Alcoholism Blog

Cocaine can be snorted, injected and even smoked in some forms of the drug. In all cases cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant which can produce a wide range of immediate effects on several bodily systems, especially the cardiovascular system. Repeated cocaine use can cause a variety of negative health effects regardless of how it enters the body.

More About Cocaine:

• Basic Facts About Cocaine
  
• Cocaine Linked to Heart Problems
  
• Are You Addicted?

Almost 100 university and college presidents are calling on Congress to reconsider lowering the drinking age from age 21 to 18 claiming that the current laws actually encourage dangerous drinking practices among underage students. The effort immediately drew opposition from several groups, including Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

The effort, known as the Amethyst Initiative, has been quietly recruiting college presidents and chancellors to sign its petition since July 2008. Read more...

 •  Actor Faces Felony Drug Charges
     Craig Robinson arrested.
 •  'Preppie Killer' Pleads Guilty
     Faces 19 years for selling heroin.
 •  DMX Arrested Again
     Failed to show at hearing.
 •  Drug Gangs Turn to Kidnapping
     Across Mexican border.
 •  Pot Growers Buy Vineyards
     To hide marijuana crops.
 •  DARE Officer Arrested
     During narcotics sting.

Read Details

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Alcohol and drug use can progress into abuse and even addiction so insidiously that sometimes people do not realize that it has become a problem for them and those around them. The following self-assessment tests can help you determine whether or not it may be time to get help.

• Alcohol Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Drug Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Could You Be Depressed?
  
• Is Your Child Using Drugs or Alcohol?
  

Questions for Families:

• Are You Troubled by Someone's Drinking?
  
• Are You Enabling an Alcoholic or Addict?
  
• Did You Grow Up With a Problem Drinker?
  
• Domestic Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Adult Child Screening Quiz
  

The sooner alcohol problems are addressed the better the outcome and the less long-term damage is done from excessive drinking. Physicians and healthcare providers now have a new chemical-based test that is more accurate in detecting heavy drinking in their patients. The test can detect heavy drinking episodes in the past four to six weeks. Read more...

Alcohol Screening:

• Online Alcohol Screening Test
  
• Diagnosis of Alcoholism
  
• Symptoms of Alcoholism

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The University of Virginia has become the latest college to try to discourage incoming freshmen from dangerous binge drinking by requiring them to attend an orientation session devoted entirely to alcohol abuse and by taking a one-hour online course. The efforts are designed to give students and parents basic facts about alcohol and debunk some of the myths about college drinking.

Each year college students, many of them away from home for the first time, die from alcohol poisoning after consuming too much alcohol too quickly. Read more...

This year's observance of National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month is aimed at educating parents about the danger of medicine abuse among young children, especially the abuse of cough mediations containing the active ingredient dextromethorphan (DXM).

Many young people abuse cough medication to get high because it is relatively inexpensive and readily available. Read more...

Sleep loss or disturbed sleep can increase the risk for teens to take up smoking and drinking, according to a study of 1,362 high school students. Sleeping less than eight hours a night was linked to both an increase in smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Read more...

It's not a question of whether you are legally intoxicated, it's a question of whether or not it is safe to drive when you have consumed any amount of alcohol. Research shows that alcohol impairment begins long before a person reaches the blood alcohol concentration level of .08.

More About Drinking and Driving:

• The Costs of Drunken Driving
  
• The Dangers of Driving While Intoxicated
  
• More About Drinking and Driving

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A vast amount of scientific research has shown that heavy marijuana use negatively affects smokers' learning abilities and social skills, causing problems in their daily lives and compounding their existing problems. Research demonstrates clearly that someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a reduced intellectual level all of the time, even during brief periods of abstinence.

More About Marijuana:

Basic Facts About Marijuana
The Health Effects of Marijuana
Smokers Underestimate Marijuana's Harm

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