Drug Abuse

Parenting & Drug Abuse

Parents play an important role in raising children, modeling healthy behavior and providing an active support system for their children. Abuse among children involves taking legal and illegal drugs. Tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, hallucinogens, designer drugs and marijuana are typical drugs of choice for children. Shaping attitudes toward drug use is the key to stopping it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

All About Drug Abuse

Common Street Drugs of Abuse

Street drugs refer to chemicals ingested for their mind- or body-altering properties rather than for medical purposes. In other words, most recreational drug use is pursuant to "getting high" and occasionally for other reasons,...

Differences Between Drug Dependence & Drug Abuse

The primary differences between drug abuse and drug dependence revolve around withdrawal and tolerance. Other distinctions exist as well. Most drug assessments such as the CAGE and the AA 20 assess whether someone has a problem...

Adolescent Drug Abuse

The probability that your teen will be exposed to drugs during adolescence is very high, and based on statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is also a good chance your teen will try them. There are several ...

What Are Some Solutions to Drug Abuse?

Drug abuse occurs when people being using drugs for one reason or another and their use develops into an intense desire and need for the substance. This need and desire outweighs the person's need for need for success in his re...

Drug Abuse in Families

Drug abuse is the misuse of mind-altering substances like illicit and prescription drugs. It affects not only the drug abuser, but entire families, often leading to long-term emotional and financial problems. The physical and...

Juvenile Drug Abuse

Trouble can come in many forms, including being irresponsible with possessions or using illegal substances to gain a high. Juvenile drug abuse is something that parents must address with their children to end the cycle of abuse...

Consequences of Drug Use & Abuse

Drug abuse occurs when someone becomes dependent on a medication or a street drug. Different things lead to drug addition, such as a physical dependence on the drug, problems coping with stressors in life or mental health issue...

Health Problems Associated With Drug Abuse

Abusing drugs, whether illegally obtained or prescribed legally, is often the origin of debilitating health conditions. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation goes so far as to claim that substance abuse is the cause of "more death...

Drug Abuse & Relationships

Drug abuse takes a severe physical and mental toll on addicts, and its ripple effects spill over onto friends and family members. Being in a relationship with a drug abuser can be like a wild roller coaster ride. There are "ups...

Consequences of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse may consist of any type of drug used for recreational purposes other than prescription medication needed for health issues. Drug abuse occurs because a person feels he may need to escape from reality, HelpGuide.org r...

Problems Arising From Drug Abuse

Drugs abuse can involve illegal, prescription and over-the-counter drugs. PeaceHealth estimates that in the United States and Canada, approximately 40 percent of adults will use an illegal drug. Using excessive amounts of these...

Dangers of Drug Abuse

Any drug—alcohol, marijuana, cocaine or any prescription or street drug—may be subject to abuse by an individual. For an individual addicted to drugs, use persists despite the existence of negative consequences. Rat...

Four Stages of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse and addiction consists of a dependence on a street drug, medication or alcohol. Not every individual who uses a drug, such as alcohol, develops a problem; however, for some, use develops into abuse and addiction, neg...

About Over-the-Counter Drug Abuse

Some people have a false sense of security when using over-the-counter medications or supplements. They mistakenly believe these products are safer than illegal drugs or even prescription medications. While many over-the-counte...

Dangers of Abusing Perscription Drugs

Prescription drug abuse is a rapidly growing health problem in the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that an estimated 20 percent of the population in the United States has used prescription drugs for ...

How to Identify Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is easily identified if you allow yourself to be aware of the individual’s behaviors. Many times, people in the drug abuser's life choose to remain in denial about the abuse until it becomes fully apparent. Dru...

Drug Abuse Strategies

Discovering drug abuse strategies is an important step in overcoming drug addiction. Strategies for drug abuse include finding effective approaches to treating addiction and promoting good health. These strategies should not on...

Drugs That Are Commonly Abused

According to Medline Plus, drug abuse is the cause for many social problems. People who abuse drugs have a tendency to break the law. Many of these people don't see the actions as causing a problem, because they aren't official...

Drug Abuse Programs

In a national health survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), over 23 million Americans aged 12 and over needed treatment for drug or alcohol abuse in 2007. Most of those peopl...

Complications of Intravenous Drug Abuse

Intravenous drug use allows the brain to receive the injected drug quicker than other methods, such as snorting or oral intake. This often offers an advantage for drug users, leading to enhanced sensations or a "rush" from rapi...

Solutions for Drug Abuse

Drug abuse is characterized by excessive or irresponsible use of prescription or illegal drugs. Abuse often is a midway point between abstinence and full-blown addiction, and it can lead to many problems in itself, such as self...

Drug Abuse Resources

"Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing" defines drug abuse as the use of drugs in spite of recurring and significant harmful consequences. Often, drug abuse occurs as the result of physical or psychological addiction to the substan...

What Are the Reasons People Abuse Drugs?

Drugs become abused because their effects often change the way a person thinks. Even though the drugs have long-term harmful effects, a drug user sees positive results in the feelings the drug produces. The drug use continues a...

About Drug Use & Abuse

One person might start drinking because she feels pressure from her friends and another might try taking prescription drugs to deal with stress. Drug use turns into abuse when the person uses too much, too often and continues t...

Kinds of Drugs Commonly Abused

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 8 percent of Americans 12 years old or older were illicit drug users. Substances abused range from prescription medications to household cleaners.

Five Categories of Drug Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported in 2008 that 20.1 million Americans age 12 and older were users of illicit substances. Drug addiction is a disease that, over time, alters the brain. Because of these brain changes,...

Kinds of Drugs People Abuse

This number includes people using prescription drugs for non-medicinal purposes. The kinds of drugs people abuse are grouped into categories based on their primary effects. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Healt...

What Are the Different Kinds of Drug Abuse?

The abuse of drugs of all kinds is a serious public health issue that has grown in magnitude over the last several decades. According to the National Institutes of Health, over 40 million illnesses or injuries are attributed to...

What Are the Dangers of Drug Abuse?

Drug abuse occurs when a person begins a consistent pattern of use of a substance beyond what is recommended if the substance is prescribed. If the substance is not prescribed, abuse occurs when the quantity of the substance us...

Family Issues in Drug Abuse

Drug abuse affects all members of the family. The addict is affected through self-destructive behavior. The rest of the family suffers through the destruction that involves them and affects their lives. Drug abuse can tear fami...

What Are Some Reasons for Not Abusing Drugs?

Drug abuse and addiction are a major burden to society from a financial, emotional and health perspective, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. While no single factor can predict whether or not a person will becom...

How to Heal a Marriage After Drug Abuse

Drug abuse can be disastrous to a marriage. Healing your marriage after drug abuse will take a lot of time, patience and understanding from both parties. While it may seem impossible to get past the deception caused by drug abu...

Facts on Drug Abuse

People usually abuse drugs to escape painful emotions like loneliness, guilt, low self-esteem and stress. The problem with using a substance to escape an uncomfortable feeling is that it perpetuates the problem. When the effec...