Drug News

DRUG REHAB – USA
Christie tells why rehab trumps jail – Philadelphia Inquirer

Gov. Christie says his plan to send more nonviolent drug offenders into treatment rather than to prison is motivated partly by the successes of smaller-scale versions of the program.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription Drug Abuse – Medline Plus

Most people take medicines only for the reasons their doctors prescribe them. But an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. This is prescription drug abuse. It is a serious and growing problem. You can develop an addiction to narcotic painkillers, sedatives and tranquilizers, stimulants.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Methamphetamine Use Increasing Again, Researchers Find – University of Texas at Austin News

‎Use of methamphetamines is on the rise nationally after a decrease a few years ago, according to university researchers.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Ohio using stories of those affected in campaign against prescription drug abuse – The Republic

Ohio’s governor is launching a campaign aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse by highlighting the stories of those who have been impacted by addictions.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin makes inroads – Charlotte Observer
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“They were 15- and 16-year-olds, and they had heroin at the pool,” he said. “And these are well-off kids in a nice neighborhood. A good environment.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Push to end prescription drug addiction continues in Southwest Florida – Wink News

The battle to end prescription drug abuse in Southwest Florida is ongoing. We’re learning addicts are taking desperate measures to get what they want: even faking illness and going to emergency rooms and making long lines even longer.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Illinois Alcohol Abuse: Midwest ‘Binge Drinking Belt,’ By The Numbers – Huffington Post

The Atlantic’s Richard Florida on Monday dug into data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The research showed that binge drinking — or consuming five or more drinks for men and four or more for women on one occasion — continues to be a problem impacting many Americans and contributing to many associated health concerns.

ECSTASY – CANADA
Ecstasy threat real say Nelson police – Nelson Star
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A new form of ecstasy sweeping across British Columbia and Alberta has users in critical condition and has even caused death.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth fills hospitals with burn patients – Atlanta Journal Constitution

A crude new method of making methamphetamine poses a risk even to Americans who never get anywhere near the drug: It is filling hospitals with thousands of uninsured burn patients requiring millions of dollars in advanced treatment — a burden so costly that it’s contributing to the closure of some burn units.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription for abuse: difficulties for reform effort – Crosscut

Too many people are abusing painkillers, many of them young. Very few abusers are in treatment. And it won’t be easy reversing a history of lax oversight. Washington State has made an aggressive attempt to crack down on the prescription drug epidemic by passing strict new rules governing pain management. But even those may not be enough to stanch the flood of deaths from prescription opiates in this state.

DRUG REHAB – USA
A Bridge to Recovery on Campus – New York Times

In their undergrad uniforms of fleece and sweats, a clutch of Rutgers students gathered on the worn red couches of their dorm’s common room and told their stories. A good-looking, fun-loving 23-year-old described arriving at college freshman year with a daily pot-smoking habit and a close relationship with alcohol. He soon followed the lead of his alcoholic father and was binge drinking. For his self-diagnosed anxiety and depression, he secretly began taking Klonopin, which he bought from another student. By sophomore year, he was taking six a day. And when it ran out, he wound up in a hospital to manage withdrawal, followed by nine months of rehab.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Army report: Suicide rate sets record; some alcohol abuse up 54 percent – Christian Science Monitor

The Afghanistan and Iraq wars make up the longest period of conflict in US history. “There are second- and third-order effects that have grown out of this that our nation has never experienced before.” As much as 43 percent of active-duty soldiers reported binge drinking within the past month. 25-35 percent of wounded soldiers are addicted to prescription or illegal drugs while they await medical discharge. Oxycodone accounts for 95 percent of those prescriptions.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Top-ranked, with policies making it worse: Wisconsin once again is first in binge drinking – Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel

Once again, Wisconsin is No. 1. But this time, we’re No. 1 in binge drinking. This isn’t just embarrassing; it borders on social pathology. A fourth of all adults report they are binge drinkers. That’s 50% higher than the national average. These statistics seem substantially underreported because Wisconsin purchases much more alcohol than it reports drinking. The fact is, we don’t take binge drinking and the alcohol-related problems it creates seriously. It’s cultural. Alcohol abuse and problems associated with alcohol have long been accepted or tolerated in this state.

HEROIN – USA
Heroin’s siren song: A force that’s stronger than will or reason – Post Gazette

Their life circumstances, by many measures, couldn’t be more different — he’s a middle-aged black man from a hardscrabble Mon Valley steel town; she’s a young white woman originally from an affluent suburb of Austin, Texas. But what they have in common — heroin addiction early in life — trumps what they don’t. That’s because heroin is as nondiscriminatory as it is destructive.

CLUB DRUGS – USA
Popular club drug replaced by a more toxic one: Cloud Nine – Pocono Record

A popular club drug has been replaced by a more toxic one — one that’s cheaper, more potent and deadlier. Cloud Nine or C-9 is the newest brand in a category of designer drugs that can cause erratic behavior, serious injuries and addiction. It’s among the newest replacement drugs for Ecstasy. Cloud Nine, based on similar chemicals as so-called “bath salts,” is a hallucinogen and stimulant. It’s sometimes marketed as plant food, insect repellent or fertilizer.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Horror no surprise in the U.S. meth capital; Pure ‘poor man’s cocaine’ blamed in wave of domestic slayings – Bend Bulletin

Chronic use of the harsh chemical compound known as speed or crank can lead to psychosis, which includes hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. The stimulant effect of meth is up to 50 times longer than cocaine, so users stay awake for days on end, impairing cognitive function and contributing to extreme paranoia. “Once people who are on meth become psychotic, they are very dangerous. We’re talking about very extreme alterations of normal brain function. Once someone becomes triggered to violence, there aren’t any limits or boundaries.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
How N.J. plans to put a lid on pain pills – NJ.com

All it took was a single pill. A friend encouraged her to try it, then a doctor prescribed it, no questions asked. A single pill of the painkiller OxyContin and Brenna-Ann Haase was hooked, so much so that she stole cash, jewelry, DVDs, anything she could use to feed her addiction.

DRUG ABUSE – Guam
Dancers say no to drugs: Crew helps teenagers stay sober – Guam PDN

A recovering alcoholic and former Department of Youth Affairs corrections officer, is founder and leader of the Just Say No Dance Crew, a growing group of scrappy teenagers popping and locking their way off the streets and away from drugs and alcohol.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse crisis is detailed – Buffalo News

Prescription drugs continuing to result in crime, overdoses and death. State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s 42-page report documents the year-to-year increase in the number of hydrocodone and oxycodone prescriptions being written in New York State, as well as prescription drug-related addiction and death.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
6 Rehab Movies That Will Leave You Fearing Drugs – Screen Junkies

Rehab movies are designed to warn people about the dangers of substance abuse. The highs and lows of the characters consuming these substances help to educate and enlighten audiences. The stories can ultimately be uplifting, but in order to truly inform people, filmmakers often end up depicting drug abuse as a horrible and arduous disease. They litter their films with many gritty and disgusting scenes to fully show off the horrors of abuse. Keeping with that theme, these six rehab movies will leave people fearing drugs and contemplating a life of abstinence.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Wisconsin has high rate of alcohol use by adults, teens – Herald Times Reporter
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Wisconsin has the highest rates of any state in the nation for adult use of alcohol, adult heavy use of alcohol and adult binge drinking.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Op-Ed: Mobile meth labs and meth addiction out of control in U.S. – Digital Journal
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“There is no drug better suited to making horrible decisions about your children than methamphetamine, which keeps you awake for days and then when you crash it’s like the sleep of a coma, during which you have no idea what’s happening with those kids.”

ALCOHOL ABUSE – GLOBAL
Higher alcohol prices may curb drinking: study – Reuters

Findings published in the journal Addiction showed that each 10 percent price hike in the minimum price of beer, liquor and alcoholic beverages led people to drink 3.4 percent less alcohol overall, with consumption of specific types of alcohol falling even more.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Opioid Use a Growing Epidemic in Workers’ Comp – Property Casualty 360

Opioids are intended for short-term use or end-of-life cancer pain. They are meant to be prescribed after major surgeries or major trauma. “Short term” is meant to signify a span of a few days or weeks—not years, as the current trend indicates.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Arrests mark U.S. prescription drug abuse crackdown – Reuters

U.S. authorities arrested 22 people in Florida on Friday, including pharmacists and doctors, in a crackdown against prescription drug abuse that officials say is the nation’s fastest growing drug problem.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Tennessee drug task force waging lonely war on Rx diversion – KnoxNews
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Tennessee created a statewide task force on prescription-drug abuse four years ago and never set aside a penny to fund it. The state Drug Diversion Task Force subsists on volunteer efforts in its battle against Tennessee’s most widespread drug problem. “Everybody thinks we get money,” said Elizabeth Sherrod, the task force coordinator. “We get nothing. Speakers at our meetings travel at their own expense.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Expert on drug abuse tells local conference that fatal overdoses are rising – Herald
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For the first time in 2010, the leading cause of accidental death in the country was from accidental fatal overdose with prescription opiates as the primary drug involved.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription drug abuse video contest launched for Ky. high school students – WPSD Local 6

Kentucky high school students are being asked to enter a video contest as part of efforts to educate the public about the dangers of prescription drug addiction.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
Talk to children about drugs, alcohol – Auburn Citizen
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Did you know that the average American has his or her first drink around age 14? According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, almost 80 percent of high school students have tried alcohol. In an average month, about 9 million Americans teens drink alcohol. A study done recently by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center states that underage alcohol use happens between fifth and sixth grade!

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UGANDA
Excessive Alcohol Consumption is a key to chronic poverty in Uganda – New Vision
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Excessive Alcohol Consumption is a key ‘’driver and maintainer’’ of chronic poverty in Uganda. The reason why excessive consumption of alcohol has become a new frontier for chronic poverty in Uganda is that, the discussion on excessive alcohol consumption in the country has for long been in the back –seat of what is considered to be ‘’ personal choices.’’ This mentality has hindered attempts to bring the issue into the public domain and the frontline of public policy.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Baby seller case: Not first time a child taken from Fousek because of meth exposure – Mercury News

A jury Tuesday convicted a Salinas man of endangering the baby girl he exposed to methamphetamine and offered to sell in a Walmart parking lot last year. What the jury did not know, and what Judge Pamela Butler will take into consideration when sentencing Patrick Fousek, is that it’s not the first time one of his children has been taken from him because of methamphetamine exposure.

PARTY DRUGS – UK
Party drug meow meow kills one young Briton a week – Daily Mail

Banned last year, mephedrone is blamed for causing a further 19 users to commit suicide. Children are also at risk from the increasing availability of so-called ‘legal highs’, a Home Office report found

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Prescription pills fuel crime, treatment in Maine – Portland Daily Sun

A recent string of pharmacy robberies in the Portland area has seized the attention of local law enforcement. City investigators are still working to identify the people or single individual responsible for demanding an undisclosed amount and type of pharmaceutical drug from three Portland CVS pharmacies.

HEROIN/PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Pain pills and heroin ravaging the suburbs – The Seattle Times
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“The drugs completely take over,” Stelcher said. “It was killing me. If I’d had it my way, I would have been dead.” His wife got him into rehab.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Massive cuts could close almost every state drug rehab – Northwest Cable News
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Proposed cuts from DSHS would close almost every outpatient drug treatment center, methadone clinic and detox facility in Washington.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Medical professionals deal with patients’ suffering, addiction – The Mountain Press
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“The problem is the prescription drug abuse is so out of control, we see patients who are there (in the emergency room) for the wrong reasons on an hourly basis.”

DRUG REHAB – USA
Matt Hardy Now Facing Drug Charges – Southern Pines Pilot
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On Monday, Matt Hardy (Hardy Boyz – six-time World Wrestling Entertainment World Tag Team Champions) posted a video online saying that the last two months have “definitely been the worst months of my career” and that he plans to seek treatment. “I have made the voluntary decision to go to rehab and get myself together.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
WWU has launched two campaigns to address student drinking, drug use – The News Tribune

BELLINGHAM – In the longstanding struggle to curb alcohol abuse among college students, Western Washington University launched two campaigns this year to provide students with accurate, non-judgmental information about alcohol and drugs.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Steel Magnolia’s Joshua Scott Jones enters rehab – CBS News
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Jones, the male half of duo Steel Magnolia, has entered treatment for alcohol and substance abuse.

MARIJUANA – USA
Relaxed state laws blamed for increase in marijuana use – Contra Costa Times
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“It is disturbing to see an increase among kids,” Jones said. “Society is getting to the point where (marijuana is) more and more acceptable. It’s why we’re so adamant not to allow it. We want to keep it out of the hands of kids.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Boeing arrest points to US workplace drug problems – Reuters
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The arrest of more than three dozen people on drug charges at a Boeing (BA.N) military aircraft plant highlights the growing problem of prescription drug abuse by U.S. workers, experts said on Friday.

HEROIN – USA
Tennessee authorities expect surge in heroin use – ‎Houston Chronicle

Law enforcement agents around Tennessee are bracing for a resurgence of heroin use as prescription drug users turn to the drug, fueled by users’ need for a low-cost alternative and dealers’ aggressive marketing techniques.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
New Drug Tests Target the Poor – In These Times

This year alone, at least 30 state legislatures (including Louisiana, Massachusetts and Illinois) have considered bills that would require people to pass a drug test to become eligible to receive welfare benefits.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Abuse of Pills Jumps in City, Report Shows – Wall Street Journal

Next to marijuana, painkillers are the drugs that New Yorkers are taking illegally more than any other, according to a drug survey by the city’s Department of Health that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

ALCOHOL/DRUG ABUSE – USA
Social Networking Tied to Teen Drug, Alcohol Use – WebMD
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Teens who spend time on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other social networking sites may be more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and use drugs. But it’s not the fact that teens visit social network sites that makes them more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs. Instead, the issue seems to be what they view on those sites.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
The risks of meth labs – Norman Transcript
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Although legislation has reduced the number of illegal methamphetamine labs around the state, the danger of fire and explosion remains. A case reported on by the Tulsa World reminds us of the risks meth cooks take.

DRUG/ALCOHOL ABUSE – AUSTRALIA
NSW firies blazing over drug tests – ABC Online
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New South Wales fire fighters are threatening industrial action over a State Government plan to introduce random drug and alcohol testing. The Fire Brigade Employees Unions says there is no evidence of drug and alcohol abuse to justify the intrusions of its members’ privacy.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Army hiring more counselors for alcohol abuse – The Associated Press

Washington – The army is increasing its staff of substance abuse counselors by about 30 percent to help the rising number of troops with alcohol problems.

ECSTASY – USA
‘Ecstasy pill’ kills exam party girl, 16 – The Sun

A teenage girl has died of a suspected ecstasy overdose while with a group of pals celebrating their exam results — just days before her 17th birthday. Serena Harding is believed to have suffered a heart attack after taking a tablet at a beauty spot.

DRUG REHAB – CHINA
Teenage drug abusers fight addiction, seek rehab – China Daily

Eji Lhaze was 14 when he first took “ice”, thinking it was no different from cigarettes. “I was curious how it tasted, because my pals seemed to enjoy every bit of it and sleep like babies after a dose,” he said. “So I just tried a sip.”

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Florida laws get tougher to crack down on prescription drug abuse – Wink News

Today’s declaration that Florida’s prescription drug abuse crisis is a public health emergency is an aggressive launch of the strong criminal and administrative penalties that are now in effect and will crack down on pill mills in Florida. This ban along with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program will strengthen the oversight of the prescribing of highly addictive drugs and save lives.

DRUG REHAB – USA
U.S. Supreme Court rules longer prison terms not allowed for drug rehab – Sacramento Bee

This was longer than it might have been, but the judge noted that it was long enough to make Tapia eligible for a drug treatment program at a federal prison.

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE – USA
Nearly Half of US Teens Smoke, Drink Alcohol, or Use Drugs – WebMD

Nearly half of all American high school students smoke, drink alcohol, or use illicit drugs, according to a new report.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Hope and recovery – Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Thierry Wood said she was devastated when she called police in 2007 to arrest her 14-year-old daughter, Nina, whose behavior had become erratic and violent because of her methamphetamine addiction.

ECSTASY – SCOTLAND
Two men die after taking extra-strong ecstasy pills – Herald Scotland

Ecstasy tablets six times stronger than normal may have caused the death of two men in the west of Scotland.

HEROIN – MEXICO/USA
As poppy fields flourish in Mexico, heroin use surges in US – MiamiHerald

What was once a problem largely confined to hubs in California and Texas, Mexican traffickers have expanded into the Midwest and the Atlantic Seaboard. Using savvy marketing tactics, they’ve also repositioned heroin commercially, revamping its image from the inner-city drug of yore, with its junkies and needles, into a narcotic that can be snorted or smoked, appealing to suburban and even rural high school youth.

MARIJUANA – USA
Marijuana Driving Accidents On The Rise – Slate Magazine

Driving while under the influence isn’t just for drunks anymore. There’s a largely unrecognized group causing a growing number of accidents — minor and fatal — across the country: drugged drivers. And many of them may be causing accidents with their use of pot.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
Sentencing changes in some states at a glance – Seattle Post Intelligencer

Two bipartisan measures are pending that would repeal minimum mandatory sentences for drug offenses and nonviolent crimes, and increase substance abuse treatment for inmates. Conservative groups say the legislation could save Florida $ millions.

DRUG REHAB – USA
Bill would send drug bust money to treatment programs – Bloomington Pantagraph
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SPRINGFIELD — County prosecutors would be able to dedicate money seized during drug busts to local substance abuse treatment centers under a proposal approved Thursday by the Illinois House. State’s attorneys get a percentage of money or property.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Local School Districts Get Grant to Fight Drug & Alcohol Use – KAALtv.com
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Officials say it’s a drug and alcohol abuse among teens is growing problem in our area. Now, the Minnesota Department of Human Services is putting its money where its mouth is, offering up a one-million-dollar grant to help Southeast Minnesota schools put a stop to the trend.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Price per Head: Jets QB Ainge tries to recover from drug abuse – Bookmakersinc.co.uk ‎

The New York Post reported that Erik Ainge, quarterback, who was drafted in 2008 by the New York Jets as a very talented project, appears to have completely jeopardized his potential in the NFL, as he detailed his drug and alcohol use.

ALCOHOL – USA
NY Cracks Down on ‘Alcopop’ Abuse – Food Product Design‎

Chairman of the Senate Alcohol and Drug Abuse Committee unveiled an aggressive plan to restrict minors’ access to high-alcohol malted beverages or “alcopops” similar to Four Loko that have been deemed unsafe by the US Food and Drug Administration.

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Meth Labs Growing Problem in Acadiana – KATC Lafayette News
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Narcotics agents arrested one man in connection with a shake and bake methamphetamine operation in Carencro Friday, after finding by-products in the 600 block of Benoit Road. Agents said they’ve seen a significant increase in meth labs just this year.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Georgia House Passes Prescription Drug Abuse Legislation – Rome News Wire
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The Georgia House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 36 with a vote of 117 to 45 on Thursday, showing tremendous bipartisan support for the measure that would help doctors and pharmacists identify prescription drug abusers.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Epidemic of pain-pill abuse continues unabated – The Seattle Times
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Clusky first tried OxyContin at age 17 with his school buddies, shortly after the high-powered narcotic painkiller went on the market. He was an occasional user and seller until about age 21, when he became fully addicted.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
OxyContin abuse spreads from Appalachia across U.S. – Bellingham Herald
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Nearly every family in eastern Kentucky has been touched by prescription drug addiction and death. In the late 1990s, it was easier to find OxyContin – pure oxycodone with a time release – in Kentucky. The pills’ maker, Purdue Pharma, was selling it “hand over fist” to doctors in eastern Kentucky, rich with coal mine injuries and government health care cards.

DRUG ABUSE – USA
Bill Aims to Ban Common Cold Remedy Without a Prescription – KLAS-TV

Senator Leslie says it’s a solution to a growing drug abuse problem in Nevada. She claims it is a proven option and cited Mississippi, which took pseudoephedrine off the market six months ago. She says the state has seen a 90 percent drop in crime …

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
City, county, school officials ready drug drop-off – Republican & Herald‎

More than seven million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs, according to the 2009 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Each day, approximately, 2500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
Health bodies attack government alcohol abuse campaign – ShareCast ‎

A group of health organizations are refusing to sign up for the government’s campaign to tackle alcohol abuse as they feel it does not go far enough.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Doctors Lax in Monitoring Prescription Drug Users – About ‎

The same doctors who are prescribing powerful pain-killing pills to an estimated 48 million Americans are lax in monitoring those patients to determine if they are abusing the drugs, even those who are at high risk for opioid misuse.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – UK
3-year-old Diagnosed as Youngest Ever Alcoholic – Fox 31 KDVR.com ‎

“This is an extreme case and definitely one of the youngest cases of alcoholism we have heard of. However, it does raise the issue of the accessibility of alcohol and how normal it has become.”

METHAMPHETAMINE – USA
Bills target meth ingredients; ignore drug, alcohol addiction – The Daily News

Synthetic meth drugs such as methylone, MCPV, mephedrone, methedrone, flephedrone and 3-FMC, which are basically the same substance and are labeled not for human consumption, could be purchased legally until the state began targeting them last week.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Quotes: Charlie Sheen On His ‘Drug Use’ – TIME‎

CHARLIE SHEEN, speaking about his latest “drug” of choice to 20/20, dodging rumors that he’s still battling addiction. CBS pulled the plug on this season of Two and a Half Men after Sheen’s radio tirade last week against the show’s creator.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS – USA
Drug addiction in Utah: Families devastated by prescription pain meds abuse – Fox 13 Now‎

Erin Johnson from the Utah Department of Health shares with FOX 13 how her study gauges drug addiction in Utah and what her results may mean. Her conclusions touch on the culture, religion and family dynamic.

PRESCRIPTION PAINKILLERS – Canada
Prescription pill addiction ruining lives – Toronto Sun‎

A drug addict since his early 20s, Steven started popping Dexedrine and Ritalin — both stimulants — in 2005 after he ran out of money for cocaine. Steven was crushing up to 30 pills a day and snorting them. With that came vomiting and tremors.

DRUG ADDICTION – USA
Drug addiction hijacks several areas of the brain — and almost all of one’s life – Los Angeles Times‎

More recent research, however, indicates that addiction targets more than the reward system of the brain. Imaging studies show that the brain’s cognitive systems in the prefrontal cortex area are disrupted by drug addiction.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE – USA
$125,000 grant awarded to Blount County Substance Abuse Prevention Action Team – Blount Today‎

According to a 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 46 percent of 6th to 12th graders drank more than a few sips of alcohol before the age of 15; 29 percent confirmed the use of alcohol in the last 30 days; and 19 percent of 6th to 12th graders had …

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera must face challenges of alcohol abuse – MLive.com‎

He will say that he is taking steps to address his alcohol problem, which became evident Wednesday night, when he was arrested and charged with DUI, resisting an officer without violence and having an open bottle of James Buchanan Scotch in his Land Rover.

ALCOHOL ABUSE – USA
Underage Alcohol Use Starts at Home – About – News & Issues‎

“Parents and other adults need to be aware that providing alcohol to children can expose them to an increased risk for alcohol abuse and set them on a path with increased potential for addiction.”

PARTY DRUGS – USA
Rave at Salt Palace results in nearly a dozen arrests – Deseret News‎

It’s the second time in two months that officers have made multiple drug-related arrests at a rave party hosted at the Salt Palace. Prompted by calls from concerned parents, Sgt. Shawn Josephson said the Vice Squad and the Narcotics Unit ..