The short-term effects of drug abuse can feel positive. Euphoric highs, feelings of invincibility, and lush visions may all seem attractive. However, drug abuse over time can impact multiple areas of health and wellness, so all areas of personal...
A person who abuses a drug will use the drug despite the known risks to health and well-being. She will continue abusing the drug even though this results in broken relationships, financial difficulties, legal problems and failures to follow...
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-counter medications are...
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, "Children raised in families with high rates of conflict appear at risk for both delinquency and illicit drug use." Adding...
No one who is part of a family where a member abuses alcohol or drugs remains unaffected. Potential consequences of alcohol or drug abuse on the family include both immediate and long-term effects. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA,...
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), cocaine is a highly addictive stimulating narcotic. Cocaine is used primarily in powder form or as a crystallized powder known as crack. Crack is typically processed with various home...
Alcohol use can affect a fetus in many ways. According to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Center for Excellence, it is estimated that over 40,000 babies are born in the United States each year with some type of disorder that is attributed to...
Heroin, an opiate synthesized from morphine, is a seriously addictive drug that causes havoc on a person's health and life. Usually it appears as a white or brown powder and sometimes you'll find it as a black sticky substance. It can be injected,...
A type of central nervous system depressant, benzodiazepines increase the amount of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA. The increase in GABA decreases neural activity. Although doctors prescribe benzodiazepines for...
Despite its damaging side effects and illegal status, Ecstasy remains a popular recreational drug in the United States and abroad. Originally associated with all-night dance parties or "raves," today Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, is taken in a...
Cannabis is an illegal recreational drug but has increasing support of some U.S. states and European nations for its medicinal values. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, contains THC, a substance that binds to the brain's receptors. The chief...
Someone who abuses drugs is affected emotionally and physically. Drug abuse can take over a person's life, wreaking havoc on the person's health, career and relationships. Many times, drug abuse is linked with other mental health issues such as...
Cocaine is a drug that is commonly used for illegal recreational purposes. It is a powerful stimulant medication with a high potential for abuse and addiction in chronic users. Cocaine can be delivered into the body via different routes; it can be...
Child abuse is any treatment that isn't in the best interest (either physically, psychologically or emotionally) of the child. This includes any physical harm, sexual act, neglect, verbal degradation or emotional or psychological harm. Abuse can...
Steroids are defined by The Partnership for a Drug Free America as a "group of compounds that are closely related to testosterone." Steroids are used both legally and illegally. Medical use of anabolic steroids to treat conditions such as anemia...
Most often, heart failure develops after cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease and hypertension have damaged and weakened the heart. Heart muscle damage or cardiomyopathy is caused by infections, alcohol abuse and the toxic...
The prolonged use and subsequent abuse of legal and illegal substances can have profound and often irreparable effects on the body. Continued abuse and an inability to stop can lead to years of exposure to a substance and possible negative effects...
Drug abuse can result in serious behavioral and emotional changes that ultimately destroy a person's life. The negative effects from drug abuse can have immediate and long-term consequences. Careers have been ruined and families have been...
The abuse of prescription and illegal narcotic drugs can have devastating effects on both the user and the family. These adverse effects include physical, mental and emotional damage as well as the loss of financial independence, social networks...
Depressants are a type of drug that diminish activity in the central nervous system. They include alcohol and prescription drugs such as barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The Partnership for a Drug-Free American points out that marijuana and...
The text "Neurobiology of Addiction" explains that opiates, also called opioids, are natural or synthetic substances that have actions similar to those of morphine. Morphine is a naturally derived substance from the plant Papaver somniferum, or...
Marijuana has a variety of effects on the body, from the euphoria of intoxication to significant health problems from chronic use. Although marijuana is primarily smoked, it is also ingested in food and drink. However, the health complications...
Since the early 1950s, androgenic steroids have increased in use as has public awareness of the effects of these drugs upon the body. Initially used by athletes to increase strength, stamina and speed, people are more recently using them simply...
As much as parents would like to protect their children from all forms of harm, there is no foolproof way to make sure that children don't find their way in to trouble. Trouble can come in many forms, including being irresponsible with possessions...
Anabolic steroids are a group of synthetic drugs prescribed for treatment of delayed puberty or body wasting seen in AIDS or cancer. These drugs are made to simulate the actions of testosterone on the body, and may be prescribed in cases of low...
The effects of long-term drug use are never limited to the addict and can have substantial and devastating effects on the user's families. These include eventually dissolving the family or physical, emotional and mental injury to family members....
According to the National Institutes of Health, marijuana is the most abused illegal drug in the United States. Derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, the active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, which is also called...
Drug abuse causes significant mental and physical side effects in users. Frequently starting from recreational use, drug abuse can become a habit that causes problems in relationships, the workplace and with the law. Common signs of addiction or...
