The use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes has become a serious public health issue, with prescription drug abuse ranking second among illicitly used drugs. In many cases, the abuse stems from a chronic pain complaint, in which a patient is prescribed an opioid, but without adequate warning about its addictive effects.
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Drug addiction can be a very touchy subject. In society it is still somewhat taboo – who wants to admit that their mother or brother is an addict? What addict finds it easy to confess his struggles and turn for help? Many physicians don’t even know how to properly identify drug or alcohol addiction in their patients either. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has just designed a new program aimed at helping medical providers understand and have compassion for the millions of American affected by this disease.
Read more about NIDA Unveils New Program to Help Physicians Foster Deeper Understanding of Addiction
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In stark contrast to its deceiving name, Ecstasy is sending more and more people suffering from serious or fatal health problems to emergency rooms across the country. News from the Los Angeles Times addresses the jump in emergency room visits related to Ecstasy, or MDMA, a popular street drug. During a four-year span from 2004 to 2008, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration said that emergency room activity connected to use of the drug rose by 75 percent. By the numbers, this is a jump of 10,220 visits to nearly 18,000 in just four years.
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What may look like an upscale cosmetic or convenience shop can be quite deadly. Appearing in trendy, seemingly high-class global boutiques, a rapidly emerging type of drugs called “legal highs” are taking lives tragically and opening the door for young adults to abuse other types of drugs.
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Substance abuse can be a by-product of a number of different things, including victimization, according to this recent Medical News Today report. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago recently identified this link, suggesting that the link is especially prevalent among those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual.
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There are many negative consequences associated with using injection drugs. One immediate risk of using such drugs is the transmission of a virus by sharing a needle with another user. Both HIV and Hepatitis C are viral infections highly associated with needle-sharing.
Read more about Hepatitis C Rates Remain High Among Drug Users
Street drugs are associated with many negative consequences. Some are highly publicized, such as difficulty maintaining employment and the disintegration of family and social ties. Drugs are also associated with comorbidity of mental disorders, with psychosis and other types of substance abuse often occurring after drug use has begun.
Read more about Stroke Patients Test Positive for Street Drugs
Seventy-five years ago two men came together and agreed that they had no power over their addictions. The power to quit would have to come not from their will power but from somewhere else. It took 75 years for science to catch up to what the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous figured out intuitively — addicts have no choice but to continue to use and reuse whatever drug or substance they are addicted to because they cannot stop. Addiction is by definition a habit that is beyond rational choice.
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A new study from researchers at Spain’s University of Granada has found that drug abusers have difficulty identifying negative emotions (such as anger, disgust, fear, and sadness) by their facial expressions. In addition, the study found that regular abuse of alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine usually affects the users’ fluency and decision-making. Cocaine abuse is associated with changes in inhibition, and marijuana and cocaine use negatively affects work memory and reasoning.
Read more about Study Finds Psychological Deterioration in Drug Abusers