Addiction & Celebrities
This Iron Man actor has publicly discussed overcoming addiction and maintaining recovery.
Robert Downey Jr.
This term describes needing increasingly larger amounts of a substance to achieve the same effect.
Tolerance
In The Hangover, the group wakes up after a wild night and discovers this animal inside their Las Vegas hotel bathroom.
A tiger
This neurotransmitter is strongly involved in the brain's reward and reinforcement system and is commonly discussed in addiction science.
Dopamine
Myth or Fact: A person can develop a substance use disorder even if they never use a substance every day.
Fact
This WWE Hall of Famer, nicknamed “The Heartbreak Kid,” has publicly discussed overcoming addiction.
Shawn Michaels
This medication can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.
Naloxone (Narcan)
In Breaking Bad, Walter White manufactures this illegal stimulant.
Methamphetamine (meth)
Opioid overdose can become fatal because opioids suppress this vital function.
Breathing/respiration
Myth or Fact: Drinking coffee can make an intoxicated person sober faster.
Myth
This former NBA player and two-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers survived a highly publicized 2015 overdose and later discussed his recovery.
Lamar Odom
Heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone all belong to this drug class.
Opioids
In The Basketball Diaries, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Jim Carroll struggling primarily with addiction to this drug.
Heroin
Long-term heavy alcohol use can cause cirrhosis of this organ.
Liver
Myth or Fact: A person who has developed physical dependence on alcohol can always safely stop drinking abruptly.
Myth
This Olympic swimmer, the most decorated Olympian in history, has publicly discussed alcohol use, DUI arrests, and seeking treatment.
Michael Phelps
This drug is the active intoxicating chemical in alcoholic beverages.
Ethanol
In Beautiful Boy, Steve Carell plays the father of a young man struggling primarily with addiction to this stimulant.
Methamphetamine (meth)
Long-term heavy alcohol consumption can cause an acute inflammation of this digestive organ, which leads to a constant terrible stabbing pain from the upper abdomen all the way through to the back, along with nausea and vomiting
Pancreas
Myth or Fact: After a period of abstinence, returning to the same opioid dose a person previously used can cause overdose
Fact
This WWE Hall of Famer, famous for the catchphrase “Bang! Bang!”, has publicly discussed his struggles with addiction and recovery.
Diamond Dallas Page (DDP)
Cocaine primarily belongs to this broad drug class.
Stimulant
In Shameless, this Gallagher family patriarch is known throughout the series for severe alcohol and drug problems.
Frank Gallagher
This organ can be dangerously stressed and damaged by stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamine, even one time use.
Myth or Fact: Using cocaine together with alcohol can cause the body to form a third substance called cocaethylene, which can increase cardiovascular toxicity.
FACT