Some key findings from the Council of State Governments study on Prescription Drug Abuse in America (from 2004). The report is obviously a bit outdated but the problem continues to grow. More than 6.2 million people were current illicit users of prescription drugs in 2002. In 2001, prescription drug abuse and misuse were estimated to [...]

Some interesting details and data from Texas government web site. Drug users constitute a large and growing proportion of the criminal justice population. Drug users not only commit a substantial amount of crime, but as the frequency of drug use increases, the frequency of crime increases and the severity of crimes committed also increases. Drug [...]

An Obscure Hallucinogen Gains Legitimacy as a Solution for Addictions Ibogaine, a brown powder derived from the African Tabernathe iboga plant, has intrigued researchers since 1962, when Howard Lotsof, a student at New York University and an opiate addict, found that a single dose erased his drug cravings without causing any withdrawal symptoms. Unfortunately, the [...]

Principles of Effective Treatment from the United States National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service Drug addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persist even in the face of devastating consequences. While the path to drug addiction begins with the voluntary [...]

The US Department of Health & Human Services Substance – Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration reports a significant decline in the misuse of prescription drugs. The misuse of prescription drugs decreased significantly between 2007 and 2008 among those aged 12 and older, including among adolescents, according to 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and [...]

Prescription drug abuse: Pain conditions can lead to addictions by Jennifer Wezensky According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 6.9 million people ages 12 or older used prescription medications for nonmedical use in the month before being surveyed. That total included 5.2 million using pain relievers, 1.8 million using [...]

Methamphetamine Abuse Costs U.S. $23.4 Billion Almost two-thirds of the costs caused by methamphetamine use resulted from the burden of addiction and the estimated 900 premature deaths among users in 2005. The second largest cost category was crime and criminal justice, including the costs of arresting and jailing drug offenders and dealing with non-drug crimes [...]

Brett Favre’s addiction to painkillers (1996) After the seizure had ended and he had come to his senses, Favre looked into a sea of concerned medical faces and saw Packers associate team physician John Gray. “You’ve just suffered a seizure, Brett,” Gray told him. “People can die from those.” Favre’s heart sank. Upon hearing from [...]

The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is part of the United States Department for Health and Human Services. CSAT promote the quality and availability of community-based substance abuse treatment services. CSAT also supports free treatment referral service to link people with the community-based substance abuse services they need. The treatment locator includes more than 11,000 [...]