Archive for June, 2009
- Street Drug Slang
Street drugs names sound exotic, tantalizing, sensual and exciting names, seemingly full of promise, bordering on the edge of reality, totally cool, right? Wrong! Street drugs are anything but cool – and it doesn’t matter what they’re called. Negative side effects, short- and long-term consequences, and the risk of death are not cool in anybody’s book.
- Army Cracks Down on Substance Abuse
Drug and alcohol abuse is steadily increasing among Army soldiers, and Army officials say commanders are mostly to blame for failing to act on the situation. Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli is leading an Army-wide crackdown on violations and has directed commanders to do a better job of getting offenders into treatment.
- How to Deal with Despair Due to Addiction
One of the most powerful and debilitating psychological aspects of alcoholism or drug addiction is despair. Add to this the fact that many alcoholics and drug addicts have reached such a point that they may have developed severe psychological problems – psychosis, impaired reality, paranoia – and despair becomes a recipe for disaster. In the most extreme cases, untreated, despair can lead to suicide.
- Cocaine: What You Need to Know
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug that can have a variety of adverse effects on the body and mind. According to a 2006 national survey, 35.3 million Americans ages 12 and older reported having used cocaine, and 8.5 million reported having used crack cocaine. There were an estimated 977,000 new users of cocaine in 2006, most of which were 18 and older when they first used the drug. Regardless of the method of administration or how frequently cocaine is used, users can easily overdose. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizure followed by respiratory arrest.
- Science Shows that Addiction is a Disease, Not a Choice
For many decades, addiction was viewed as a moral flaw affecting people with little will-power, but science has proven that view wrong. Today we understand that addiction is a disease like any other, and should be treated as such. “Addiction requires treatment like any other disease,” says Pat Nichols, founder of the Edmond, Oklahoma chapter of Parents Helping Parents, a nonprofit organization that helps children with special needs and their families. “Individuals can’t stop on their own.”
