illegal drugs--how they affect the body and the brain mind Washington State WA

illegal drugs
how they affect the body
and the brain

Alcohol and Drunk Driving--the illegal use of a legal drug. Substance Abuse--How To Recognize It. Also see: 300 Alcohol Facts to Share With Others.

Hallucinogens --LSD (acid), MDMA (an amphetamine called ecstasy), and PCP (often called angel dust) diviners mint

Inhalants --hair spray, gasoline, spray paint, butane gas, and others (huffer, huffing, sniffing)

Marijuana (and when dipped in mixtures of embalming fluid or PCP known as: "fry," "wet," "sherm"

Nicotine --cigarettes, snuff (chewing tobacco)
--sure it's legal but...[see Tobacco, below.]

Opiates --heroin (smack), morphine, codeine or the synthetic oxycotin (no, it's not "axycotin" or "oxycotton") and methadone.

Parental Guidelines: Information for parents.

Steroids --anabolic steroid abuse has been associated with a wide range of adverse side effects ranging from some that are physically unattractive, such as acne and breast development in men, to others that are life threatening, such as heart attacks and liver cancer.

Stimulants --caffeine, cocaine, crack, amphetamines, methamphtamine (crank) The the use of Khat (Qat, Kat, Chat) in Yemen, east Africa, in Seattle--arrests of Somalis accused of dealing khat.

NOTE

The term "club drugs " overlaps the above categories. It is a "general term used for certain illicit substances, primarily synthetic, that are usually found at nightclubs, bars, and raves (all night dance parties). Substances that are often used as club drugs include, but are not limited to, MDMA (Ecstasy, xtc), GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), Rohypnol, Ketamine, PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine) and methamphetamine." [Source: National Criminal Justice Reference Service.] [More about Club Drugs]

A Guide for the Addiction Treatment Workforce, "Optimize Your Web Time," is a new publication from the ATTC National Office designed to help substance abuse treatment staff be more effective in locating and using online resources. It includes information about how the Internet can be beneficial in treatment settings, how to conduct effective searches, how to evaluate information found on the Internet, and provides a list of some of the best addiction-related Web sites. Order your free copy of this new publication or download it directly to your computer.

Faces & Voices of Recovery is a national campaign of individuals and organizations joining together with a united voice to advocate for public action to deliver the power, possibility and proof of recovery. Sign up for email newsletter.

The NIDA for Teens Web site is brought to you by the scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Parent Guides

A Parent's Guide to Drugs and STREET Slang 4/4/01 ( a list of drugs out on the streets, their street names, and how to detect if a person is taking the drugs.)

Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug Free is a public education website developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. The website presents information on talking with children and adolescents, getting involved, setting rules and being a role model. The site also includes a mental health dictionary, drug facts, links for children and adolescents, and other resources.

Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide To Prevention, Part 1, by U.S. Department of Education

Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide To Prevention, Part 2, by U.S. Department of Education

A Parent's Guide to Preventing Inhalant Abuse (A Color Brochure)

Drug Courts: these are courts that use drug treatment as an alternative to jail or imprisonment. Also mental health courts helping the mentally ill receive treatment and reduce future crimes.

A movement is underway in the United States that combines treatment aftercare services with educational programming for adolescents in recovery. Recovery schools, as they are called, provide students with aftercare support, a sense of community and an education.

From the Addiction Science Research and Education Center at the University of Texas in Austin: " 300 Drug Facts to Share With Others" and " Exploding Drug Myths."

BABY BOOMERS Boomers Will Place Increased Demands on Substance Abuse Treatment Systems: A statistic well known to counselors is that the proportion of the U.S. population aged 50 or older is increasing as the large numbers in the "baby boom" cohort (persons born between 1946 and 1964) reach age 50. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expects this to place increasing demands on the substance abuse treatment system in the next two decades.

Estimates suggest that the number of substance-dependent and abusing adults aged 50 or older will climb from approximately 1.7 million in 2001 to 4.4 million by 2020.This pattern of growth is echoed in admissions to substance abuse treatment, where adult admissions aged 50 or older increased from 143,900 to 184,400 (from 8 to 10 percent of all admissions) between 2001 and 2005. Consequently, counseling services and related treatment for substance abuse may soon need to adapt to address the needs of this growing population. Other recent reports may be accessed on the SAMSHA site.

Washington State Alcohol & Drugs Clearing House--a wide variety of free and low cost information for Washington state residents.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment in Jail: " If addicted offenders are provided with well-structured drug treatment while under criminal justice control, their recidivism rates can be reduced by 50 to 60 percent for subsequent drug use and by more than 40 percent for further criminal behavior." Addiction as a brain disease

DrugHelp is a private, non-profit information and referral network providing information on specific drugs and treatment options, and referrals to public and private treatment programs, self-help groups, family support groups and crisis centers throughout the United States.

Other links to chemical dependency information sites

Support Group Directory: online links to organizations and groups of people who work together to help each other.

United Nations links to resources: drug abuse and illicit trafficking problems throughout the world.

Where to find alcohol or drug abuse chemical dependency treatment.

illegal drugs how they affect the body and the brain

illegal drugs
how they affect the body
and the brain