Drug Abuse: Home

Provides information about abuse of illegal drugs and misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Describes specific drugs, their health impacts, addiction potential, and harms to individuals, families and communities. Drug treatment and recovery options and information on drug testing and drug-use prevention.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a renowned behavioral neuroscientist and recovering addict, a rare page-turning work of science that draws on personal insights to reveal how drugs work, the dangerous hold they can take on the brain, and the surprising way to combat today's epidemic of addiction. Judith Grisel was a daily drug user and college dropout when she began to consider that her addiction might have a cure, one that she herself could perhaps discover by studying the brain. Now, after twenty-five years as a neuroscientist, she shares what she and other scientists have learned about addiction, enriched by captivating glimpses of her personal journey.      In Never Enough, Grisel reveals the unfortunate bottom line of all regular drug use: there is no such thing as a free lunch. All drugs act on the brain in a way that diminishes their enjoyable effects and creates unpleasant ones with repeated use. Yet they have their appeal, and Grisel draws on anecdotes both comic and tragic from her own days of using as she limns the science behind the love of various drugs, from marijuana to alcohol, opiates to psychedelics, speed to spice.      With more than one in five people over the age of fourteen addicted, drug abuse has been called the most formidable health problem worldwide, and Grisel delves with compassion into the science of this scourge. She points to what is different about the brains of addicts even before they first pick up a drink or drug, highlights the changes that take place in the brain and behavior as a result of chronic using, and shares the surprising hidden gifts of personality that addiction can expose. She describes what drove her to addiction, what helped her recover, and her belief that a "cure" for addiction will not be found in our individual brains but in the way we interact with our communities.      Set apart by its color, candor, and bell-clear writing, Never Enough is a revelatory look at the roles drugs play in all of our lives and offers crucial new insight into how we can solve the epidemic of abuse.

Prescription drugs are a basic and invaluable part of society today, but there is debate surrounding the methods of testing new drugs, the possible misuse of prescription drugs, and the economics of drug production and use.This book examines the evolution of prescription drugs in the United States, as well as the formation of the pharmaceutical industry. It begins with a history of prescription drugs, dating back to their origins, then moves through the Industrial Revolution and into the present day. It also delves into the issues and controversies related to prescription drugs, such as drug costs, regulations, prescription drug abuse, insurance complications, and more. Both implemented and proposed solutions are also discussed. One of the most valuable aspects of the book is that it surveys the history of prescription drugs in a manner that helps the reader identify key issues in an easy-to-understand fashion. Finally, the perspectives chapter allows a broad range of voices to be heard, allowing crucial, diverse perspectives to round out the author's expertise.

Americans spend more than 460 billion dollars on prescription drugs annually, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Not all of this medication is helping us. Unnecessary and improper use of medication is responsible for an extremely high number of hospital visits and deaths each year. In addition, the cost of many medications can be prohibitive. Are we taking too many drugs? Why are prescription drugs in the United States so expensive? Does the pharmaceutical industry work for our best interest? The perspectives in this volume delve into the many facets of the controversies pertaining to prescription drugs.

Principles of Health: Prescription Drug Abuse is an important and timely volume that addresses a serious public health issue in the United States. Prescription drug abuse takes many forms, from taking a friend's painkillers for your backache to misusing pills to lose weight or get high. Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 20 million have misused prescription medications in the past year. The three classes of medications most commonly misused are opioids (usually prescribed to treat pain); central nervous system depressants (used to treat anxiety and sleeplessness); and stimulants (most often prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy).