Focus on Facts

Alcohol

What are the Dangers of Alcohol Abuse?

In addition to risk of injury or death as a result of accident or violence, alcohol abuse poses a broad range of physiological and psychological dangers.

Neurological dangers include impaired vision and impaired motor coordination, memory defects, hallucinations, blackouts, and seizures. Long-term consumption can result in permanent damage to the brain.

Cardiological problems include elevated blood pressure and heart rate, risk of stroke, and heart failure.

Respiratory dangers include respiratory depression and failure, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and lung abscesses. Additionally, alcohol abuse increases the risk of mouth and throat cancer.

Liver disease caused by chronic alcohol abuse kills 25,000 Americans each year.

In addition, alcohol consumption may cause malnutrition, disrupt the absorption of nutrients in food, and suppress the immune system, thus increasing the potential for illness.

Alcohol is the oldest and most widely used drug in the world. Nearly half of all Americans over the age of 12 are consumers of alcohol. There are an estimated 10 to 15 million alcoholics or problem drinkers in the United States, with more than 100,000 deaths each year attributed to alcohol.

• More than 4 million adolescents under legal drinking age consume alcohol every month, and adolescents are disproportionately involved in alcohol-related automobile accidents, the leading cause of death among Americans 15 to 24 years of age.
• 95% of students in grades seven and eight have used alcohol at least once in their lives.
• The cost of health care to society for alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is nearly $500 billion per year.

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Marijuana

Marijuana is, by far, the world's most commonly used illicit drug--and far more dangerous than most users realize.

The Impact on the Mind

Marijuana use reduces learning ability. Research has been piling up of late demonstrating clearly that marijuana limits the capacity to absorb and retain information. A 1995 study of college students discovered that the inability of heavy marijuana users to focus, sustain attention, and organize data persists for as long at 24 hours after their last use of the drug. Earlier research, comparing cognitive abilities of adult marijuana users with non-using adults found that users fall short on memory as well as math and verbal skills.

Marijuana Dangers

• Diminished short-term memory
• Loss of concentration and coordination
• Impaired judgment
• Loss of motivation
• Increased heart rate
• Anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia
• Damage to the respiratory, reproductive, and immune systems
• Increased risk of cancer

Teens and Marijuana

Marijuana is recognized by many to be a "gateway drug." The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found adolescents who smoke pot are 85 times more likely to use cocaine than their non-pot smoking peers. Also, 60% of youngsters who use marijuana before they turn 15 later go on to use cocaine.

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Inhalants

What is inhalant use?

Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high.

What products are abused?

Inhalants are legal, everyday products which have a useful purpose, but can be misused. You're probably familiar with many of these substances--paint, glue, and others. But you probably don't know that there are more than 1,000 products that are very dangerous when inhaled--things like typewriter correction fluid, air-conditioning refrigerant, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, and even cooking spray.

What can inhalants do to the body?

Sniffing can cause sickness and death. For example, victims may become nauseated, forgetful, and unable to see things clearly. Victims may lose control of their body, including the use of arms and legs. These effects can last 15-45 minutes after sniffing.

In addition, sniffing can severely damage the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow, and other organs. Inhalants are physically and psychologically addicting and users suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Victims can die without any warning; "Sudden Sniffing Death" can occur during or immediately following sniffing. The heart begins to overwork, beating rapidly but unevenly--this can lead to cardiac arrest. An inhalant user can die the first, tenth, or hundredth time he or she uses an inhalant.

How widespread is inhalant abuse?

• Children are quickly discovering that common household products are inexpensive to obtain, easy to hide, and the easiest way to get high.
• According to national surveys, inhaling dangerous products is becoming one of the most widespread problems in the country. It is as popular as marijuana with young people.
• More than one million people used inhalants to get high last year.
• By the time a student reaches eighth grade, one in five will have used inhalants.
• Approximately 500,000 young people experiment with inhalants every month.
• The average age at which adolescents first try these drugs is 13.

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Tobacco

Tobacco use is the leading cause of premature death in the United States. Tobacco causes more than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. annually, a figure that represents nearly 20% of all U.S. deaths. These deaths have been attributed to a number of conditions defined as tobacco-related, including heart disease (115,000), cancer (136,000), chronic pulmonary disease (60, 000) and stroke (27,000).

• It is widely acknowledged that people who haven't used tobacco by age 21 are likely to remain non-smokers.
• The average age of first tobacco use in the U.S. is 13
• 34.6% (over 1/3) of today's young people are active smokers by the time they leave high school.
• In high concentrations, nicotine is deadly. In fact, one drop of purified nicotine on the tongue will kill a person. It's so lethal that it has been used as a pesticide for centuries.
• 72% of students reported using cigarettes at least once.

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Ecstasy

Who Uses Ecstasy?

People from all walks of life use ecstasy, including young people. It's especially popular on the rave circuit. In 1998, 5.6 percent of twelfth graders, 4.4 percent of tenth-graders, and 1.7 percent of eighth-graders reported they had used ecstasy in the past year.

What are the Effects of Ecstasy Use?

Some believe that ecstasy lowers your inhibitions, breaks down barriers between friends, and enhances feelings of love and affection. In reality, ecstasy has some not-so-great effects. Ecstasy's effects on the brain can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia. These effects can sometimes continue after taking the drug. Physical effects can include muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating.

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