main classes of such drugs are the major and and minor tranquilizers an an- ti-depression ti drugs tive drugs sedative drugs hypnotic drugs and as mentioned mentioned mentioned men men- lithium carbonate It is important to stress that drugs can be and are beneficial for both mental and physical diseases But it is also important to emphasize emphasize emphasize em em- that drug abuse is isa isa isa a grave problem The seriousness seriousness seriousness ser ser- of this problem from narcotics such as hero hero- in to milder mind affecting drugs can be over over- emphasized FULL free information on all aspects of drug abuse is available from the National National National Na Na- Clearinghouse on Drug Abuse Information Box 1701 Washington DC D.C. |