The New York Times recently ran an article that recaps drug abuse and addiction and it serves as a great refresher for parents, teachers or anyone that knows someone using drugs or alcohol. It begins by defining drug abuse and drug addiction–these both have different meanings and are used incorrectly quite often. It also explains that addiction is usually the result of several factors. Those factors include but are not limited to using drugs to control pain,  the person’s genes, the action of the drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress all can be factors.

It’s important to refresh our knowledge about abuse and addiction by reading articles like this. It helps to make you more aware of what loved ones are doing and it reminds you of any signs you may have forgotten.

A study by international scientists was published recently and it’s finding show that the use of drugs is a feature of more affluent countries like the United States. The findings are horrifying because “by the age of 21, up to 99% of Europeans, 92% of Japanese, 94% of New Zealanders and 93% of people in the Americas had tasted alcohol.” And many of these countries also had a high percentage of people smoking cigarettes, smoking marijuana and even using cocaine. In the United States alone around 16% said they had used cocaine before. This is quite a bit higher than even the second highest reporting country where 4.3% of people said they had used cocaine. In addition, 42% of Americans said they had tried cannabis. Americans were more likely to smoke cigarettes with 74% saying they had tried smoking at least once in their lives. America needs more effective prevention interventions. The question is, how can we improve what we are already doing?

Drugs affect your mind and body – they impair you, so you it’s a lot harder to make good decisions. That’s part of the reason why criminal activities are associated with drug abuse. When a person is tremendously stressed or psychologically unstable, drug abuse only makes matters worse.

Here are a couple examples of recent crimes in which drugs played a crucial part:

The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported about two young men who were murdered by a criminal with a known drug addiction.

As the Walker County Messenger reports, copper theft is on the rise nationwide, and many attribute it to drug addicts looking for a quick way to get cash. The theft is becoming such an important issue, that a law was passed in Oklahoma to raise the jail time and fines for committing the crime.

According to Arizona’s 3TV, a pregnant woman who was abusing drugs stole a car and then recklessly hit two unmarked police cars.

It’s unfortunate, but headlines like these can be found daily. That’s why drug intervention and drug addiction treatment are so important. Those preventive measures can help people make better choices and stop some of these crazy things from happening.

It is NBA Playoff time, and the finals are soon to follow. After all, “There can be only one.” And the winning team will be known as champions, forevermore.

It is true that the winners have earned something irrevocable and have scored a place in history. Unfortunately, it is also true that just because a star burns brightly today doesn’t mean it will sparkle and shine with the same brightness tomorrow. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol can even cause champions to lose out in life.

NBA Champion 30 years ago, Joe Pace fell recently from the height of his legacy due to drug and alcohol abuse. According to a FOX News story he is now living in a homeless shelter in Seattle. It’s a stark difference from his former glory days while in the NBA. He’s gone through drug rehabilitation and is trying to get his life back on the right track. During this downturn in his life, other players and the NBA Retired Players Association have been supportive of his recovery. They give him hope and a reason to keep on trying.

After a fatal overdose in 2007 on the campus of San Diego State University, police and the DEA launched an investigation into the drug activity on that campus. What they ended up discovering shocked them all. Dozens of students, some in graduate school, were dealing drugs. Then a second fatal overdose happened in February. The police arrest around 100 people, 75 of them were students, for dealing drugs and they may face charges for the two overdose deaths.One of the students arrested was a month shy of getting his Master’s in Homeland Security.

The DEA confiscated 4 pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana, 350 ecstasy pills, 1 shotgun, 3 semi-automatic pistols and $60,000. The drugs are estimated to have a street value of $100,000. The agents made 130 drug purchases before the raid.

What I want to know is, are drugs this readily available at all colleges or are students like these unusual to find?

Teens, young adults and many other drug users hide their drugs so that friends and family cannot confiscate them and to keep from getting caught. Addicts have invented many deceptive ways to hide their drugs. Some hide them in hollowed out candles that mask the smell of the drugs. Others have purchased cans of “soda.” The can weighs the same as an unopened can but the bottom unscrews to provide a hiding place. Some have even purchased what appears to be a stack of CDs. But there is a  not a CD inside. Instead they are hollowed out to leave a hiding spot. There are also lipstick and highlighters that are actually pipes.

Often teens or young adults that live with their parents will be very secretive about their privacy. This is because the user has drugs stashed throughout his room in places such as in his drawers, in clothing pockets (that are hanging), in between mattresses, under mattresses–anywhere it might not be seen.

Many addicts use these types of devices as a way to keep treatment at bay. By hiding their use from friends and family, the user is living in a state of denial.

Several drugs are classified as psychedelic drugs. Those include but are not limited to: LSD, peyote/mescaline, PCP, ketamine, mushrooms, LSA, Ayahuasca, and MDMA (ecstasy). The primary action of these drugs is to alter the thought process and the perception of the mind. Psychedelic drugs are a part of a wider class of drugs known as hallucinogen.

LSD or acid is potent in very small doses. Hallucinations are a very common side effect.

Mescaline occurs naturally in the peyote cactus.

PCP causes brain damage, hallucinations, mania, disorientation and delirium. It was first invented as an anesthetic.

Ketamine was also invented as an anesthetic but has been abused in order to take incredibly high doses which cause hallucinations.

Mushrooms or shrooms are a naturally occurring fungus that causes hallucinations, strong visual and auditory components.

LSA is Hawaiian baby rosewood and is a precursor to LSD.

Ayahuasca is used in a mix that when drunk causes visual hallucinations.

MDMA or ecstasy is an illegal drug used for its hallucinogenic effect along with others

Date rape drugs include GHB, Rohypnol, and Ketamine. These drugs are often sneaked into women’s drinks, though men are also victim at times, and then sexually assaulted. The effects that these drugs have on the body vary but often they include:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• nausea
• problems seeing
• problems taking
• unconsciousness (black out)
• seizures
• can’t remember what happened while drugged
• problems breathing
• tremors
• sweating
• vomiting
• slowed heart rate
• dream-like feeling
• coma
• death

It is important to keep in mind that these drugs to do taste, they have no color and they are odorless.