Estimate of 5.7 million users, we still have a substantial distance to go in reducing the use of this addictive stimulant. Science is helping. For example, we now know more about where and how cocaine acts in the brain, including how the drug produces its pleasurable effects and why it is so addictive. There are […]
Of the 4.2 million Americans who have ever tried crack, about 600,000 are currently addicted. Some experts call it the most addictive drug; and some users say they were addicted the moment they first put a pipe to their lips. When smoked, crack reaches the brain within seconds, producing instant effects which last eight to […]
Typically, a heroin abuser may inject up to four times a day. Smoking and sniffing heroin do not produce a “rush” as quickly or as intensely as intravenous injection, NIDA researchers have confirmed that all three forms of heroin administration are addictive. Over 80% of heroin users inject with a partner, yet 80% of overdose […]
Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette (called a “joint”). Effects of smoking marijuana are felt within minutes, reach their peak in 10 to 30 minutes, and may linger for two or three hours. Marijuana is the most often used illegal drug in this country. Marijuana decreases the body’s ability to fight diseases is […]
The effects of long-term MDMA use are just beginning to undergo scientific analysis. In 1998, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a study of a small group of habitual MDMA users who were abstaining from use. The study revealed that the abstinent users suffered damage to the neurons in the brain that transmit serotonin, […]
Methamphetamine is the name of the drugs commonly known on the street as Meth, Crystal Meth, Crystal, Ice, Crank, Speed, Glass, and Chalk. Methamphetamines come in many forms and can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, or injected. Meth is odorless, making it difficult to detect. In the 1980’s, “ice,” a smokable form of methamphetamine, came […]