Common Drugs of Abuse

Alcohol Abuse

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Alcohol abuse and alcoholism cut across gender, race, and nationality. Nearly 14 million people in the United States alone abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. In general, more men than women are alcohol dependent or have alcohol problems. Alcohol problems are highest among young adults ages 18-29 and lowest among adults ages 65+. People who start drinking at an early age increase the chance that they will develop alcohol problems at some point in their lives. How do you know if you or a loved one has a drinking problem?

Ever have…

  • A drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
  • A feeling you should cut down on your drinking?
  • An upset with people criticizing your drinking?
  • Bad or guilty feelings about your drinking?
  • A strong need, or urge, to drink?
  • An inability to stop drinking once you start?
  • Nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
  • A need to drink larger and larger amounts of alcohol to get “high.”

If you think that you or someone you know might have an alcohol problem, it is important to get help now.

Prescription Drugs Abuse

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There are generally three main categories of prescription drugs that are heavily abused. These prescription drug categories are narcotic painkillers, stimulants and sedatives.

Painkiller addiction is the most common type of prescription drug abuse. Brand names like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Lortab and Percocet fall in the general categories of oxycodone and hydrocodone. These narcotic painkillers are in the opiate family and have effects on the body similar to heroin or morphine, therefore withdrawal from these drugs is very difficult to go through. A note here is that more Rehabs have been trying to treat opiate addiction with more drugs, such as Methadone, LAAM and more recently Buprenorphine. While the latter appears to curb withdrawal symptoms if used in a very short period of time, none of them are viable long-term solutions, as the user only develops a dependency on a new drug.

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Marijuana

Thumbnail image for Marijuana THC (Marijuana) changes the way in which sensory information gets into, and is acted on, by the hippocampus. This is a component of the brain that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivations. THC suppresses neurons in the information-processing system of the ...
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Heroin

Thumbnail image for Heroin Heroin addiction creates a bio-chemical imbalance. The body systems go through a kind of shock reaction when heroin is first used. Heroin addiction or even brief heroin use burns up the natural nutrient reserves in the body. The body adjusts to the heroin and demands heroin instead of processing its ...
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Crystal Meth

Thumbnail image for Crystal Meth Crystal Meth is a powerful and highly addictive synthetic stimulant which is man-made. Crystal methamphetamine resembles small fragments of glass or shiny blue-white “rocks” of various sizes. Like powdered methamphetamine (another form of d-methamphetamine), crystal methamphetamine is abused because of the long-lasting euphoric effects it produces. Crystal methamphetamine, however, typically ...
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Cocaine and Crack

Thumbnail image for Cocaine and Crack Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant, abused by many people. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the re-absorption process of dopamine, a ...
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