alcohol
What are the health risks of heavy alcohol use?
Alcohol can lead to a wide range of issues, including heart disease, cancers (like head and neck, pancreatic, and breast), and liver damage. It can also cause vitamin deficiencies and impair brain function and sleep.
What is in a vape?
The aerosol from a vape can contain nicotine, flavorings, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals like lead and tin, and ultrafine particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs
What is methamphetamine and what does it look like?
What is heroin and where does it come from?
Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal opioid drug made from morphine, a natural substance extracted from the seed pods of opium poppy plants. It can appear as a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance known as "black tar" heroin.
What are the short-term effects of cocaine use?
Immediately after use, cocaine produces intense, short-lived feelings of euphoria, increased energy, alertness, talkativeness, and heightened sensitivity to sensory input. Physiological effects can include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
How much alcohol is too much?
Standard guidelines often suggest limiting intake to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four drinks for women or five for men in a two-hour period, which can lead to memory loss or "blackouts".
How addictive is vaping?
Vaping is highly addictive, especially because most products contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical.
How is methamphetamine typically used, and what are its immediate effects?
Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected (after being dissolved in liquid), or taken orally. Smoking or injecting produces an immediate and intense, but short-lived, rush of euphoria. Immediate effects include increased wakefulness, physical activity, confidence, talkativeness, and a decreased appetite. Negative short-term effects can include a rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, anxiety, paranoia, and potential stroke or fatal overdose
How is heroin used and what are its immediate effects?
People inject, sniff, snort, or smoke heroin. The method of use determines how quickly it reaches the brain. Immediately after taking the drug, users often experience a "rush" (a surge of pleasure), followed by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, heavy feelings in the limbs, and clouded mental functioning. Users then typically become drowsy for several hours, and their breathing and heart rate slow down.
What are the long-term effects and health risks?
Long-term use can lead to severe health issues, including heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and seizures. The specific problems depend on how it's used: snorting can cause loss of smell and damage to the nasal septum, while smoking can lead to lung damage and breathing problems. Mental health issues like severe paranoia, anxiety, depression, and hallucinations are also common.
What are the signs of a potential alcohol problem?
A person may have a problem if they have trouble stopping after a few drinks, feel guilty about their drinking, or find themselves needing a drink to get started in the morning. Other signs include hiding their drinking habits, or if drinking interferes with work, family life, or relationships
Is vaping safe?
No, vaping is not safe and carries significant health risks, such as potential damage to the lungs and heart, irritation of the airways, and it is linked to lung injury like EVALI.
What are the long-term health risks of chronic meth use?
Long-term methamphetamine use can cause severe physical and mental health problems. Physical effects include extreme weight loss, severe dental problems ("meth mouth"), skin sores from incessant scratching, and damage to the heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs. Mental health impacts can include chronic anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, memory loss, and symptoms of psychosis (hallucinations and delusions).
Can a person overdose on heroin, and is it possible to reverse an overdose?
Yes, a person can easily overdose on heroin, which can cause slow and shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, and even death. The risk of overdose is increased by the unknown purity of street heroin (which is often cut with substances like fentanyl, an opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine) and by mixing it with other depressants like alcohol. A heroin/opioid overdose can be temporarily reversed with the medication naloxone if administered promptly.
Is cocaine addictive, and why is it hard to quit?
Yes, cocaine is highly addictive. It causes a surge of dopamine in the brain's reward circuit, which makes the user feel good and creates a strong desire to repeat the experience. Over time, the brain adapts, requiring more of the drug to achieve the same effect, which leads to physical dependence and addiction. Withdrawal symptoms like depression, fatigue, and intense cravings make it very difficult to stop
How does alcohol affect my body?
Alcohol is a depressant that slows down the central nervous system, affecting judgment and reaction time. It also depletes the body's fluids, can cause a person to feel warm when they are actually losing body heat, and disrupts blood sugar levels, leading to hunger and nausea
Can vaping help with quitting smoking?
Research shows that most people who try to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking end up using both tobacco and e-cigarettes, and it may not be an effective smoking cessation tool for everyone.
Is methamphetamine highly addictive, and can one overdose on it?
Yes, methamphetamine has a very high potential for addiction (substance use disorder). The intense, quick euphoria and subsequent "crash" often lead to a binge pattern of use and strong cravings, making users repeatedly seek the drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms and extend the high. Overdosing on meth is possible and can be fatal, potentially causing a heart attack, stroke, or multiple organ failure from overheating.
What are the long-term health risks of chronic heroin use?
Regular heroin use can lead to a range of severe health problems, including collapsed veins, abscesses, infection of the heart lining and valves, and liver, kidney, and lung disease (such as pneumonia). Long-term use also affects the brain, causing potential changes in decision-making and behavior regulation, as well as mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
What happens if you mix cocaine with alcohol?
Mixing cocaine and alcohol is particularly dangerous because the liver produces a powerful compound called cocaethylene, which increases the risk of sudden death from heart attack or stroke beyond the risk of using either drug alone
What medications can be dangerous to mix with alcohol?
A variety of medications can interact dangerously with alcohol. These can include certain pain relievers, sedatives, and even over-the-counter drugs. It is important to talk to a doctor or pharmacist to see if any medications you are taking are unsafe to combine with alcohol.
Is second-hand vapor harmful?
Yes, the aerosol from e-cigarettes is not harmless and can impact those around you, similar to secondhand smoke.
Are there effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction?
There are currently no FDA-approved medications specifically for methamphetamine use disorder. However, effective behavioral treatments are available. The best-studied form is contingency management, which uses tangible incentives to encourage abstinence, along with other approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, support groups, and motivational interviewing.
Is heroin addictive, and what are the signs of withdrawal?
Heroin is highly addictive, and users can develop a tolerance and physical dependence quickly. If a dependent person stops using the drug suddenly, they will experience severe withdrawal symptoms within a few hours. These symptoms can include:
How long does cocaine stay in a person's system?
Cocaine's euphoric effects are short-lived, lasting from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the method of administration. However, the drug can be detected in the blood for 12-24 hours and in the urine for up to 1-2 days after use, though individual factors can cause this to vary.