Search Results for: Drug Use
Substance use in TV and the Media
Substance use is represented everywhere. Drugs and alcohol are mentioned in music, movies, TV shows, and on social media. Though some substance use in media is meant to be educational, often, casual appearances of substances can glorify substance use. Can seeing substances in movies, TV, or music videos actually impact substance use amongst our population? […]
Use, Misuse, and Abuse
There are a number of different terms associated with substance use and substance use disorder. Distinguishing between substance use, substance misuse, and substance abuse can be a key component to education. Substance use is as simple as it sounds: using drugs and alcohol. This would include any kind of alcohol, marijuana, heroin, prescription opiates, or […]
Military Life and Substance Use
Approximately one in ten veterans have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, which is slightly higher than the general population. This can be because this particular population is often more directly affected by issues such as PTSD, long-lasting or chronic pain, suicidal ideation, and homelessness – which can all directly correlate to increased substance […]
How Childhood Development Can Impact Substance Use in Adults
Child development is marked by important transitions between developmental periods and the achievement of successive developmental milestones. How successfully or unsuccessfully a child meets the demands and challenges arising from a given transition, and whether the child meets milestones on an appropriate schedule, can affect his or her future course of development, including risk for substance use or other mental, emotional, or behavioral problems during adolescence. […]
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Substance Use in College-age Young Adults
This section features the most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results on substance use in college-age adults ages 19 to 22, including patterns of marijuana and alcohol use, nicotine use, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs. It also covers newer trends, such as use of e-vaporizers and hookahs. In 2018, the survey identified statistics related to e-vaporizer use of nicotine and marijuana separately from other smoking forms. […]
Screening for Substance Use in the Pain Management Setting
While there are evidence based screening tools validated for internal medicine settings, more research is needed to determine best screening practices in patients needing pain management. Many demographic, physical, and psychosocial factors can predict opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain. […]
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What Happens to the Brain When a Person Uses Substances?
Most substances affect the brain’s “reward circuit,” causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking substances, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again. […]
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Could Your Kids Be at Risk for Substance Use or Misuse?
Parents are often concerned that their children will start (or are already) using drugs such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and others—including the misuse of prescription drugs. Research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) shows the important role that parents play in preventing drug use in their children. […]
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How Common Are Substance Use Issues at the Same Time as Other Mental Illnesses?
Many people who have a substance use disorder also develop other mental illnesses, just as many people who are diagnosed with mental illness are often diagnosed with a substance use disorder. For example, about half of people who experience a mental illness will also experience a substance use disorder at some point in their lives and vice versa. […]
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What Factors Increase the Risk for Substance Use Disorders?
Although we know what happens to the brain when someone becomes addicted, we can’t predict how many times a person must use a substance before developing a Substance Use Disorder. A combination of factors related to your genes, environment, and your personal development increases the chance that taking substance will lead to addiction. […]
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Substance Use in Youth: What Are Risk Factors and Protective Factors?
Risk and protective factors can affect children at different stages of their lives. At each stage, risks occur that can be changed through prevention intervention. Early childhood risks, such as aggressive behavior, can be changed or prevented with family, school, and community interventions that focus on helping children develop appropriate, positive behaviors. If not addressed, negative behaviors can lead to more risks, such as academic failure and social difficulties, which put children at further risk for later substance use. […]
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What Does the Life Course Perspective Show About Risk for Substance Use and How to Prevent It?
Child development is marked by important transitions between developmental periods and the achievement of successive developmental milestones. How successfully or unsuccessfully a child meets the demands and challenges arising from a given transition, and whether the child meets milestones on an appropriate schedule, can affect his or her future course of development, including risk for substance use or other mental, emotional, or behavioral problems during adolescence. […]
Why is Early Childhood Important to Substance Use Prevention?
Abundant research in psychology, human development, and other fields has shown that events and circumstances early in peoples’ lives influence future decisions, life events, and life circumstances—or what is called the life course trajectory. People who use substances typically begin doing so during adolescence or young adulthood, but the ground may be prepared for substance use much earlier, by circumstances and events that affect the child during the first several years of life and even before birth. […]
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Understanding the Basics of Substance Use Disorders
Substance Use Disorder is not a choice. Nobody is born with the idea that they want to choose to become addicted and lose control over their desire, intense desire to take substances. It’s something that you may have the vulnerability because actually, you have a genetic risk, family history, or because you have a very stressful environmental upbringing. The choice starts, and again it’s relative when you are exposed for the first time to the substance. And then some people become addicted and others do not. And that’s where a lot of the research is going. To try to understand what are the differences in that transition. […]
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Principles of Substance Use Treatment for Criminal Justice Populations
Substance use is implicated in at least three types of drug-related offenses: (1) offenses defined by substance possession or sales, (2) offenses directly related to substance use (e.g., stealing to get money for substances), and (3) offenses related to a lifestyle that predisposes the individual to engage in illegal activity, for example, through association with other offenders or with illicit markets […]
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National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS)
The National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) was first funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in 2014 as an expansion of its longstanding Community Epidemiology Workgroup (CEWG). Ongoing data collection will provide an integrated and comprehensive characterization of drug use and availability by synthesizing traditional, indirect sources with new, direct sources of data, as well as on-the-ground epidemiologic investigations within high-priority areas of concern. […]
Why Do People Use Substances?
Using a substance can feel really good for a short time. That’s why people keep taking them—to have those good feelings again and again. But even though someone can take more and more of a substance, the good feelings don’t last. Soon the person is taking the substance just to keep from feeling bad. […]
Comorbidity: Substance Use Disorders and Other Mental Illnesses
Substance use disorders change the brain in fundamental ways, changing a person’s normal needs and desires and replacing them with new priorities connected with seeking and using the substance. This results in compulsive behaviors that weaken the ability to control impulses, despite the negative consequences, and are similar to hallmarks of other mental illnesses. […]
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Principles of Substance Use Treatment for Adolescents
Adolescence is a key window of vulnerability for using substances and developing substance use issues. The still-developing teenage brain is prone to act on impulse, take risks, and follow the influence of peers. […]
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Commonly Used Substances
Many substances can alter a person’s thinking and judgment, and can lead to health risks, including addiction, drugged driving, infectious disease, and adverse effects on pregnancy. Information on commonly used substances with the potential for misuse or addiction can be found here. […]
How Can the Community Evaluate the Impact of Its Program on Substance Use?
Evaluating community prevention programs can be challenging. Community leaders often consult with evaluation experts, such as local universities or State agencies, to assist in evaluation design. […]
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Words Matter – Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Substance Use
Learn background information and tips to keep in mind while using person-first language, as well as terms to avoid to reduce stigma and negative bias when discussing Substance Use Disorders. […]
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Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Often Happen Together
Many people who have substance use issues also have other mental health problems like depression, anxiety or Bipolar disorder. […]
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My Child or Loved One Has a Substance Use Issue… How Will We Pay for Treatment?
If your child has health insurance, it may cover substance use treatment services. Many insurance plans offer inpatient stays. When setting up appointments with treatment centers, you can ask about payment options and what insurance plans they take. They can also advise you on low-cost options. […]
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Substance Use and SUDs in LGBTQ* Populations
People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) often face social stigma, discrimination, and other challenges not encountered by people who identify as heterosexual. They also face a greater risk of harassment and violence. As a result of these and other stressors, sexual minorities are at increased risk for various behavioral health issues.
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Does My Loved One’s Relapse Mean They Won’t Ever Get Over Their Substance Use?
It’s common for a person to relapse, but relapse doesn’t mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs. […]
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I’m a Teen With a Substance Use Issue… Where Do I Start?
Asking for help is the first important step. If you have a good relationship with your parents, you should start there. […]
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Women and substance use
Gender-related substance use treatment should attend not only to biological differences but also to social and environmental factors, all of which can influence the motivations for substance use, the reasons for seeking treatment, the types of environments where treatment is obtained, the treatments that are most effective, and the consequences of not receiving treatment. […]
Can Substance Use be Treated?
Yes! People who get treatment and stick with it can stop using or misusing substances. Recovery from substance use is a commitment to stopping use and learning new ways of thinking, feeling and dealing with problems. […]
Do I Have a Substance Use Disorder?
If you can’t stop using a substance, even if you want to, or the urge to use a substance feels too strong to control, you could be struggling with a substance use disorder. Ask yourself questions like: 1. Have I ever tried to stop using this substance but couldn’t? 2. Have I ever thought you couldn’t fit in or have a good time without using a substance? […]
Substance User Disorder and Pregnancy
Using substances during pregnancy poses health risks for both the pregnant individual and the unborn child in the long and short term. The majority of substances (including opioids and stimulants) have proven to be harmful by possibly increasing the risk of miscarriage or causing migraines, seizers, or high blood pressure to the mother, which can […]
If Taking Substances Makes People Feel Good or Better, What’s the Problem?
When they first use a substance, people may perceive what seem to be positive effects. They also may believe they can control their use. But substances can quickly take over a person’s life. Over time, if drug use continues, other pleasurable activities become less pleasurable, and the person has to take the substance just to feel “normal.” […]
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How Science Has Revolutionized the Understanding of Substance Addiction
For much of the past century, scientists studying drugs and drug use labored in the shadows of powerful myths and misconceptions about the nature of addiction. When scientists began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, people with an addiction were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. […]
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Xylazine Spurring Increase in Overdose Deaths
While there has been a great deal of discussion about the dangers of opiates, other drugs that are just as deadly have been linked to an increase in overdose deaths. Xylazine, a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer, is knowingly or unknowingly being used in combination with other drugs. Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” rivals fentanyl as a […]
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Talking to your kids about substances
Talking to your children about drugs and alcohol early and often is a key part of prevention. One conversation isn’t enough. Parents and guardians should create a safe space where children feel free to be open and honest, and have small frequent conversations about substances. Children can be intimidated by a formal, sit-down talk at […]
The Teenage Vaping Epidemic
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 26.6% of high school seniors vaped nicotine in the past year. Vaping devices or e-cigarettes are the most commonly used form of nicotine among youth in the U.S. Commonly referred to as vapes, the devices are appealing to young people because of their convenience, size, and the […]
Naloxone – Know the Facts
What is naloxone? Naloxone is a medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose, most popularly known by the name brand Narcan. Specifically, naloxone allows an overdose victim to breathe normally. It is not addictive and cannot be abused. When do you need naloxone? Naloxone should be administered to anyone who may be overdosing […]
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Monitoring the Future Study: Trends in Prevalence of Various Substances
Trends in Prevalence of Various Substances for 8th Graders, 10th Graders, and 12th Graders; 2017 – 2020 (in percent)* […]
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Validated Screening Tools
The Screening and Assessment Tools Chart provides a comprehensive guide and links to evidence-based screening and assessment tools you can use with your patients from adolescence to adulthood. It is organized by substance type, patient age, and administration method to help you find the right tool for your practice. […]
Genetics: The Blueprint of Health and Disease
Why do some people become addicted while others don’t? Family studies that include identical twins, fraternal twins, adoptees, and siblings suggest that as much as half of a person’s risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, alcohol, or other substances depends on his or her genetic makeup. Finding the biological basis for this risk is an important avenue of research for scientists trying to solve the problem of substance use. […]
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The Importance of Prevention in Addressing the Opioid Crisis
As our communities, healthcare systems, and government agencies join in the effort to reverse the epidemic of opioid overdoses and solve the opioid crisis, it is not enough to focus all our resources on treating people who are already addicted to opioids. Keeping people who do not have an opioid use disorder from becoming addicted is an equally important task. […]
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How Do We Get More Substance-using People Into Treatment?
Reducing the gap between people using substances and treatment opportunities requires a multipronged approach. Strategies include increasing access to effective treatment, achieving insurance parity, reducing stigma, and raising awareness among both patients and healthcare professionals of the value of substance use treatment. […]
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Alcohol
People may drink to socialize, celebrate, or relax. Alcohol often has a strong effect on people—and throughout history, people have struggled to understand and manage alcohol’s power. Why does alcohol cause people to act and feel differently? How much is too much? […]
Understanding Relapse
A person who’s trying to stop using substances can make mistakes, feel bad, and start using again. This return to substance use is called a relapse. Relapse is common and normal and happens to a lot of people recovering from substance use disorders. People will often have one or more relapses along the way. It takes practice to learn how to live without using substances. […]
Tobacco/Nicotine and Vaping
Tobacco and vaping devices contain nicotine, an ingredient that can lead to addiction, which is why so many people who smoke or vape find it difficult to quit. […]
Defining Recovery
Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. Even people with severe and chronic substance use disorders can, with help, overcome their illness and regain health and social function. […]
Monitoring the Future
Since 1975 the MTF survey has measured substance and alcohol use and related attitudes among adolescent students nationwide. Survey participants report their substance use behaviors across three time periods: lifetime, past year, and past month. […]
How Do Substances Work in the Brain to Produce Pleasure?
Nearly all substances directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors. When activated at normal levels, this system rewards our natural behaviors. Overstimulating the system with substance, however, produces effects which strongly reinforce the behavior of substance use, teaching the person to repeat it. […]
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MAT (Medical-Assisted Treatment) Medications
FDA has approved several different medications to treat alcohol and opioid use disorders MAT medications relieve the withdrawal symptoms and psychological cravings that cause chemical imbalances in the body. Medications used for MAT are evidence-based treatment options and do not just substitute one drug for another. […]
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Lessons from Prevention Research
Prevention programs are generally designed for use in a particular setting, such as at home, at school, or within the community, but can be adapted for use in several settings. In addition, programs are also designed with the intended audience in mind: for everyone in the population, for those at greater risk, and for those already involved with substances or other problem behaviors. Some programs can be geared for more than one audience. […]
Treatment Episode Data Set
The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) compiles client-level data for substance use treatment admissions from State Agency data systems. State data systems collect data from facilities about their admissions to treatment and discharges from treatment. TEDS is an admissions based system, but it does not include all admissions. […]
Set Limits with Your Kids
Setting limits helps parents teach self-control and responsibility, show care, and provide safe boundaries. It also provides youth with guidelines and teaches them the importance of following rules. Be ready to follow through. […]
Why Do Some People Become Addicted to Substances, While Others Do Not?
As with other diseases and disorders, the likelihood of developing a Substance Use Disorder differs from person to person, and no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to substances. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking substances will lead to continued substance use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person’s risk. Risk and protective factors may be either environmental or biological. […]
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Parenting Programs Lead to Healthier Behaviors
A study conducted among 517 youth in the rural areas of the southeastern United States demonstrates the effectiveness of a parenting enhancement program in both preventing substance use and obesity, two potentially life-threatening conditions for which people living in disadvantaged communities are at an elevated risk. […]
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Encouragement is a Key Part of Prevention
Encouragement is key to building confidence and a strong sense of self and helps parents promote cooperation and reduce conflict. Many successful people remember the encouragement of a parent, teacher, or other adults. Consistent encouragement helps youth feel good about themselves and gives them the confidence to try new activities, tackle different tasks, explore creativity, and make new friends. […]
Know Your Child’s Friends
Childhood is a period of major growth and change. Youth tend to be uncertain about themselves and how they “fit in,” and at times they can feel overwhelmed by a need to please and impress their friends. These feelings can leave children open to peer pressure. Knowing your child’s friends and peers helps parents improve communication, reduce conflict, and teach responsibility. […]
Prevention Tips for All Ages
Research-backed prevention techniques are available for people of all ages. Whether your loved one is just starting junior high or an adult going through a difficult season, it’s critical to keep lines of communication open and to always come from a place of love and support rather than judgement. […]
Behavioral Therapies
Behavioral approaches help engage people in substance use treatment, provide incentives for them to remain abstinent, modify their attitudes and behaviors, and increase their life skills to handle stressful circumstances and environmental cues that could trigger cravings. […]
My Friend has Considered Treatment but is Afraid of What Others Will Think. What Can I Tell My Friend?
Many employers, friends, and family members will be compassionate if they see a person is making a sincere effort to recover from a substance use problem. But you can also reassure your friend that laws protect the privacy of a person seeking drug treatment—or in fact, any medical treatment. […]
If I Seek Treatment, I’m Worried Other People Will Find Out
You can tell your employer or friends you need to go on medical leave. If you talk to your doctor or another medical expert, privacy laws prevent them from sharing your medical information with anyone outside of the healthcare system without your permission. In addition, most health care providers who specialize in addiction treatment can’t share your information with anyone (even other providers) without your written permission. […]
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If I Seek Treatment, What Will the Doctor Ask Me?
The doctor will ask you a series of questions about your use of alcohol and substances and other risky behaviors like driving under the influence or riding with other people who have been using substances or alcohol. Your doctor can help you the best if you tell the truth. The doctor might also ask for a urine and/or blood test. This will provide important information about your substance use and how it is affecting your health. […]
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Do I Need a 12-step or Self-help Program?
Though all treatment is unique to the individual, self-help groups can complement and extend the effects of professional treatment. The most prominent self-help groups are those affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA), all of which are based on the 12-step model. […]
What Should I Look for in a Treatment Center?
Treatment approaches must be tailored to address each patient’s substance use patterns and also other medical, psychiatric, and social problems. Some treatment centers offer outpatient treatment programs, which allow patients to continue to perform some daily responsibilities. However, many people do better in inpatient (residential) treatment. […]
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Learning the Triggers
Substance use changes the function of the brain, and many things can “trigger” substance cravings within the brain. While a loved one is in treatment, it is critical to learn how to recognize, avoid and help them cope with the triggers they will face in the outside world. […]
If My Teen or Young Adult Confides in Their Doctor, Will I be Able to Find Out What’s Going on?
If your child talks to a doctor or other medical expert, privacy laws might prevent that expert from sharing the information with you. However, you can speak to the doctor before your child’s appointment and express your concerns, so the doctor knows the importance of a substance use screening in your child’s situation. In addition, most health care providers that specialize in substance treatment can’t share your information with anyone (even other providers) without your written permission. […]
What Helps People Stay in Treatment?
Because successful outcomes often depend on a person’s staying in treatment long enough to reap its full benefits, strategies for keeping people in treatment are critical. Whether a patient stays in treatment depends on factors associated with both the individual and the program. Individual factors related to engagement and retention typically include motivation to change drug-using behavior; degree of support from family and friends; and, frequently, pressure from the criminal justice system, child protection services, employers, or family. […]
Where Can Family Members go for Information on Treatment Options?
Trying to locate appropriate treatment for a loved one, especially finding a program tailored to an individual’s particular needs, can be a difficult process. However, there are some resources to help with this process […]
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Managing Patients’ Pain: Insights From a Primary Care Provider
Pain interference is a measure of a person’s difficulty with performing daily, social, or work-related tasks that is due to pain. Pain self-efficacy is a person’s confidence in his or her ability to manage pain. A study with participants with high pain intensity aimed to determine characteristics associated with high pain interference. […]
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