It was found that, on the whole, there was no change in the measures of illicit drug use from 2009 to 2010. Marijuana use rose among the 8th, 10th and 12th graders from 2009 to 2010. It was found to be at the highest point (6.1%) since the early 1980s among the 12th graders. The marijuana use increased among the 8th graders and decreased among the 10th and 12th graders in 2010.

After several years of decline, the use of ecstasy in 2009 and 2010 had increased among the 8th and 10th graders. The survey revealed that the lifetime use of ecstasy from 2009 to 2010 among the 8th graders increased from 2.2 to 3.3 percent. There was a rise in the past-year use of ecstasy from 2009 to 2010 from 1.3 to 2.4 percent. The current use was found to increase from 0.6 percent to 1.1 percent.

It was known from the MTF survey that there was a steady decline in the current, annual and lifetime prevalence of cocaine and crack abuse among the 8th, 10th and 12th graders in 2010. Also, the amphetamine use which was at its peak (15.5%) in 2006 declined to 8.9% in 2010. Use of methamphetamine decreased from 6.5% in 1999 to 2.2% in 2010. From the surveys of 2010 it was found that marijuana and ecstasy use had increased and amphetamine, methamphetamine and cocaine use had decreased in 2010.

An alcoholic is considered as a person who suffers from alcoholism. Alcoholism is a serious illness which is characterized by craving, loss of control, physical dependence, and tolerance. A study was conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on alcohol users. It revealed that majority of people using alcohol were young adults. However, there are even people of other age groups who are habituated to drinking. It has classified the alcoholics into five different types.

• The young adult alcoholics who are the largest group of alcohol users. They are least likely to seek help for their problems with alcohol.

• The young antisocial alcoholics are the other category which includes mostly those in mid-twenties. They are categorized by the early onset of drinking and alcohol related problems. They are often associated with depression, anxiety problems and other mental health issues.

• Functional alcoholics are those which are middle aged, well educated and employed. They have stable jobs and families and are however, found to have multi-generation family history of alcoholism.

• Intermediate familial subtype of alcoholics are those with multi-generation family history of alcoholism. They never seek treatment for their drinking problem.

• Chronic severe alcoholics are those who are the least among the subtypes of alcoholics. They are associated with higher rates of antisocial personality disorder and criminality. They also have psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Alcoholism is therefore different in different groups of individuals and may also vary with personal problems.

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How is it possible to know whether your kid is using tobacco products? Here are some major warning signs which help you to indicate nicotine usage in your teens.

Smell of tobacco on their clothes and from their mouth is one of the primary indications. In addition, excessive and frequent tobacco usage, both smoking and chewing tobacco, can stain the teeth. The color of teeth changes from white to yellowish shade. The color may further turn to brown color if they use tobacco for a longer period of time. As they handle cigarettes and chewing gums, their fingers may also get stained. Discolored skin and teeth are the easy identification signs of nicotine usage. Chewing tobacco products can cause cracked lips, sores, white spots and bleeding in mouth. It may even cause difficulty in chewing, swallowing, or moving of the tongue or jaw. Tooth and gum decay problems also arise with nicotine use.

Smelling bad and bad breath is the other major indication of tobacco smoking. In addition, increased vulnerability to illness, decreased athletic performance, shortness of breath and asthma, premature skin aging, hair loss and hair discoloration, and decreased sense of smell and taste are some other warning signs of tobacco use. It is better to check and confirm the tobacco use in your teens when you observe some of these indications. Otherwise, the occasional usage may turn into a habit and even addiction which give rise to many health risks.

There is an increase in the use of the Ecstasy during 1990′s in all the three graders. After 2007 the trend lines leveled off in all grades until annual prevalence increased significantly in the lower grades between 2009 and 2010.

As per the MTF reports, there is a significant rise in the perceived risk in 2003 in all three graders, however there is a decrease in the levels of perceived risk in 2004. The decline in perceived risk continued into 2010 in the upper grades.

Disapproval of ecstasy use increased significantly in all three grades in 2002, may be because of the rise in perceived risk. The significant increases in disapproval continued through 2003 for 8th graders, 2004 for 10th graders, and 2006 for 12th graders. Since then the disapproval of Ecstasy use decreased sharply among 8th graders, less among 10th graders, and there was no change among 12th graders.

There has been increase in the 12th graders’ perceived availability of ecstasy after 1991. Perceived availability then declined considerably in all grades after 2001 but leveled in 2010.

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In the both of these surveys there are three primary prevalence periods for which data are reported, that is life time, past year and the past month. It is generally believed that past year and past month are the better indicators of actual use.

Following are the trends in the use of alcohol and tobacco among teens in America:

Tobacco:
According to MTF survey, teen smoking rates are at their lowest point in the history of this survey. The smoking levels have reached to peak levels among the three grades around 1996 and 1997 and after this the smoking levels fell sharply, after which the decline began to slow. The NSDUH survey found that from 2002 to 2009, the rate of past month cigarette use fell from 13.0 percent to 8.9 percent among teens of 12 to 17 year old. In 2010, among the 12th graders, prevalence rate for hookah smoking is 17 percent and use of small cigars is 23 percent.

Alcohol:
According to NSDUH survey, underage alcohol use and binge drinking has shown a gradual decline across all prevalence periods. In 2009, an estimated 30.2 million people aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past year.

Marijuana abuse among students leads to impairment in learning and thinking abilities. These effects can be seen for 24 hours after marijuana consumption. Heavy marijuana usage causes memory problems, difficulty in concentration, and decline in comprehension and cognitive skills.

Marijuana users lack their motivation in all aspects of life like school, family, work, and other responsibilities. This in turn affects social behavior. Decrease in performance, termination from employment and others are some of the effects seen at workplaces due to marijuana abused employees. Marijuana abused employees are absent to work regularly and are associated with accidents, tardiness, and workers’ compensation claims.

In schools, lack of motivation may affect learning skills and performance in studies. Friendship with such students is also avoided by many others. This may depress the drug user, giving rise to many psychotic problems. Marijuana abused students get lower grades in studies and are found to be less likely graduated in schools when compared to other students. Heavy drug use may increase criminal activities. The drug addicted people unnecessarily fight with others and may be involved in crime related issues.

Thus, important measures of life such as cognitive abilities, social life, career status, and physical and mental health are effected by marijuana addiction. Special treatment should be given to such addicted people. THC drug test has to be conducted at schools and organizations. Certain rehabilitation programs have to be arranged for people with drug addicted symptoms and altered social behavior. Treatment may include special cognitive behavior therapy.

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Reasons for addiction
Every abuser has a different reason for drug abuse or addiction. Mostly to escape from problems, people abuse drugs, and become addicted. Many factors influence the individuals like social environment, person’s biology, and age. Family, friends, life style of individual contribute to drug abuse. Critical stages of life along with genetic, and environmental factors also affect drug addiction susceptibility.

Effects of addiction
Complications of drug addiction are very high and it is like a disease that affects brain, and total functioning of the body. Brain’s communication system is affected with the chemicals present in drugs as they disrupt the process of information flow to nerve cells. Short and long term effects are seen in the abuse due to drug addiction.

• Short term: The chemicals present in the drugs will blow into the brain’s communication system. These chemicals can disturb the functioning of the “reward circuit” of the brain. Many short-term consequences are observed in abuser’s health and avoiding drug abuse can help in overcoming the short-term consequences. Sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety, running nose, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, depression, headache, dizziness, effects on memory and respiratory problems etc are found with short term drug addiction.

• Long term: Serious long-term effects are found with drug abuse and addiction changes brain chemical system and circuit. These effects can lead from mild itching to coma and to death of the drug abuser. This addiction facilitates the user in experiencing uncontrollable cravings particularly when they see place or person associated with drug. High drug addiction can lead for infectious diseases, breathing related diseases, veins, or nervous collapse, and abuser can even die in minutes in certain situations.

The above addressed information about reasons and effects of drug abuse and addiction can be useful in preventing drug abuse. Prevention programs and educating the people about effects can be helpful in preventing drug abuse and addiction in society. If it is not controlled at right time, these drugs can become masters of abuser’s life. The consequences of addiction of drug can be overwhelming to both the user and to the user’s family members.

Source: DrugAlcoholTest.com

If someone uses marijuana, the THC passes from lungs into the bloodstream, the reason why marijuana abuse can be detected using Marijuana drug test of blood. Because of this chemical can be carried to the brain and to other organs in the body. The specific sites in the brain that are effected by THC are called as Cannabinoid receptors. These are receptors that influence the perception of pleasure or pain of a person. When THC is received by Cannabinoid receptors it results in the drug high associated with marijuana when user takes marijuana. Each part of the brain has various amounts of Cannabinoid receptors and they influence the pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, perception, movements, and coordination. Like this Marijuana effect the functions of brain in human body.

Using Marijuana effects the brain’s functioning and results in distorted perception, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and learning and memory problems.

If it is used in long run, the user will experience some psychological effects like anxiety, paranoia and panic. It has harmful effects on other parts of the body also. It will cause problems like dilated blood vessels, a feeling of panic, daily cough and more frequent chest cold.

Apart from the effects of the marijuana mentioned above, there are many other harmful effects, so it is better to avoid Marijuana use.

Everyone is affected by the selling and buying and abusing drugs. The estimation of the economic cost is around $215 billion per annum. According to report, the Mexican organizations do the drug operations in every region of United States, and it is expanding into the rural and suburban areas in United States. The trafficking of the drugs has become a great threat to the U.S. Street and prison gangs in United States also have provided cooperation for drugs distribution to cartels of Mexico. There is a great flow of the drugs like heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine across the border and there is expectation that it will increase further. Apart from the increase in the overdoses and overdose deaths, the purity of the heroin has increased and there was also reduction in price of heroin because of increase in the flow of the drugs. There is estimation that the production of the Heroin may increase from 17 metric tuns to 38 tons from 2007 to 2008.

Though Mexican government has banned certain chemicals which are used in the production of Marijuana, a substitute for those chemicals was found out by cartels of the Mexico. There is increase in death rate of 98 percent because of overdose of the prescription opioids like morphine, codeine and methadone from 2002 to 2006.

National Drug Threat Assessment of 2010 reported that illegal drug abuse and diversion and abuse of the prescription drugs are the serious problems in the United States.

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