Pain killers.

Pain killers are rising in America. A recent study showed that the use of pain killers in the past ten years has gone up four times. According to statistics compiled by the Partnership for a Drug Free America, nearly one in five teens, or a staggering 4.5 million kids age 12-19, reportedly abused prescription medications to get high last year.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the plague of substance abuse is due to the recession. People terrified of losing their jobs or their homes use prescription medications to cope with the economic downturn by anesthetizing themselves with painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin, which not only kill physical pain but emotional distress as well. The pain of withdrawal reinforces the addictive properties of analgesics that banish migraines as well as the blues.
Pain killers are highly addictive and are ruining lives and families across america. Some people get addicted when they get hurt and are actually prescribed them. Others get them from other people or go into doctors complaining about pain that they do not have in order to get them. Pain killers are beginning to be a huge problem in America that at this point seems unresolvable. 

LSD

LSD

LSD is the generic term for the hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide-25. Also in slang terms as acid. Acid can be taken a few different ways, the most common form of LSD is as a liquid that has been transferred onto a small paper square (known as "blotter") or as a microdot tablet. It is also found as a powder or crystal, dried on gelatin sheets, put into capsules or on sugar cubes, or laced with other drugs.

What does it do to the brain

Users feel the effects of LSD within 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion, and these effects may last as long as 12 hours. LSD causes hallucinogenic effects by disrupting the interaction of the neurotransmitter serotonin and nerve cells. Serotonin is involved in the control of behavioral, perceptual, and regulatory systems, such as mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, and muscle control.

Addiction

Though tolerance to LSD develops rapidly, it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior that is typical of addictive drugs, such as crack and heroin. The Drug Enforcement Administration cites four reasons for this. First, the long duration of the drug's effects means the user will not have to purchase the drug on a rapidly recurring basis. Second, tolerance develops so quickly that repeated ingestion is useless. Third, the inconsistent effects and potential adverse reactions lead to erratic use of LSD. Finally, the powerful hallucinations produced by LSD will often prompt users to abstain from use in order to recover and reorient.

Effects while people are using the drug

Visual hallucinations, ranging from intensified color or flashes of light to geometric designs to distortions of reality or completely new images seen with the eyes open or closed

Intensification of smells, sounds, and other sensations

Sense of heightened understanding

Distorted sense of time

Distorted perception of body and a sense of "depersonalization" in which the one feels one's mind has left one's body

Synethesia- a blending of sensory perception (i.e. "hear" colors or "see" sounds)

The sense that one is undergoing a profound mystical or religious experience

Methamphetamine.

Methamphetamine

What is it?

Methamphetamine also knows as meth or ice is a psychostimulant drug. It enters the brain and releases dopamine and serotonin. Meth is a white, odorless, crystalline powder. It can be taken orally, snorted, smoked, or injected.

What effects does it have on the user?

Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many negative health consequences, including extreme weight loss, severe dental problems, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. Chronic methamphetamine abusers can also display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions.

How does it affect society?

Methamphetamine plays a huge roll in the transfering of HIV. Many meth users reuse needles because they do not think clearly.  
Studies of methamphetamine abusers who are HIV-positive indicate that HIV causes greater neuronal injury and cognitive impairment for individuals in this group compared with HIV-positive people who do not use the drug.

How many users in the U.S?

Fortunately the number of meth users has been declining the most recent study, in 2008, showed that 314,000 people were users.

Ecstasy in the United States.

Ecstasy.

Ecstasy has become popular in the United States as a "party drug". Also known as MDMA or other street names such as E, ex, rolls, or skittles. Many teens in the United States take ecstasy when partying or going to raves. 

What is it?

Ecstasy is MDMA, or 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine. It belongs to a family of drugs called "entactogens". Other drugs in this category include MDA, MDE and MBDB.
MDMA is a "mood elevator" that produces a relaxed, euphoric state. It does not produce hallucinations.

What are the effects?

MDMA takes effect 20 to 40 minutes after taking a tablet, with little rushes of exhilaration which can be accompanied by nausea. 60 to 90 minutes after taking the drug, the user feels the peak effects.
Sensations are enhanced and the user experiences heightened feelings of empathy, emotional warmth, and self-acceptance.
Users report that the experience is very pleasant and highly controllable. Even at the peak of the effect, people can usually deal with important matters.
The effect that makes MDMA different from other drugs is empathy, the sensation of understanding and accepting others.

Who uses it?

Ecstasy is used most often by young adults and adolescents at clubs, raves (large, all-night dance parties), and rock concerts.  Its abuse is increasingly reported in metropolitan areas.

Ecstasy is not physically addictive, though many people try to use it as a short term anti depressant. 

Cocaine in America.

What is cocaine?

Cocaine is a narcotic extracted from coca leaves; used as a surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become powerfully addictive.  Cocaine is a stimulant drug which means it makes users feel more alert and energetic.

Who uses cocaine?

In 2002, an estimated 1.5 million Americans could be classified as dependent on or abusing cocaine in the past 12 months.  Adults 18 to 25 years old have a higher rate of current cocaine use than those in any other age group. Overall, men have a higher rate of current cocaine use than do women. Also, according to the 2002 NSDUH, estimated rates of current cocaine users were 2.0 percent for American Indians or Alaskan Natives, 1.6 percent for African-Americans,
0.8 percent for both Whites and Hispanics, 0.6 percent for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders, and 0.2 percent for Asians.

How is cocaine dangerous?

Cocaine causes the blood vessels to thicken and constrict, reducing the flow of oxygen to the heart. At the same time, cocaine causes the heart muscle to work harder, leading to heart attack or stroke, even in healthy people. Cocaine raises blood pressure, which can explode weakened blood vessels in the brain. A person can overdose on even a small amount of cocaine. Overdose can cause seizures and heart failure. It can cause breathing to become weak or stop altogether. There is no antidote to cocaine overdose.  Chronic use can also cause weight loss, malnutrition, poor health, sexual problems, infertility and loss of social and financial supports.

How does cocaine affect society?

Cocaine leads to more violence, just like many other drugs. It also affects people at work and cocaine users are more likely to have accidents and cost companies more money.

Heroin in the United States!

The second most popular drug in the United States as of 2009 is Heroin. Heroin is a derivative of morphine and a form of an opiate. It can be smoked sniffed or injected. It is a very powerful pain killer and users experience exhilaration and a sense of well being.

The average heroin user is a white male in his late teens.

In 2004 a study showed that 1.4 percent of Americans have tried heroin.

Many people believe that heroin is the worst drug due to how hard it is to get off of and the withdrawals.

The withdrawals of heroin are usually horrible. The symptoms of withdrawal are physical pain, nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea, shaking twitching and a very strong craving for the soothing effects of the drug. Very few people can cope with withdrawal and this drives people to commit crimes to fund their next drug purchase.

Heroin addicts contribute to a lot of drug crime in the United States, this is because how awful the addiction is. Addicts will do just about anything to get more heroin when they run out. When on heroin many users don't know as much about what they are doing and there surroundings.

Marijuana in the United States.

An estimated 12.8 million Americans are drug users. This means that they use drugs on a daily basis. Although this number is extremely high it has decreased from the high number in 1979 of twenty five million! Maybe it is because there is now a lot more education on drugs in schools. There are now programs like DARE that educate young people on what drugs are and how they affect you.
Who are the drug users?
Although drug users are not limited to any group some groups have higher rates then others. The highest rate of drug users is is found among older teenagers ages 16- 18. Men have always had a higher rate of drug use then woman. Among races it seems that the most drug users are Native Americans/ American Indian people. Followed by mixed race, African Americans, Hispanics, and white. The race with the lowest accounted drug use is Asians.
College graduates have the lowest rate of drug use.

What is used?
The most common drug to date is marijuana. Three out of four drug users use marijuana, in addition to the other drugs they are doing. It is believed that marijuana is the most available illegal drug in the United States. Prices have remained the same over the past decade. 400 dollars to 1000 dollars per pound in the southwest boarder areas and 700 dollars to 2000 dollars per pound in the midwest and northeast.

What is marijuana?
Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It is a mild hallucinogen. It is said to calm down nerves and decrease stress.

How does marijuana affect society?
Marijuana is said to affect society both positively and negatively.
The negatives are it leads to more crime, it leads to use of other drugs, it leads to more violence, cost, and dependancy.
The positives are it can be used as a healing drug for the ill.

Drugs affect our community!

Drug use is becoming a huge issue not only morally but economically. There are many ways drugs affect our community, one of which being the crime rates dramatically increase with drug users being around. In the United States in 1999 the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an estimated 1,577,100 arrests for drug related crimes. This was 11 years ago and it seems that it just keeps going up. Many violent acts are caused by drug users. Drug dealers often have altercations with one and other and cause innocent people to be in harms way. For example when they do drive byes.
 Children are put in danger when they are brought up around drugs. Children raised around drug users are often abused or neglected. Many of them proceed to be drug users themselves. They often become criminals as well. I feel that if people choose to do drugs they should not have children because it affects them so greatly.

Drugs have a huge impact on our society.

Who I am:
My name is Jessica. Everyone calls me Jae. I am a freshman at a local college in Ohio called columbus state I am beginning to explore how drugs affect our society and the people who do them. I have had this question for some time and I feel that its time to get the answers!

What I know:
I know that drugs have a huge impact on our society in this day in age.
Drugs control many people around us.
Prescription drugs are becoming a huge deal in Ohio and across the globe.

What I want to learn:
Who do drugs effect?
Why do people do drugs?
What type of drug is the most popular?
When did drug use become such a huge issue?

Three interesting facts:
Recreational drugs are not limited to any particular group in society.
Drug addiction now rises from unsuspected sources such as legally prescribed and over the counter medications being given to society’s most respected members.
Drug and Alcohol addiction has an economic impact of 67 billion per year.