A little wine and thou beside me! That would be fine if you stopped there! Alcohol problems range from mild and annoying to life-threatening. Alcohol dependence (alcoholism) is the most severe stage, less severe drinking problems can also be problematic and dangerous. Alcohol abuse is when someone continues to drink in spite of continued social, interpersonal, health or legal difficulties.

Binge drinking or drinking to get drunk is the most common teen issue facing us as far as alcohol is concerned.Teenagers are often not aware of how much alcohol their bodies can safely tolerate and often end up with alcohol poisoning. Those who don't many end up putting themselves in dangerous positions behind the wheel of a car, which also puts others in harms way, or puts themselves at risk sexually. The CDC statistic stated nearly half of teenagers drank alcohol in the past month and got behind the wheel of an automobile. This is a scary combination. Another horrible, and possibly deadly equation is the CDC statistic that of these teens drinking in the past month, nearly fifty percent were “binge drinking” or consuming five or more drinks in one sitting. Almost all teenagers at one point or another generally underestimate the facts of this looming trend. Many end up dead! Unfortunately so do innocent victims.

Parents, it is your responsibility to be watchful of what your children are doing! And who they are doing it with. Alcohol has s strong smell, make sure after your child has been out with his or her friends to talk to them before they disappear into their room. A little "So how was you night out? Did you have fun?" should tell you a lot! Make sure you are close enough to be able to smell their breath. Watch their actions and if they appear to be acting unusually listen to that little voice in your ear! Find out what they have been doing! If they have been drinking, be calm, talk to your child about alcohol its short and long term affects. Be prepared, do your home work. If the behavior continues, take the next steps necessary to intervene. If they can not be trusted with that group of friends then so be it! If they can not be trusted leaving the house unattended, then so be it! If you feel they need professional intervention, so be it! Do not lose your child to alcohol or any other drug!

The National Surveys on Drug Use and Health data from current drivers aged 18 or older states that 15.1% had driven under the influence of alcohol during the past year. There have been 6990 deaths this year so far due to drunk drivers. http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html These are deaths that could have easily been avoided if someone had chosen not to drink, not to drive, or to be a designated driver!

The organ systems most vulnerable to alcohol abuse include the cardiovascular system, the gastrointestinal system, and the central and peripheral nervous systems. Other nonspecific or systemic health problems associated with alcohol abuse include malnutrition, muscle wasting, specific vitamin deficiencies, infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis, dermatitis, pediculosis, and hepatitis), and trauma secondary to fights and accidents. Psychological problems ae also prominent factors in alcohol abuse.

Excessive drinking can damage most organs and body systems:

Brain

Heavy drinkers suffer brain shrinkage (loss of brain cells) and even moderate drinking may effect brain function.

Liver

Heavy drinking can cause fatty deposits in the liver, eventually leading to cirrhosis. A liver damaged by alcohol cannot process the nutrients in food, nor eliminate toxins from the blood.

Stomach

Alcohol is a common cause of gastritis and stomach bleeding.

Blood and heart

Alcohol is an important cause of high blood pressure (hypertension), itself a cause of stroke.

Cancer

Excessive drinking doubles the risk of cancer of the gullet, trebles the risk of cancer of the throat and quadruples the risk of cancer of the voice box. There is evidence that it can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Nervous system

Nerve pains or drinking large amounts can cause tightening in the arms and legs.

Other problems

Vitamin deficiency, obesity, sexual difficulties and infertility, muscle disease, skin problems and pancreatitis have all been linked to excess alcohol consumption.

For women

Women are more susceptible to some of the long-term effects of alcohol, and can develop liver disease at lower levels of drinking than men.

Mental health

Despite initially helping to relieve tension, alcohol can actually heighten anxiety. It is a factor in many cases of depression too, and it is estimated that alcohol has been involved in about 65% of suicide attempts.

Dependency

Taken often and in large quantities, alcohol is addictive - that is a person needs to drink to prevent unpleasant and occasionally dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

Drinking respective to avoiding alcohol dependency means drinking in moderation:

• Half a pint of average strength beer (approx. 250ML)
• a glass of wine (125ML)
• a standard pub measure of spirits/ fortified wine such as sherry or port (25ML)
• a shot of alcohol such as whiskey, vodka, tequila
• http://www.merlinhelpsstudents.com/lifestyle/betterliving/drinkingandalcoholism.asp
  

There is no reason you can not enjoy an occasional drink! A glass of red wine each evening is good for your heart!(taking into consideration whether or not you are on medications). I would also take into consideration your genetic predisposition to alcohol dependency. If your parent/grandparent was or is a substance abuser, has or had OCD. I have to warn you to be cautious and talk to your physician about whether or not you should drink at all!

Prescription Drug Abuse:

CNS depressants should not be combined with any medication or substance that causes sleepiness, including prescription pain medicines, certain over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be fatal: opioids, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, general anesthetics, and anticonvulsants. http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article777.html

CNS short term prescription abuse:

• Small doses can cause some of the same reactions alcohol does. You may get drowsy, lose some of your coordination and feel less inhibited, which makes you more likely to do things you normally wouldn’t.

  
  

• You may have trouble talking clearly (slurred speech).

  
  

• You may find it difficult to concentrate or make good judgments.

  
  

• You could overdose. This could cause your heart and breathing to slow down so much that you’ll die.

Long Term usage abuse:

• • Your ability to think clearly, your coordination, and your reflexes will all decrease.

    
    

  • You could have difficulties with your memory.

    
    

  • You may go through periods of depression.

    
    

  • Overdose is always a possibility, which could cause death.

    
    

  • There is a good chance that you will develop a tolerance to the effects of the drug.

    
    

  • You can become addicted.
  http://www.painfullyobvious.com/depressants_9.asp
  

Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin) have chemical structures that are similar to key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants increase the levels of these chemicals in the brain and body. This, in turn, increases blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. Repeated use of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Further, taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperature and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures. http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/Prescription/Prescription4.html

Our Teenagers are already risking their lives for a high! This is an alarming trend in what has become a common get together activity. In the past month, 15.4 percent of high school seniors have used prescription or over-the-counter drugs, according to the latest government statistics. This year's survey reveals that 32.4% of high school seniors, 23.9% of 10th graders and 10.9% of 8th graders have used marijuana. Of course, the most popular drug used by adolescents remains alcohol. Overall, 15.9% of 8th, 10th and 12th graders drank alcohol in the past month. http://alcoholism.about.com/b/2008/12/26/teen-prescription-drug-abuse-continues-increase.htm

Parents, it is your responsibility to make sure you keep an eye on your medications. You need to count them often and if you suspect that ANY are missing you must take steps to assure they are inaccessible to your children and their friends. I would also make sure to talk calmly to your children about the consequences of drug abuse. Be prepared, study on the affects that your drugs and other drugs may have on them and on the legal consequences of their actions.

Make sure also as parents that you talk about street drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroine, speed, crystal meth, etc.... I am going to address these next!

Now we come to what is commonly considered the most dangerous, the street drugs!

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that activates certain systems in the brain. It is closely related chemically to amphetamine, but the central nervous system effects of methamphetamine are greater. Both drugs have some medical uses, primarily in the treatment of obesity, but their therapeutic use is limited. The central nervous system (CNS) actions that result from taking even small amounts of methamphetamine include increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, hypethermia, and euphoria. Other CNS effects include irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Hyperthermia and convulsions can result in death.

Illicit methamphetamine, which is almost exclusively methamphetamine hydrochloride, is sold in powder, ice, and tablet forms.

Methamphetamine is also known as "speed" or "crystal" when it is swallowed or sniffed; as "crank" when it is injected; and as "ice" or "glass" when it is smoked.

Ice is clear chunky crystal form of meth that resembles "ice."

YABA: Thai for "crazy medicine," Yaba, a methamphetamine tablet, has been appearing in the United States. Yaba tablets are sometimes flavored (grape, orange, and vanilla): tasting like candy, the tablets are obviously marketed to a young audience, particularly at rave’s or parties where Ecstasy (a similar looking drug) has been well established. The tablets are commonly reddish-orange or green, and fit inside the end of a drinking straw. They have a variety of logos, with “WY” the most common. Methamphetamine pills are normally ingested orally, although they can be crushed into powder and administered.

All forms of methamphetamine are extremely dangerous and induce long-lasting, debilitating effects.

Marijuana consists of the buds, leaves, and resin of the cannabis plant. The stalks and sterilized seeds are considered "hemp."

The plant, cannabis sativa, contains chemicals called "cannabinoids." THC (delta-9-tetrhydrocannabinol) is the cannabinoid believed to be responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. "While most of the THC in cannabis plants is concentrated in the marijuana, all parts of the plant, including hemp, have been found to contain THC. The existence of THC in hemp is significant because THC, like marijuana, is a schedule I controlled substance." (Source: DEA)

"Smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco. Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form--levels that may accelerate the canges that ultimately produce malignant cells."

"It has been estimated that smoking a cannabis cigarette (containing only herbal cannabis) results in an approximately five-fold greater increase in carboxyhaemoglobin concentration, a three-fold greater increase in the amount of tar inhaled, and a retention in the respiratory tract of one third more tar than smoking a tobacco cigarette."
(Source: British Medical Association)

Marijuana is usually smoked in the form of loosely rolled cigarettes called "joints," hollowed out commercial cigars called "blunts," smoked in pipes or bongs. Joints and blunts are sometimes laced with a number of adulterants including PCP, cocaine and embalming fluid (a chemical traditionally used to preserve dead bodies)--resulting in a wide range of effects.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS of marijuana use include impaired short-term memory, impaired concentration, attention, and judgment; impaired coordination and balance, increased heart rate, blood shot or red eyes, dry mouth and increased appetite (the "munchies").

* Occasional effects, especially with long term use, include anxiety, panic, and paranoia.

LONG TERM EFFECTS of marijuana use include addiction (psychological), paranoia, persistent anxiety, impaired learning skills and memory difficulties.

MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS associated with marijuana use include an increased risk of chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema; increased risk of cancer of the head, neck, and lungs; a decrease in testosterone levels and lower sperm counts for men and an increase in testosterone levels for women and increased risk of infertility.

* Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate, normally 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.

Studies show that approximately 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. In many of these cases, alcohol is detected as well. In a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a moderate dose of marijuana alone was shown to impair driving performance; however, the effects of even a low dose of marijuana combined with alcohol were markedly greater than for either drug alone. Driving indices measured included reaction time, visual search frequency (driver checking side streets), and the ability to perceive and/or respond to changes in the relative velocity of other vehicles.

* Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and that the more marijuana smoked, the greater the increase. A statistical analysis of the data suggested that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.

* Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens.42 In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.43 It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form, levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells.44 Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco does.

Source: NIDA Research Report: Marijuana Abuse

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine), also referred to as Ecstasy, XTC, Adam, and Essence, is a illegally manufactured variation of mescaline and amphetamine. It is considered a designer drug---a substance on the drug market that is a chemical analogue or variation of another psychoactive drug. MDMA is taken orally, usually in tablet or capsule form. MDMA tablets are often "stamped" with icons or logos intended to appeal to a young audience. Its effects last approximately four to six hours.

Tablets sold as Ecstasy are not always pure MDMA. As demand for Ecstasy has increased, so has the appearance of Ecstasy "fakes" often containing other substances such as amphetamine, caffeine, codeine, DXM, ephedra/ephedrine, ketamine, MDA, methamphetamine, and PCP. When used alone, MDMA is dangerous. It is even more dangerous when used in combination with other substances, as the physical and psychological effects are difficult to determine or predict.

SHORT TERM EFFECTS: increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature; jaw and teeth clenching/muscle tension, hypertension, dehydration, chills and/or sweating, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, dizziness, confusion, insomnia, and paranoia.

MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS:

LARGE DOSE: muscle breakdown, hyperthermia, kidney failure and cardiovascular system failure.

LONG TERM USE: depression, sleep disorders, paranoia, drug craving, persistent elevation of anxiety, liver damage, brain damage, paralysis, and possible others pending research.

Crack cocaine, a form of cocaine base, is derived from powder cocaine. Unlike the processing of freebase cocaine, converting powder cocaine into crack cocaine does not involve any flammable solvents. The powder cocaine is simply dissolved in a solution of sodium bicarbonate and water. The solution is boiled and a solid substance separates from the boiling mixture. This solid substance, crack, is removed and allowed to dry. The crack cocaine is then broken or cut into "rocks," each typically weighing from one-tenth to one-half of a gram. One gram of pure powder cocaine will convert to approximately 0.89 grams of crack cocaine. The DEA estimates that crack rocks are between 75% and 90% pure cocaine.

he effects of Crack are similar to those of Cocaine, although since Crack is smoked, additional risks exist. General effects include constricted blood vessels and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and with long term use, violence and paranoia are noted. Additional risks of smoking crack include respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pains, lung trauma and bleeding. As with cocaine, crack is highly addictive. Evidence shows that when cocaine and crack are smoked (as opposed to other methods), there is increased risk of compulsive cocaine-seeking behavior.

Heroin, an illegal opiate drug known on the street as smack, junk, brown sugar, dope, horse, skunk and other names is derived from the resin of the poppy plant which grows predominantly in southeast and southwest Asia, Mexico and now in Colombia. It is manufactured in remote laboratories using rudimentary equipment which presses the powder into bricks for bulk shipment to destination countries like the United States. Smaller amounts are smuggled by couriers who swallow heroin-filled latex balloons before boarding commercial airlines.

Pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste. Most illicit heroin is a powder form which may vary in color from white to dark brown because of impurities left from the manufacturing process or the presence of additives. Pure heroin is rarely sold on the street. A "bag" --slang for a single dosage unit of heroin--may contain 100 mg of powder, only a small portion of which is heroin. The remainder could be sugars, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Traditionally the purity of heroin in a "bag" has ranged from one to ten percent. More recently, heroin purity has ranged from one to ninety-eight percent, with a national average of thirty-five percent.

Until recently, heroin in the United States almost exclusively was injected either intravenously, subcutaneous (skin-popping), or intramuscularly. Injection is the most practical and efficient way to administer low-purity heroin. The availability of higher purity heroin has meant that users now can snort or smoke the narcotic. Evidence suggests that heroin snorting is widespread or increasing in those areas of the country where high-purity heroin is available, generally in the northeastern United States. This method of administration may be more appealing to new users because it eliminates both the fear of acquiring syringe-borne diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, and the historical stigma attached to intravenous heroin use.

Effects of heroin substance abuse on the body

Heroin depresses, or slows down, the central nervous system. This can cause the heart rate to slow, and blood pressure to drop. Respiratory functions can also be impaired. Prolonged use of heroin can lead to heart and/or lung failure. Heroin creates conditions of bad health over all, making the body susceptible to illness. Liver disease and pneumonia are just a couple of the problems that can result from the body's lowered immune system abilities.

Heroin is also a drug for which the body develops a tolerance. This means that as the body becomes used to the effects of heroin, more and more is needed in order to produce the "rush." Eventually, as increasingly high dosages are needed just to achieve the same thing that the first dose did, the body becomes dependent on the drug. This means that the body almost needs heroin to function. The heroin has negative effects of the body overall, but the body has become used to having the drug present in its system.

• Collapsed veins. Eventually, continually injecting heroin into the same spot can result in collapsed veins. This leads some heroin users to move on to another vein. Some heroin addicts have collapsed several veins as they move on to "usable" entrance points for needles.
• Infectious diseases. Many heroin users actually use the drug in groups, often even at the dealer's location. This often results in shared needles. This means that it is possible to get diseases from infected users. Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS can be contracted this way. These are two diseases that, while they are often "managed," cannot be cured.http://www.heroinabuse.us/effects.html

Anabolic Steroid abuse has become a national concern. These drugs are used illicitly by weight lifters, body builders, long distant runners, cyclists, and others who claim that the drugs give them a competitive advantage and/or improve their physical appearance. Those commonly encountered on the illicit market include: boldenone (Equipose), ethylestrenol (Maxibolin), fluoxymesterone (Halotestin), methandriol, methandrostenolone (Dianabol), Depo-Testosterone Android - 25 (mehyltestosterone), nandrolone (Durabolin, Deca-Durabolin), oxandrolone (Anavar), oxymetholone (Anadrol), stanozolol (Winstrol), testosterone and trenbolone (Finajet). In addition, a number of bogus or counterfeit products are sold as anabolic steroids.

Health consequences associated with anabolic steroid abuse include:

In boys and men, reduced sperm production, shrinking of the testicles, impotence, difficulty or pain in urinating, baldness, and irreversible breast enlargement (gynecomastia).

In girls and women, development of more masculine characteristics, such as decreased body fat and breast size, deepening of the voice, excessive growth of body hair, and loss of scalp hair, as well as clitoral enlargement.

In adolescents of both sexes, premature termination of the adolescent growth spurt, so that for the rest of their lives, abusers remain shorter than they would have been without the drugs.

In males and females of all ages, potentially fatal liver cysts and liver cancer; blood clotting, cholesterol changes, and hypertension, each of which can promote heart attack and stroke; and acne. Although not all scientists agree, some interpret available evidence to show that anabolic steroid abuse-particularly in high doses-promotes aggression that can manifest itself as fighting, physical and sexual abuse, armed robbery, and property crimes such as burglary and vandalism. Upon stopping anabolic steroids, some abusers experience symptoms of depressed mood, fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, headache, muscle and joint pain, and the desire to take more anabolic steroids.

In injectors, infections resulting from the use of shared needles or non sterile equipment, including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, and infective endocarditis, a potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. Bacterial infections can develop at the injection site, causing pain and abscess.

Inhalants are common household and workplace substances that are sniffed or huffed to give the user an immediate head rush or high. Inhalants are "sniffed" from an open container or "huffed" from a rag soaked in the substance and held to the face. A new trend, "dusting," involves inhaling common computer cleaners (One brand is Dust-Off) - several deaths have occurred. Inhalants include a diverse group of chemicals that are found in consumer products such as aerosols, plastic cement, nail polish remover, lighter fluid, hair spray, insecticides, and cleaning solvents. Their easy accessibility, low cost, and ease of concealment make inhalants, for many, one of the first substances abused.

USING INHALANTS, EVEN JUST ONE TIME, CAN PUT YOU AT RISK FOR:
sudden death (presumably from cardiac arrest), suffocation (typically seen with inhalant users who use bags), asphyxia (solvent gases can significantly limit available oxygen in the air, causing breathing to stop), visual hallucinations and severe mood swings, numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, loss of muscle control, slurred speech, headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, decrease or loss of sense of smell, nausea and nosebleeds, hepatitis, violent behavior, irregular heartbeat, liver, lung, and kidney impairment, brain damage, nervous system damage, dangerous chemical imbalances in the body, and involuntary passing of urine and feces. The chronic use of inhalants has been associated with a number of serious health problems. Glue and paint thinner sniffing in particular produce kidney abnormalities, while the solvents, toluene and trichloralethylene, cause liver toxicity. Memory impairment, attention deficits, and diminished non-verbal intelligence have been associated with the abuse of inhalants. Death resulting from heart failure, asphyxiation, or aspiration have occurred as well.

www.streetdrugs.org

Take care of your body. It is the only one you will ever have. You have one life, one chance to get it right! It is up to you whether you abuse it thereby shortening the length of time you will have on this earth or if you love yourself and avoid alcohol in excess, illegal drugs, and foods that are bad for you. If you take care of your body, it will take care of you. If you take care of your mind it will take care of you. Your mind and body are like an empty box, exactly what you put in it, is what you will get out of it. If you fill it with junk, expect to only get junk out of it! If you fill it with jewels you will get jewels out of it!

Parents, once again I implore you to know what your children are doing! Be watchful, be nosey if you need to. You do what ever you need to do to reduce the risk of your child ending up one more statistic.

Make sure you keep an open line of communication with your child. Spend quality time with your child(ren) so you can build trust. Prayerfully, you will build the kind of relationship and enstill the kind of values in your child that they will never want to try alcohol or drugs. They will never feel alone in this world, depressed with no one to talk to. If they do feel peer pressure, they will know that they can come to you and talk about the situation (that goes for sex too). If we treat our children as we want to be treated and they know they are secure and loved, there is a lot less chance that they will fall into addictions.

My Story

I am a recovered alcoholic. My father was an alcoholic, many of my paternal Aunts and Uncles are alcoholics. Alcoholism runs on my mother's side of the family as well. I am genetically predisposed to an addictive personality but I chose to take that first drink. I was 16 when I first started drinking. I lived on the island of Malta, It was legal for me to drink there. I let peer pressure help me to make the wrong choice! I went on to live in Singapore at 17 and it was legal to drink there. I partied with my friends at clubs and at home! It was legal there as well! I never drove. I always had a personal driver, or went via taxi. I look back now and I do wish my parents had warned me, talked to me about the dangers of alcohol. They never did. As long as I never drove, did not get in trouble and they knew where I was, it was ok with them, because it was legal! I drank mostly straight Johnny Walker and I really liked the taste of Kamikazes.  My drinking slowed down some when I returned to the US but not enough.I drank a lot and often. I got drunk several times and put myself in very risky situations. I lost my best friend due to alcohol induced stupidity. I was 19 then. I did quit drinking while I was pregnant, not one drop! But as soon as my son was born, I hit the margaritas with a neighbor. Each day after she got home from work, we shared a blender full. I realized one day that I did not like who I became on day's she did not come over and we did not have margaritas and that is when I realized I was indeed an alcoholic! You do not have to get drunk to be an alcoholic! I quit drinking and although it was uncomfortable, it was worth it. To me and my family. I have been sober for 23 years. I choose life! A much healthier, happier life!

www.drug-rehabs.com/

www.drugtreatments.com/

www.soberrecovery.com/

www.treatment-centers.net/