Commonly Misused Substances
Accordining to SAMHSA’s 2009 National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Kit:
Commonly Misused Substances:
(23.2 million users needing treatment)
Alcohol
- Average first use is 16.8 years of age.
- 126.8 million people have used alcohol in the past month.
Marijuana - Member of the Cannabinoids: Hemp plant drugs made from shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers
Cocaine and “Crack” - Member of the Stimulants: Affect the nervous system by increasing alertness and mental and motor activity
- The average age of first use of marijuana among people 12 to 49 was 17.6 years.
- 14.4 million people aged 12 and over use marijuana.
- Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain.
- Feelings of exhilaration, increased energy, mental alertness
- In 2007, 610,000 million people used crack.
Ecstasy (MDMA)
- Ecstasy is a synthetic illicit drug causing both hallucinogenic and stimulant effects. It is generally sold as a tablet to be taken orally.
- In 2007, 503,000 million people used ecstacy.
Hallucinogens
- Hallucinogens, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin mushrooms, are drugs that disrupt a person’s ability to think and communicate rationally and can confuse one’s perception of reality.
- Drugs such as phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine, which were initially developed as general anesthetics for surgery, distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment and dissociation from the environment and self.
- In 2007, there were over 1 million people who used hallucinogens.
Prescription Drugs
- Reports indicate a growing concern about teens intentionally using prescription medicines to get high.
- In 2007, 5.2 people used pain relievers nonmedically.
Central nervous system (CNS) depressants
- These drugs affect the central nervous system by decreasing awareness and capacity to function. They are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders.
- All CNS depressants work by slowing the brain’s activity.
Stimulants
- Stimulants affect the nervous system by increasing alertness and mental and motor activity
- Methamphetamine (meth) and amphetamines are central nervous system stimulants. They can be consumed orally or by smoking, snorting, intravenous injection, or inhalation.
- The widespread production, distribution, and use of meth affect urban, suburban, and rural communities nationwide.
- In 2007, there were 529,000 users of meth.
Heroin/Opioids
- Herion is an Opioid, which is derived from morphine; most often prescribed to treat pain.
- Opioids are narcotics and include morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and codeine. They are prescribed by physicians to treat pain from cancer, terminal illness, severe injury, or surgery.
- In 2006, there were 200,000 heroin users.
Inhalants
- These are volatile substances which produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect.
- 616,000 people used these substances in 2007.
Tobacco
- An estimated 70.9 million Americans were users of a tobacco products in 2007.
- Overuse can cause breathing paralysis, damaged lungs and cardiovascular system, cancer, high blood pressure, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis.