Drug Addictions

"Grease," "Taxi" actor Jeff Conaway dies at 60

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Jeff Conaway, best known for his ...

More Drug Addictions Information

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A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that binge drinking is on the rise for U.S.

Prescription Painkiller Overdose Rates Rising: What is the Link to Mental Health?
By Rheyanne Weaver HERWriter on February 1, 2012 - 6:43am
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Substance use can have serious consequences. Drug users may experience infections, paranoid delusions, brain damage, nerve damage or sudden death, depending on which drug they are using.

The Difference Between Drug Abuse and Drug Dependency
By Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch HERWriter on December 7, 2011 - 8:02pm
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In 2009, 8.7 percent of people ages 12 and over in the United States used an illicit drug in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Definition of a Drug Addiction
By Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch HERWriter on December 7, 2011 - 7:48pm
LONDON (Reuters) - "Club drug" abuse in Britain is on the rise, as young people ditch cocaine and heroin for mephedrone and ketamine, experts at the launch of a specialist dru

"Club drugs" replacing heroin, crack in UK: clinic
on September 26, 2011 - 10:10am
[Corrects headline of story posted as elin20110913 to reflect that amphetamine-type drugs are second only to cannabis, not "more common" than cannabis.]

CORRECTION: Amphetamine-type drugs nearly as common as cannabis
on September 13, 2011 - 9:30am
VIENNA (Reuters) - Criminal gangs are selling more cheap and easy-to-make amphetamine-type drugs, such as ecstasy and crystal meth, in new markets, and cannabis is now the onl

Amphetamine-type drugs more common than cannabis
on September 13, 2011 - 7:16am
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Jeff Conaway, best known for his roles in the movie "Grease" and the 1970s TV series "Taxi", died on Friday at the aged of 60, his management com

"Grease," "Taxi" actor Jeff Conaway dies at 60
on May 27, 2011 - 1:35pm
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Earlier this month I wrote about my visit to the Carl Vogel Center during National Women’s Health Week in Washington D.C.

View Comments Hannah Cutts commented 37 weeks ago.

Beat the Clock by Knowing What to Ask Your Doc: Health Concerns at Every Age
By Hannah Cutts on May 25, 2011 - 6:46pm
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Whitney Houston is undergoing treatment again for drug and alcohol addiction, her spokeswoman said on Monday.

Whitney Houston back in drug rehab
on May 9, 2011 - 1:50pm
LONDON (Reuters) - More than 80,000 Britons claim payments for long-term sick leave because of obesity or drug or alcohol addiction, contributing to a 7 billion pound annual b

80,000 on benefits in UK due to addiction, obesity
on April 21, 2011 - 11:17am

Drug Addictions Definition

Definition

Drug abuse is a disease characterized by continued misuse of drugs even when faced with drug-related job, legal, health, or family difficulties. Problems associated with drug abuse must have existed a minimum of 12 months to meet the diagnosis.

Drug dependence refers to long-term, compulsive drug use, perhaps with attempts to stop but repeatedly returning to drugs. Drug dependence also means that your body has begun to require the drug in higher doses to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Drug abuse and drug dependence are not terms that should be used to describe people who are taking appropriate dosages of prescribed drugs (pain medication, for example) and who have become physically dependent on them. Diagnosis of both drug abuse and drug dependence requires the presence of specific behavioral symptoms.

Some of the most commonly abused substances include:

Cocaine
Heroin
Morphine
LSD
Marijuana
Sedatives
Speed (methamphetamine, “crystal meth”)
PCP
Ecstasy
GHB
Ketamine
Steroids
Inhalants
Legal drugs that are used improperly or without a prescription, such as:
- Narcotic painkillers
- Amphetamines
- Drugs for treating anxiety
- Sleeping pills