Full Description
Gain a fuller understanding of substance addiction and treatment options!Originally published in 1992 as The Facts About Drug Use, this updated edition contains new information about the effects of alcohol and recreational, mood-altering drugs on the body. The multiple causes of drug use and the options available to those dependent on drugs as a way of life are thoroughly and clearly described. Drug use affects nearly 1 out of 2 Americans and cuts across every social and economic boundary. The effects of addiction on the individual are great, and the cumulative effects on society are staggering. Knowledge of the adverse effects of mood-altering drugs and why and how they are used excessively is a centerpiece of this book. It presents, intelligently and interestingly, ways to identify persons at risk and identify problems that the addicted encounter in attempts to become drug free. Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, and the Road to Recovery: Life on the Edge is an essential tool in both finding available resources for drug users and developing appropriate responses to today's drug problem.This remarkable, well-referenced book enables those with little or no background in science or health care to understand the complex issues surrounding drug use. It provides current, reliable, and unbiased information on methods for dealing with dependency upon alcohol and central nervous system depressants, hallucinogens, heroin, nicotine, marijuana, caffeine, amphetamines, designer drugs like Ecstasy, and steroids. A glossary listing common street names for drugs will be invaluable to those interested in identifying specific substances.This comprehensive volume will show you:
who typically uses drugs and the reasons why they do
how to classify mood-altering drugs
how to identify and treat drug dependency
areas of special concern such as multiple drug use, AIDS and drug use, drugs and pregnancy, drugs and sports, and drug testing technology
Chapter by chapter, this nonjudgmental book helps readers develop a better understanding of the effects of mood-altering substances and the reasons many continue to use them despite serious consequences. This is a valuable key to the nature of dependency and addiction, and the external forces (including poverty and homelessness) that promote such behavior.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
PART I. BASIC CONCEPTS
Chapter 1. Who Uses Drugs?
Drugs and the Young
Adults and Drug Use
Ethnicity and Drug Use
Drugs and the Work Place
Drug Use Among the Affluent
Summary
Chapter 2. Classifying Mood-Altering Drugs
Types of Classification
Differences and Similarities Among Drug Groups
Designer Drugs
Club Drugs
Performance-Enhancinhg Drugs
Summary
Chapter 3. Habituation, Dependency, and Addiction
Defining Terms
Effects of Drugs on the Brain
Chapter 4. Why People Use Drugs
Initiating Drug Use
Biological Determinants
Psychological Factors
Environment and Conditioning
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Identifying Inappropriate Drug Use and Drug Dependency
Signs and Symptoms of Drug Use
Addressing Drug Abuse in Your Children
Laboratory Aids to Identify Alcohol and Drug Use
Value of Identifying the Drug User
Chapter 6. Treating Drug Dependency
Available Treatment Modalities
Evaluation of Treatment
After Treatment
The Law and Drug Treatment
PART II. MOOD-ALTERING DRUGS
Chapter 7. Alcohol
Patterns of Use
Costs of Drinking
Common Alcoholic Beverages
How Alcohol Is Handled by the Body
Effects of Environment
Interaction with Other Drugs
Dependency and Withdrawal
Adverse Effects
Diagnosis
Reasons for Excessive Drinking
Alcoholism: A Disease or a Psychological Disorder?
Summary
Chapter 8. Central Nervous System Depressants and Antianxiety Agents
Patterns of Use
Barbiturates
Nonbarbiturate Hypnotics and Sedatives
Other Central Nervous System Depressants
Benzodiazepines
Miscellaneous Antianxiety Agents
Chapter 9. Powerful Hallucinogens, Phencyclidine, and Ecstasy
Classification
Adverse Effects of Hallucinogens
Ecstasy
Phencyclidine
Ketamine
Chapter 10. Marijuana
Reefer Madness
Patterns of Use
Tolerance, Dependency, and Withdrawal
Adverse Effects
Moving to Stronger Drugs
Medical Uses of Marijuana
Conclusion
Chapter 11. Opiates and Opioids
Opium Preparations
Action of Opioids on the Brain
Effects of Opioids on the Body
Tolerance, Dependency, and Withdrawal
Opioids Susceptible to Nonmedical Use
Opiate Agonists—Antagonists
Partial Opioid Receptor Agonists
Chapter 12. Heroin Addiction
Heroin from Opium: The Street Trade
Getting High and Coming Down
Prevalence
Adverse Effects
The Challenge of Treating Heroin Addiction
Measuring Treatment Effectiveness
Chapter 13. Amphetamines, Amphetamine-Like Drugs, and Caffeine
Amphetamines
Amphetamine-Like Drugs
Caffeine
Chapter 14. Cocaine
Patterns of Use
Cocaine Metabolism
Dependency, Tolerance, and Addiction
Adverse Effects of Cocaine
Treatment of Cocaine Dependency
Chapter 15. Nicotine
Cigarette Smokers Today
Available Nicotine Products
Ingredients in Tobacco
Dependency, Tolerance, Addiction, and Withdrawal
Adverse Effects of Smoking
Treatment
Chapter 16. Volatile Solvents, Anesthetics, and Organic Nitrites
Volatile Solvents
Anesthetic Agents
Organic Nitrites
PART III. AREAS OF SPECIAL CONCERN
Chapter 17. Multiple Drug Use
Alcohol and Other Drugs
Smoking and Drug Use
Opioids
Cocaine
Marijuana
Treatment
Chapter 18. AIDS and Drug Use
HIV: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Preventing HIV Transmission
Treatment of AIDS
Relationship Between the Use of Non-Injecting Mood-Altering Drugs and HIV Infection
Summary
Chapter 19. Drugs, Pregnancy, and the Newborn
Incidence of Drug Use During Pregnancy
General Effects of Drugs on Pregnancy Outcome
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Treatment of Drug Use and Dependency During Pregnancy
Prevention of Drug Use During Pregnancy
Chapter 20. Drugs and Sports
Stimulants
Anabolic Steroids
Growth Hormone
Erythropoietin
Detecting and Preventing Inappropriate Drug Use by Athletes
Appendix A. Drug Use Reporting Sources
Appendix B: List of Commong Names for Drugs
