Addictive drugs can be legal or illegal. They may cause serious health problems over a period of time. Some drugs are considered harmless, but can still be abused. The more dangerous drugs can bring on severe damage and even death sooner than...
Drug addiction is a disorder that develops under the influence of several factors. According to the Mayo Clinic, both environmental conditions and genetics play a part in addictive behavior. Additionally, physiologic changes that occur in the body...
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, characterizes addiction as a disorder that affects the brain and behavior. There are biological components to addiction as well as psychological factors that lead a person to become addicted to a...
Doctors face growing challenges treating infant addicts and their mothers. In 2010 Maine's two largest hospitals reported treating or observing 276 infants for neonatal abstinence syndrome -- withdrawal from opiates to which they were exposed in...
According to the Mayo Clinic, drug addiction is described as a dependency on a drug or medication. Addiction often feels uncontrollable, although addicts know that drugs can damage the body in a variety of ways. Treatment for a drug addiction is...
Drug addiction is an overwhelming, uncontrollable need for drugs or alcohol despite the negative consequences that may follow. It can affect people of any age, sex or economic status, and while no exact cause has been determined, a variety of risk...
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, most drug addictions start as casual or social drug use. Some people continue to use drugs occasionally without developing an addiction. Others form an addictive drug habit. Often, drug use...
When someone takes drugs, he is generally looking for a benefit or a reward. The motivators behind the initial drug use can lead to addiction. There are several social and emotional factors that increase the chances of developing a drug addiction....
A drug addiction occurs when an individual becomes dependent on a drug to the extent that they feel it is impossible to manage without it. Conditioning the body to rely less on the addictive drug after consistent use is extremely difficult and can...
Drug addiction may be most commonly associated with illegal drug use, but it also can happen to anyone who takes a legal medication for a length of time. Drugs that kill pain are particularly addictive because, as a side effect of their intended...
Addiction to drugs can take a heavy toll on the addict as well as on his family. There are many potential medical complications, which depend on the type of drug used and the route by which it is taken. Some drugs have long lasting psychological...
Drug addiction, by definition of the Mayo Clinic, is a physical dependence on a street drug or medication. Once addicted, it is difficult to control your cravings and desire for the drug of choice. Not everyone has addictive tendencies, and it is...
Prescription drugs are medications prescribed to patients to treat medical conditions such as pain, anxiety and disease. Although these drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and benefit patients they are prescribed to,...
Prescription drug addiction is an increasingly common problem in the United States, including among adolescents. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 20 percent of high school students have taken a prescription...
If left untreated, the destructive effects of drug addiction eventually damage every aspect of the addict's life. Drug use consumes the addict's existence. Responsibilities and moral standards fall by the wayside. The repercussions of addiction...
Drug addiction occurs when an individual uses a legal or illegal drug and develops an inability to stop using the drug. A wide variety of drugs are capable of causing the brain changes that lead to addiction. Treatment programs can be effective,...
A baby who has been exposed to addictive drugs or alcohol in the womb is a life that has been damaged before it's even begun. Babies of drug-addicted mothers may suffer from withdrawal, sleep disturbances, irritability, developmental delays, poor...
Drug addiction is a complex neurobiological disease that leads to profound drug cravings and abnormal behavior. Drug addicts typically suffer from several effects of their disease: loss of employment, financial difficulties and the loss of healthy...
Addiction to cocaine, marijuana, heroin, stimulants and other drugs causes serious side effects and can be devastating. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there were more than 1 million drug-related emergency room visits in 2006....
Heroin, a byproduct of the opium poppy plant sold and bought illicitly in the United States, remains the most physically addictive drug, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports. Methods of ingestion include sniffing, intravenous injection or...
MedlinePlus says that drug addiction, also known as drug dependence, is a condition in which you crave a certain drug because of its effects. You can become addicted to painkillers such as codeine and demorol. You can also become addicted to...
People do not intentionally become addicted to drugs. What starts out as innocent experimentation can quickly lead to an overwhelming and compulsive need to have the drug as frequently as possible, regardless of the consequences. However, by...
Drug addiction remains one of the most disturbing diseases that can hinder a person's thinking in dealing with life. The person who suffers from drug addiction remains part of a revolving door of appointments, drug use, therapy and hopelessness....
Drug addiction is typically managed as a chronic illness, which means that it requires lifelong treatment. Although the effects and risks of stimulants, opiates, depressants and hallucinogens are different, the overall approaches for treating...
Cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, heroin--all are drugs that are addictive. Just as every person is different, so, too, are their contributing factors to drug addiction. No matter the reason, a drug addict often feels helpless; a prisoner to his drug...
Drug abuse, substance abuse, it's all the same. According to HelpGuide.org, it's the "repeated and excessive use of chemical substances to achieve the same effect." Unfortunately these chemical substances are generally illegal street drugs such as...
Drug addiction often starts as an experimentation with the use of a substance. If the feeling experienced satisfies the person, he may try it again. After a few times using a particular substance, the person begins to become addicted...
Drug addiction is a disease with behavioral and physiological symptoms. Drug addiction begins with compulsive drug use that progresses until patients feel they need their drug of choice to function. Over time, addicts require higher and higher...
Treatments for chronic drug addiction focus on helping addicted individuals stop seeking and using drugs. Short-term tactics are generally not effective, as addicts often experience occasional relapses, according to the National Institute on Drug...
Learn how to treat addictions with acupuncture in this free chinese medicine video lesson from our alternative cure expert.
Many people have family members who suffer from substance abuse. Learn how to get started supporting a relative through substance abuse from a licensed professional psychotherapist in this video.
Learn how to treat Addiction with acupuncture in this free chinese medicine video lesson from our alternative cure expert.