How Can I Tell If a Friend or a Loved One Has a Problem
With Alcohol, Marijuana, or Other Illicit Drugs?
Sometimes it is tough to tell. Most people won't walk up to someone they're
close to and ask for help. In fact, they will probably do everything possible to
deny or hide the problem. But, there are certain warning signs that may indicate
that a family member or friend is using drugs and drinking too much alcohol.
If your friend or loved one has one or more of the following signs, he or she
may have a problem with drugs or alcohol:
- getting high on drugs
or getting drunk on a regular basis
- lying about things,
or the amount of drugs or alcohol they are using
- avoiding you and
others in order to get high or drunk
- giving up activities
they used to do such as sports, homework, or hanging out with friends who
don't use drugs or drink
- having to use more
marijuana or other illicit drugs to get the same effects
c- onstantly talking
about using drugs or drinking
- believing that in
order to have fun they need to drink or use marijuana or other drugs
- pressuring others to
use drugs or drink
- getting into trouble
with the law
- taking risks,
including sexual risks and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs
- feeling run-down,
hopeless, depressed, or even suicidal
- suspension from
school for an alcohol- or drug-related incident
- missing work or poor
work performance because of drinking or drug use
Many of the signs, such as sudden changes in mood, difficulty in getting
along with others, poor job or school performance, irritability, and depression,
might be explained by other causes. Unless you observe drug use or excessive
drinking, it can be hard to determine the cause of these problems. Your first
step is to contact a qualified alcohol and drug professional in your area who
can give you further advice.
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How Can I Tell if I Have a Problem with Drugs or
Alcohol?
Drug and alcohol problems can affect every one of us regardless of age, sex,
race, marital status, place of residence, income level, or lifestyle.
You may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, if:
- You can't
predict whether or not you will use drugs or get drunk.
- You believe
that in order to have fun you need to drink and/or use drugs.
- You turn to
alcohol and/or drugs after a confrontation or argument, or to relieve
uncomfortable feelings.
- You drink more
or use more drugs to get the same effect that you got with smaller
amounts.
- You drink
and/or use drugs alone.
- You remember
how last night began, but not how it ended, so you're worried you may have
a problem.
- You have
trouble at work or in school because of your drinking or drug use.
- You make
promises to yourself or others that you'll stop getting drunk or using
drugs.
- You feel alone,
scared, miserable, and depressed.
If you have experienced any of the above problems, take heart, help is
available. More than a million Americans like you have taken charge of their
lives and are living healthy and drug-free.
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How Can I Get Help?
You can get help for yourself or for a friend or loved one from numerous
national, State, and local organizations, treatment centers, referral centers,
and hotlines throughout the country. There are various kinds of treatment
services and centers. For example, some may involve outpatient counseling, while
others may be 3- to 5-week-long inpatient programs.
While you or your friend or loved one may be hesitant to seek help, know that
treatment programs offer organized and structured services with individual,
group, and family therapy for people with alcohol and drug abuse problems.
Research shows that when appropriate treatment is given, and when clients follow
their prescribed program, treatment can work. By reducing alcohol
and/or drug abuse, treatment reduces costs to society in terms of medical care,
law enforcement, and crime. More importantly, treatment can help keep you and
your loved ones together.
Remember, some people may go through treatment a number of times before they
are in full recovery. Do not give up hope.
Each community has its own resources. Some common referral sources that are
often listed in the phone book are:
- Community Drug
Hotlines
- Local Emergency
Health Clinics, or Community Treatment Services
- City/Local Health
Departments
- Alcoholics
Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or Al-Anon/Alateen
- Hospitals
For a list of additional resources and organizations,
check out the referral list at the end of this
document.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT FACTS...
About Marijuana
Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and tends
to be the first illegal drug teens use.
The physical effects of marijuana use, particularly on developing
adolescents, can be acute.
Short-term effects of using marijuana:
- sleepiness
- difficulty keeping
track of time, impaired or reduced short-term memory
- reduced ability to
perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination, such as driving a car
- increased heart rate
- potential cardiac
dangers for those with preexisting heart disease
- bloodshot eyes
- dry mouth and throat
- decreased social
inhibitions
- paranoia,
hallucinations
Long-term effects of using marijuana:
- enhanced cancer risk
decrease in
- testosterone levels for men; also lower sperm counts and difficulty having
children
- increase in
testosterone levels for women; also increased risk of infertility
- diminished or
extinguished sexual pleasure
- psychological
dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect
Marijuana blocks the messages going to your brain and alters your perceptions
and emotions, vision, hearing, and coordination.
A recent study of 1,023 trauma patients admitted to a shock trauma unit found
that one-third had marijuana in their blood.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT FACTS...
About Cigarette Smoking
Although many people smoke because they believe cigarettes calm their nerves,
smoking releases epinephrine, a hormone which creates physiological stress in
the smoker, rather than relaxation. The use of tobacco is addictive. Most users
develop tolerance for nicotine and need greater amounts to produce a desired
effect. Smokers become physically and psychologically dependent and will suffer
withdrawal symptoms including: changes in body temperature, heart rate,
digestion, muscle tone, and appetite. Psychological symptoms include:
irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nervousness, headaches, fatigue,
nausea, and cravings for tobacco that can last days, weeks, months, years, or an
entire lifetime.
Risks associated with smoking cigarettes:
- diminished or
extinguished sense of smell and taste
- smoker's cough
- gastric ulcers
- chronic bronchitis
- increase in heart
- rate and blood pressure
- premature and more
- abundant face wrinkles
- emphysema
- heart disease
- stroke
- cancer of the mouth,
larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus, and bladder
Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most devastating preventable cause of
disease and premature death. Smoking is particularly dangerous for teens because their bodies are still
developing and changing and the 4,000 chemicals (including 200 known poisons) in
cigarette smoke can adversely affect this process.
Cigarettes are highly addictive. One-third of young people who are just
"experimenting" end up being addicted by the time they are 20.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT FACTS...
About Alcohol
Alcohol abuse is a pattern of problem drinking that results in health
consequences, social, problems, or both. However, alcohol dependence, or alcoholism,
refers to a disease that is characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behavior
that leads to impaired control over drinking.
Short-term effects of alcohol use include:
- distorted vision,
hearing, and coordination
- altered perceptions
and emotions
- impaired judgment
- bad breath; hangovers
Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include:
- loss of appetite
- vitamin deficiencies
- stomach ailments
- skin problems
- sexual impotence
- liver damage
- heart and central
- nervous system damage
memory loss
How Do I Know If I, or Someone Close, Has a Drinking Problem?
Here are some quick clues:
- Inability to control
drinking--it seems that regardless of what you decide beforehand, you
frequently wind up drunk
- Using alcohol to
escape problems
- A change in
personality--turning from Dr. Jekyl to Mr. Hyde
- A high tolerance
level--drinking just about everybody under the table
- Blackouts--sometimes
not remembering what happened while drinking
- Problems at work or
in school as a result of drinking
- Concern shown by
family and friends about drinking
If you have a drinking problem, or if you suspect you have a drinking
problem, there are many others out there like you, and there is help available.
Talk to school counselor, a friend, or a parent.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT
FACTS...
About Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but
with stronger effects on the central nervous system. Street names for the drug
include "speed," "meth," and "crank."
Methamphetamine is used in pill form, or in powdered form by snorting or
injecting. Crystallized methamphetamine known as "ice,"
"crystal," or "glass," is a smokable and more powerful form
of the drug.
The effects of methamphetamine use include:
- increased heart rate
and blood pressure
- increased
wakefulness; insomnia
- increased physical
activity
- decreased appetite
- respiratory problems
- extreme anorexia
- hypothermia,
convulsions, and cardiovascular problems, which can lead to death
- euphoria
- irritability,
confusion, tremors
- anxiety, paranoia, or
violent behavior
- can cause
irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes
Methamphetamine users who inject the drug and share needles are at risk for
acquiring HIV/AIDS.
Methamphetamine is an increasingly popular drug at raves (all night dancing
parties), and as part of a number of drugs used by college-aged students.
Marijuana and alcohol are commonly listed as additional drugs of abuse among
methamphetamine treatment admissions. Most of the methamphetamine-related deaths
(92%) reported in 1994 involved methamphetamine in combination with at least one
other drug, most often alcohol (30%), heroin (23%), or cocaine (21%).
Researchers continue to study the long-term effects of methamphetamine use.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT
FACTS...
About Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
Cocaine is a white powder that comes from the leaves of the South American
coca plant. Cocaine is either "snorted" through the nasal passages or
injected intravenously. Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants,
which tend to give a temporary illusion of limitless power and energy that leave
the user feeling depressed, edgy, and craving more. Crack is a smokable form of
cocaine that has been chemically altered. Cocaine and crack are highly
addictive. This addiction can erode physical and mental health and can become so
strong that these drugs dominate all aspects of an addict's life.
Physical risks associated with using any amount of cocaine and crack:
- increases in blood
- pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature
- heart attacks,
strokes, and respiratory failure
- hepatitis or AIDS
through shared needles
- brain seizures
- reduction of the
body's ability to resist and combat infection
Psychological risks:
- violent, erratic, or
paranoid behavior
- hallucinations and
"coke bugs"--a sensation of imaginary insects crawling over the skin
- confusion, anxiety
and depression, loss of interest in food or sex
- "cocaine
psychosis"--losing touch with reality, loss of interest in friends,
family, sports, hobbies, and other activities
Some users spend hundred or thousands of dollars on cocaine and crack each
week and will do anything to support their habit. Many turn to drug selling,
prostitution, or other crimes.
Cocaine and crack use has been a contributing factor in a number of
drownings, car crashes, falls, burns, and suicides.
Cocaine and crack addicts often become unable to function sexually.
Even first time users may experience seizures or heart attacks, which can be
fatal.
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT
FACTS...
About Hallucinogens
Hallucinogenic drugs are substances that distort the perception of objective
reality. The most well-known hallucinogens include phencyclidine, otherwise
known as PCP, angel dust, or loveboat; lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly
known as LSD or acid; mescaline and peyote; and psilocybin, or "magic"
mushrooms. Under the influence of hallucinogens, the senses of direction,
distance, and time become disoriented. These drugs can produce unpredictable,
erratic, and violent behavior in users that sometimes leads to serious injuries
and death. The effect of hallucinogens can last for 12 hours.
LSD produces tolerance, so that users who take the drug repeatedly must take
higher and higher doses in order to achieve the same state of intoxication. This
is extremely dangerous, given the unpredictability of the drug, and can result
in increased risk of convulsions, coma, heart and lung failure, and even death.
Physical risks associated with using hallucinogens:
- increased heart rate
and blood pressure
- sleeplessness and
tremors
- lack of muscular
coordination
- sparse, mangled, and
incoherent speech
- decreased awareness
of touch and pain that can result in self-inflicted injuries
convulsions
- coma; heart and lung
failure
Psychological risks associated with using hallucinogens:
- a sense of distance
and estrangement
- depression, anxiety,
and paranoia
- violent behavior
- confusion, suspicion,
and loss of control
- flashbacks
- behavior similar to
schizophrenic psychosis
- catatonic syndrome
whereby the user becomes mute, lethargic, disoriented, and makes meaningless
repetitive movements
Everyone reacts differently to hallucinogens--there's no way to predict if
you can avoid a "bad trip."
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HERE ARE THE STRAIGHT FACTS...
About Inhalants
Inhalants refer to substances that are sniffed or huffed to give the user an
immediate head rush or high. They include a diverse group of chemicals that are
found in consumer products such as aerosols and cleaning solvents. Inhalant use
can cause a number of physical and emotional problems, and even one-time use can
result in death.
Using inhalants even one time can put you at risk for:
- sudden death
- suffocation
- visual hallucinations
and severe mood swings
- numbness and tingling
of the hands and feet
Prolonged use can result in:
- headache, muscle
weakness, abdominal pain
- decrease or loss of
sense of smell
- nausea and nosebleeds
- hepatitis
- violent behaviors
- irregular heartbeat
- liver, lung, and
kidney impairment
- irreversible brain
damage
- nervous system damage
- dangerous chemical
imbalances in the body
- involuntary passing
of urine and feces
Short-term effects of inhalants include:
- heart palpitations
- breathing difficulty
- dizziness
- headaches
Remember, using inhalants, even one time, can kill you. According to
medical experts, death can occur in at least five ways:
- asphyxia--solvent gases can significantly limit available oxygen in the
air, causing breathing to stop;
- suffocation--typically seen with inhalant users who use bags;
- choking on vomit;
- careless behaviors in potentially dangerous settings; and
- sudden sniffing death syndrome, presumably from cardiac arrest.
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Messages for
Teenagers
- Know the law. Methamphetamines, marijuana, hallucinogens, crack,
cocaine, and many other substances are illegal. Depending on where you are
caught, you could face high fines and jail time. Alcohol is illegal to buy
or possess if you are under 21.
- Be aware of the risks. Drinking or using drugs increases the risk
of injury. Car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and suicide are all linked
to drug use.
- Keep your edge. Drug use can ruin your looks, make you depressed,
and contribute to slipping grades.
- Play it safe. One incident of drug use could make you do something
that you will regret for a lifetime.
- Do the smart thing. Using drugs puts your health, education, family
ties, and social life at risk.
- Get with the program. Doing drugs isn't "in" anymore.
- Think twice about what you're advertising when you buy and wear
T-shirts, hats, pins, or jewelry with a pot leaf, joint, blunt, beer can, or
other drug paraphernalia on them. Do you want to promote something that can
cause cancer? make you forget things? or make it difficult to drive a car?
- Face your problems. Using drugs won't help you escape your
problems, it will only create more.
- Be a real friend. If you know someone with a drug problem, be part
of the solution. Urge your friend to get help.
- Remember, you DON'T NEED drugs or alcohol. If you think
"everybody's doing it," you're wrong! Over 86% of 12-17 year-olds
have never tried marijuana; over 98% have never used cocaine; only about
half a percent of them have ever used crack. Doing drugs won't make you
happy or popular or help you to learn the skills you need as you grow up. In
fact, doing drugs can cause you to fail at all of these things.
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REFERRALS
Adult Children of Alcoholics
(ACA/ACoA)
P.O. Box 3216
Torrance, CA 90510
310-534-1815
Alanon/Alateen
Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
P.O. Box 862
Midtown Station
New York, NY 10018-0862
1-800-356-9996 (Literature)
1-800-344-2666 (Meeting Referral)
Alcoholics Anonymous
World Services, Inc.
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
212-870-3400 (Literature)
212-647-1680 (Meeting Referral)
CDC National AIDS Hotline
1-800-342-AIDS
1-800-344-SIDA -- Spanish
1-800-AIDS-TTY -- TDD
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Service
1-800-662-HELP
Referrals To:
- 1-800-ALCOHOL
- 1-800-COCAINE
- 1-800-448-3000 BOYSTOWN
Children of Alcoholics Foundation, Inc.
555 Madison Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212-754-0656 or 800-359-COAF
Cocaine Anonymous
World Service Office
3740 Overland Avenue, Ste. C
Los Angeles, CA 90034
1-800-347-8998
Families Anonymous
P.O. Box 35475
Culver CIty, CA 90231
1-800-736-9805
Hazelden Educational Materials
Pleasant Valley Road
P.O. Box 176
Center City, MN 55012-0176
1-800-328-9000
Marijuana Anonymous
World Services
P.O. Box 2912
Van Nuys, CA 91404
1-800-766-6779
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
511 E. John Carpenter Freeway
Suite 700
Irving, TX 75062
214-744-6233
Victim Hotline: 800-438-6233 (GET MADD) |
NAFARE Alcohol, Drug, and Pregnancy Hotline
200 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
1-800-638-BABY
Nar-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
P.O. Box 2562
Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274
310-547-5800
Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
World Service Office
P.O. Box 9999
Van Nuys, CA 91409
818-773-9999
National Association for Children of Alcoholics
11426 Rockville Pike, Suite 301
Rockville, MD 20852
301-468-0985
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345
Rockville, MD 20847-2345
301-468-2600
1-800-729-6686
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
12 West 21st Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10010
1-800-NCA-CALL (will refer you to your local treatment information center)
National Families in Action
2296 Henderson Mill Road
Suite 204
Atlanta, GA 30345
770-934-6364
National Highway Traffic Safety Information
400 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-9550
Auto Safety Hotline: 1-800-424-9393
National Women's Health Network
514 10th Street, NW, Ste. 400
Washington, DC 20004
202-682-7814
Rational Recovery Systems
P. O. Box 800
Lotus, CA 95651
1-800-303-CURE
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS)
P.O. Box 5
Buffalo, NY 14215
310-821-8430
Women for Sobriety
P.O. Box 618
Quakertown, PA 18951
1-800-333-1606
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