The effects of drug and alcohol-addicted parents can be far-reaching on their children, starting in the womb before birth and continuing long after the child has no contact with the parents. In addition to having a higher risk of drug and alcohol addiction themselves, the children's normal development is interrupted, which puts them at higher risk for physical, emotional and mental health problems.
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 th...
Some substance-abuse treatment programs include yoga practice because of its documented mental health benefits. Of particular significance to people recovering from drug addiction, yoga may help reduce stress, provide an outlet...
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 h...
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...
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 developi...
Drug addiction has social, physical and psychological repercussions that destroy lives and place a burden on society. Given the well-known consequences of drug abuse, it's sometimes difficult to comprehend the persistent natur...
Although these drugs are usually prescribed to treat chronic pain, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, respectively, the consequences of addiction on patient health is compromised. Simply put, prescription dru...
There are typically two categories of effects drugs produce on the user: short term and long term. Alcohol or cannabis may appear to have a calming effect, whereas stimulants typically produce a rush or euphoria. Yet, for the s...
Some escape experimentation with a few bumps and bruises, while others scar permanently with unremitting addiction. A multitude of biological and environmental risk factors contribute to the likelihood of developing drug addict...
Drug addiction is a brain-related disease that requires a treatment plan that addresses the problem of addiction effectively and sustainably. The goal of a treatment plan is to help the addict be able to live a life free of dru...
Despite the efforts of health-care professionals and law enforcement officials alike, addiction to alcohol and other drugs continues to be a major problem. The failure of conventional methods to defeat the insidious disease of ...
Drug addiction is a major concern for communities, families and individuals. Everyone from adults to children can suffer the consequences of a drug addiction, whether illegal drugs or prescription medications. Drug addiction is...
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 Nationa...
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 th...
The effects of drug abuse touch the lives of many people who know the person who abuses the drug. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, the annual cost of substance abuse within the United States is over half a trillio...
Drug addiction is a burden on society and a bane to the individual who endures it. Narcotic addiction is particularly insidious, as the opiate drugs used medically to ease pain become the source of intense suffering for the lo...
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, when an individual suffers from addiction, the issues typically negatively affect his friends and family. It can be especially difficult for a spouse to support a partne...
When someone you love has a drug problem, it can be difficult or confusing to figure out what the best way of confronting them is. Sometimes an intervention is necessary in order to provide the person with guidance, set boundar...
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, says that--in most cases--drug addiction begins as simple social experimentation that eventually leads to increased use and dependence. The agency also says that addiction is a bra...
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 ro...
Teens also report that drugs are easily accessible. Although some kids will try drugs and not become addicted, some do experience serious problems that affect not only themselves, but also their entire families. Even if you...
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, develop...
The crack-addicted homeless person, the amphetamine-addled long-distance trucker and the cocktail-lubricated corporate executive may be worlds away from each other in terms of their lifestyles and economic demographic, but the...
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. Of...
When a person close to you, such as your husband, succumbs to a drug addiction, the consequences can be significant. Your husband may lose his job, be unable to parent your children, pull away from your relationship and begin s...
Like all opioid drugs, OxyContin has the potential to become addictive when not used properly. The text "Essential Psychopharmacology" states that the physical withdrawal symptoms associated with the discontinuation of opioid d...
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the drugs are made from the fluid content of the plant's unripe seed capsule. (See Reference 1) The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, states that opioid addiction develops from...
Addiction to drugs is a disease. It is defined in this way because long-term drug abuse changes both the structure and functions of the brain, says the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These changes in brain structure may star...
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 approach...
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 las...
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...
The addicts were enrolled in four different treatment programs offering various counseling, group and cognitive therapies. The program that stood out was one that offered individual drug counseling. Participants in that program...
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...
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2008 over 50 million prescriptions were dispensed for OxyContin and its generic equivalents. OxyContin has a high potential for addiction because it contains a much larger dose of...
Methamphetamine addiction produces a vicious cycle of euphoric-filled high moods as well as the counteracting depressed moods following the drug wearing off. In between these two stages, there is often a period of "tweaking"--d...
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 pr...
Diet and exercise are important to incorporate while recovering from drug addiction. According to the Orchid, a drug treatment center in Palm Springs, Fla., developing new, healthy habits is a vital component in recovery. Addit...
It is produced by UCB Manufacturing and is used for upper respiratory symptoms, especially in controlling coughs. Tussionex is for adults and children over the age of six. Tussionex contains narcotic ingredients which may be ad...
For some individuals, experimentation leads to addiction and severe consequences, such as health complications, severed relationships and trouble with the law. Understanding the effects and the nature of addiction is crucial to...
Prescribed to treat pain, narcotics, also called opiates, affect the opiate receptors in the brain. Even though narcotics have medical purposes, people often abuse these drugs and develop an addiction. The U.S. Drug Enforcement...
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and commonly abused central nervous system stimulant. Usually smoked, it can also be injected, snorted or ingested, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, or AAFP. Its use ...
Teen drug exposure remains a common phenomenon, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the chance exists for casual experimentation to cross the line and become full-blown addiction. Adolescent drug addiction is...
Drug addiction is a major public health problem that cost the U.S. a staggering $468 billion in 2005, according to The New York Times. Costs result from disease, crime, accidents, child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness an...
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...
This means if you feel it, there's a good chance your baby feels it too. Some babies are born addicted to the same drugs a mother may ingest during her pregnancy, leading to a variety of signs and symptoms in the infant fo...
Aside from the personal effects of drug addiction, the disease can cause problems for everyone around the addict as well. The person may have a drug addiction to alcohol, illicit substances such as cocaine, heroine, opiate pill...
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 ad...
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 repercuss...
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 becom...
Clostridium tetani causes tetanus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 10 cases of tetanus results in death. Commonly referred to as "lockjaw," this disease can be prevented. The CDC Ad...
The National Library of Medicine estimates that 40 million injuries and sicknesses are due to drug abuse each year. Addiction is a complicated disorder and according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only ten perce...
Drug addiction is a brain disease that occurs secondary to substance abuse, in much the same way hypertension occurs secondary to overeating and obesity. Drug abuse hijacks the brain's dopamine system, which normally produces f...
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...
One life domain that is impacted by addiction to alcohol and drugs is physical health. The most severe consequence to physical health from addiction is death, but there are also potential complications with liver, kidney, heart...
Relapses or slips are a normal part of the change process in addiction recovery. As part of an effective relapse prevention program, skill building, finding sober support people to connect with, and action plans are recommended...
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 other drugs. It is import...
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 determine...
When you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, choosing a rehabilitation center is an important step. While treatment works for many, there are countless others who complete treatment only to relapse shortly thereafter. F...
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 learning the warning signs of drug use ...
According to the website Help Guide, drug addiction is the "repeated and excessive use of chemical substances to achieve the same effect." These substances can include alcohol, prescription medications and illegal street drugs ...
It can induce feelings of alertness and increase a person's ability to concentrate. However, the Adderall product information sheet warns that Adderall is an amphetamine with a high potential for abuse and addiction. Learn to r...
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 beco...
It can be hard to recognize that your friend has a drug addiction problem, because many people who abuse drugs to try to hide it. If your friend is moody, spends a lot time trying to get drugs or alcohol or having problems at w...
Finding out that your daughter has a drug addiction is many parents' worst nightmare. You may feel angry, scared and overwhelmed by the challenge of helping her through this addiction, or feel unsure of what to do and how to go...
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 cocaine, marijuana and hero...
It is used to treat anxiety and panic. There are myriad symptoms of Xanax addiction. With abuse, use of this drug may become very problematic.
According to Jeff and Debra Jay, professional interventionists and authors, intervention is the most powerful tool you have when helping an addict seek treatment. The process involves bringing together a group of people closest...
Halcion is the brand name for the drug triazolam. According to the Physicians' Desktop Reference, Halcion is used to treat insomnia. It is a short-term remedy that is not approved for use by children. Pfizer, the drug's manufac...
After decades of spending on treating drug abuse in the United States, government and medical professionals realized that agencies that help to prevent drug addiction might be more effective. Education and early intervention ca...
Take a look at your family tree, going at least back to your grandparents. Examine your aunts, uncles and cousins, as well. Do you see a pattern of addictive behavior? If there seem to be an inordinate number of alcoholics, dru...
It is never too early to talk about the dangers of drug addiction. Study up on the effects of different drugs and the ways in which your children may take them. Be as specific as you can when you talk to them about it and conv...
Withdrawal symptoms can be harsh and hard to handle, leading many people to reach for more Valium to alleviate these symptoms. It is very rare for someone to have the willpower necessary to beat a Valium addiction all alone. Ho...
When you ignore an addict's behavior, you are silently enabling his ability to continue it. Speak to the addict about his drug use and ask him to stop doing it when he is in your presence. Be consistent without constantly bothe...
Narcotics Anonymous is the main support group used by people with any kind of drug addiction. Borrowing on the principals established by Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous uses group dynamics, sharing, accountability an...
One of the most powerful ways to cope with a family member with an addiction is to confront that person about her problem. The best way to do this is to have a formal intervention. Gather all of the family and friends who love...
