



Facts
Health effects from inhalants range from mild to severe. A distinction between harmful side effects and long-term effects has not been fully determined. "Although some inhalant-induced damage to the nervous and other organ systems may be at least partially reversible when inhalant abuse is stopped, many syndromes caused by repeated or prolonged abuse are irreversible," according to the NIDA research report on inhalants, which was updated in February 2002. NIDA's list of irreversible effects include hearing loss, limb spasms, brain damage, and bone marrow damage. Serious but potentially reversible effects include liver and kidney damage, and depletion of oxygen from the blood. Nitrites carry special risks, even with modest use. Based on their research with animals, scientists suspect that nitrite abuse reduces the number of cells in the immune system. This possibly hinders the body's efforts to fight infectious diseases and resist the growth of tumors.Death is also a possible consequence of inhalant abuse, because the chemicals displace oxygen, leading to an increased risk of sudden sniffing death. Users also die from asphyxiation (from inhaling repeatedly, which leaves the lungs full of chemicals instead of oxygen), suffocation (from blocking air to the lungs while inhaling fumes from a plastic bag over the head), choking (from inhaling and choking on vomit), and from a variety of accidental injuries caused by mental and physical effects of inhalants (car wrecks, drowning, falls, burns). Cops ’N Shops. The Cops ’N Shops program is popular with alcohol merchants in many states, and it produces some deterrent effect on youths trying to purchase alcoholic beverages. The purpose of the program is threefold: to curb the purchase of alcoholic beverages by minors, to assist retail licensees in their efforts to operate their establishments within legal guidelines, and to lower the number of minors who drink and drive. Cops ’N Shops differs from undercover stings in that it focuses on the violator, rather than the alcoholic beverage retail industry. Individuals of legal drinking age who purchase alcohol to sell or give to minors represent a secondary target for this type of operation. 20.4% of college students who consumed alcohol drank on 10 or more occasion in the past 30 days. According to the El Paso Intelligence Center, the methamphetamine seized annually in transit from Mexico to the United States has increased dramatically since 1992. Authorities seized 560 kilograms of methamphetamine along the border in 1998, compared with only 6.5 kilograms seized in 1992. To expand their distribution systems, Mexico-based traffickers use methods such as exploiting the presence of a large number of honest Mexican-American workers in the meat processing plants of the Midwest and in the forest industry in the Northwest to insert surrogates into many U.S. communities, explaining why meth has become a major problem in states like Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Washington. |
Addiction
Addiction is one of the many consequences of so-called 'casual' drug and alcohol abuse. A loss of control over drugs and alcohol can be driven by physical or psychological factors, or sometimes both. Physical addiction takes place when the body comes to need a drug to function normally. If it is not taken, unpleasant withdrawal symptoms occur. The only way to avoid this is to take more of the drug. Psychological addiction takes place when an individual comes to rely on a drug to supply good feelings, such as relaxation, self-confidence, self esteem, and freedom from anxiety. This is not just a casual desire, it's a powerful compulsion.
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is defined as the chronic or habitual use of any chemical substance to alter states of body or mind for other than medically warranted purposes. Drug abuse is a problem which has an effect on people of all income levels,
ages, and stations in life. Quite often the last person to see that there is a
problem is the drug abuser them self. Every year, more and more people become
drug addicts in their pursuit to get "high".
Residential Treatment
Residential treatment offers intensive drug addiction help over a period of weeks or months. This form of treatment has some advantages over out-patient treatment, although it may not be suitable for everyone. For example, those who are responsible for caring for young children may be better suited to attendance at an out patient treatment program. Residential treatment offers a safe, drug and alcohol-free environment where individuals can confront their own drug addiction and associated issues, with the help of qualified staff. Therapy usually consists of a mixture of group counseling, individual counseling and an introduction to the principles of a drug recovery program.
Drug Side Effects
Drug addiction and abuse comes with a heavy price. There are drastic drug side effects associated with drug misuse and abuse. Drug side effects from legal and illegal drugs can range from mild itching to comas and death. In addition to the physical drug side effects mentioned, there are many psychological drug side effects of drug abuse; the most serious being drug addiction and overdose.
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
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