Alcohol
Coffee and a cold shower will sober you up faster
Myth
On average, it takes 2 to 3 hours for a single drink to leave the body. Nothing can speed up the process, including drinking coffee, taking a cold shower, or "walking it off.“
You can get addicted to marijuana
Fact
Marijuana can lead to the development of marijuana use disorder. People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are 4-7x more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder
Prescription drugs are safe because a doctor prescribed them
Myth
Some prescription drugs are highly addictive such as fentanyl, oxycodone, vicodin (hydrocodone) although they might be prescribed for pain treatment many people become addicted and doctors often overprescribe
Methamphetamine use can lead to skin and dental problems
Fact
Skin sores are caused from scratching (hallucinating that there are insects crawling on them or in their skin) and meth reduces the amount of protective saliva around the teeth. People who use the drug also tend to drink a lot of sugary soda, neglect personal hygiene, grind their teeth, and clench their jaws
You can get addicted to alcohol at any age
Fact
Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) are medical conditions that doctors diagnose when someone’s drinking causes them distress or harm. In 2014 about 679,000 young people ages 12-17 had an AUD. Even more important, the younger the use of alcohol the more likely one is to develop an AUD later in life
Because marijuana is natural, it is safer to use than other drugs
Myth
Just because something is natural does not mean it is safe. A couple of natural drugs are mushrooms and cocaine. Marijuana has over 400 chemicals, and can also be laced with other drugs
Most people addicted to heroin started using prescription drug first
Fact
In a study on young injection drug users, 86% had used opioid prescription drugs non-medically before switching to heroin
Methamphetamine use can lead to many serious health issues
Fact
Even at a young age, methamphetamine use can lead to: a stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and death
Drinking alcohol has no health effects, unless you are an alcoholic
Myth
Drinking alcohol increases your risk for certain cancers such as: mouth, esophagus, liver, and breast cancer
Marijuana use does not harm the brain
Myth
Marijuana use affects the developing brain and causes: memory loss, decreased learning ability, decreased judgement ability, lack of impulse control, lack of self-control, loss of motor skills, muscle movements and actions
Drug overdoses are not common
Myth
On average there are 115 deaths per day from opioid overdoses. More than 72,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2017
Only poor people use methamphetamine
Myth
Methamphetamine causes users to have an abundance of energy, so people in high stress jobs such as CEOs use, as well as commuters, physical labor workers, and people in between