Cocaine is a strong stimulate that affects the body’s central nervous system. Cocaine is a white crystalline powder that is often mixed with sugar, cornstarch, vitamins and/or flour. Crack cocaine looks like a small rock, chunk or chip and it is sometimes off-white or pink in color. Common names for cocaine include: coke, dust, toot, … Read More
We hear addiction discussed often, but you may wonder, just what is addiction? Teenadvice.about.com indicates that, “Addiction is a physiological dependence on something. It is both physical and psychological in nature. When you are addicted you literally need whatever it is that feeds that addiction. Addiction is not limited to drugs or alcohol. Addiction sneaks … Read More
The Genetics of Alcoholism Does alcoholism truly run in families? If your parent is an alcoholic will you be one too? Many people have wondered at these questions and much study and research has gone into answering them. The National Institute of Alcoholism published an article titled, “Genetics of Alcohol Use Disorders” which gives some … Read More
Withdrawal refers to the physical problems and emotions one may experience if they are dependent on a substance (such as alcohol, prescription medicines, or illegal drugs) and then suddenly stop or drastically reduce their intake of the substance. (WebMD) Some drugs produce significant physical withdrawal (alcohol, opiates, and tranquilizers). Some drugs produce little physical withdrawal, … Read More
Teen depression Normal adolescents are moody and irritable – and who can blame them with all of the insecurities of youth not to mention puberty? Because of these ups and downs, it is difficult to determine if a teenager is depressed or just acting like a normal teenager. Depression is a medical condition that causes … Read More
When individuals recover from drug or alcohol abuse, often challenges arise that cause them stress. Stress during recovery might manifest itself financially (paying for recovery or time away from work for recovery), in relationships (certain people wanting to help you recover and others wanting you to continue in old behaviors with them and also … Read More
A recent article in Psychology Today written by Russ Federman shows that when individuals with bipolar disorder drink large amounts of alcohol or abuse drugs, the results are most often negative. The explanation of why alcohol and drugs don’t mix well with bipolar disorder isn’t simple. To begin with, individuals with bipolar disorder struggle with … Read More
Recently, studies have shown that combining energy drinks and alcohol can be more dangerous than just drinking alcohol alone – especially if the energy drink contains caffeine. Researchers at HealthDay say the recent findings suggest that it may even be appropriate to put warning labels on energy drinks saying they should not be mixed with … Read More
The CDAC (Community Drug and Alcohol Council, Inc) recently reported the top 10 most abused drugs. The drugs are listed below in order of most often to least often abused. 1-Alcohol: The CDAC notes that, “with over half (51.8%) of U.S. population identified as drinkers, alcohol is the #1 most abused substance. Nearly a quarter … Read More
A recent publication by the NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) indicates two new emerging commonly abused substances: “syrup” and “molly”. They indicate that drinking prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine mixed with soda was referenced frequently in rap music beginning in the late 90s and has now become increasingly popular among youth in … Read More
