drug abuse

Drug abuse describes taking a psychoactive drug or performance-enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. The most commonly abused drugs include alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, opioids, and benzodiazepines. Drug abuse may lead to health problems, social problems, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, mortality, physical dependence, or psychological addiction.



Articles Related to drug abuse

National Study Finds Jump in Drug Use in Public Middle and High Schools

Researchers have found that public school students nationwide are experiencing more gang violence and drug use than ever before, according to recent data.
August 24th, 2010 | Addiction in the Media | Read More

PRISM Awards Acknowledge Substance Abuse Portrayals in Cinema

Each year, the nonprofit organization Entertainment Industries Council (EIC), in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), hosts a prestigious award ceremony for the entertainment industry unlike any other. EIC’s Prism Awards acknowledge works of...
May 7th, 2010 | Research & News | Read More

Childhood Sleep Problems Linked to Later Drug and Alcohol Use

Sleep problems are a major public health issue in the United States. In 2006, for example, more than half of 6th to 12th graders reported feeling tired or sleepy, and more than 30 percent reported having problems remaining asleep during the night. A first-of-its-kind study has found a long-term relationship...
April 6th, 2010 | Research & News | Read More

Sleep-Deprived Teens More Likely to Abuse Drugs

 A new study by the researchers at University of California San Diego suggests that sleep-deprived teens are more likely to use drugs, thereby increasing their vulnerability to dependence.
March 22nd, 2010 | Addiction in the Media | Read More

Actor Wes Bentley Rebuilds Career after Beating Addiction

Eleven years ago, Wes Bentley was a 21-year-old Julliard dropout living in Los Angeles with a Polaroid for a head shot and not enough money to eat at Taco Bell, writes Patrick Healy of the New York Times. But after his performance as Ricky Fitts in “American Beauty,” which won the Academy...
February 11th, 2010 | Types of Addiction | Read More

Ozzy Osbourne Talks Addiction

In his autobiography “I Am Ozzy,” newly released in the US, heavy-metal pioneer Ozzy Osbourne, now 61, chronicles his drug- and alcohol-fueled behavior. Gelu Sulugiuc of Bloomberg.com writes that Osbourne was hampered by undiagnosed dyslexia in school, later failing miserably at various factory...
January 27th, 2010 | Types of Addiction | Read More

Study Examines Drug Abuse in Turkey

A new report by the Turkish Drug and Drug Addiction Monitoring Center shows that the youngest age of drug abusers in Turkey is 11, while the oldest is 67. Released last month, the report also shows the route of drug trafficking, which starts in Afghanistan and passes through Turkey to reach Italy and...
January 22nd, 2010 | Research & News | Read More

Man’s Video Game Addiction Gets Him Caught on Drug Charges

Two weeks ago, a man wanted on drug charges was caught through another addiction—playing the role-playing computer videogame “World of Warcraft.”
January 4th, 2010 | Internet & Video Game Addiction | Read More

Researchers Studying Addictive Effects of Caffeine on Young People

Being “addicted” to caffeine is considered perfectly normal among adults. But how strong is caffeine’s appeal in young people who regularly drink caffeine-laden soft drinks? What impact does acute and chronic caffeine consumption have on children’s blood pressure, heart rate, and hand tremor?...
December 31st, 2009 | Types of Addiction | Read More

Drug Users are Well Informed About the Harms of Drug Abuse

Drug users are well informed about the harms associated with the drugs they use, and they perceive alcohol and tobacco to be amongst the most dangerous substances, according to a survey by researchers from University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London. The findings, published in the Journal...
November 25th, 2009 | Research & News | Read More