International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking
by Medindia Content Team onAdvertisement
Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)
This is an online screening test from medindia to find out if you need professional help with ‘Drug Abuse’ problem. This is an anonymous online self test.Read through the set of questions about your use of drugs during the past 12 months. It will take only a few minutes. The test score will indicate if you require professional help.Screening Questions for Alcohol Problem or Dependence
Alcohol-related drinking problems are a cause substantial morbidity and mortality in the world. It is believed that approx.7% of people in the US have an alcohol use disorder that is treatable. Screening for alcohol problems is easily done using a standard questionnaire. Use the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) ten questions designed by the WHO and validated in many countries.Prescription Drug Abuse
Prescription drug abuse is not a new problem, but one that deserves renewed attention. Addiction to Prescription Drugs is 10 times the problem of illegal drugs. The nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs is a serious and growing public health problem across the world. Youngsters and those who have easy access to drugs are becoming more and more addicted to prescription drugs. According to the UN report about 48 million people aged 12 and older have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes. Women and elderly people are two to three times more likely to become addicted to prescription drugs. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) hopes to increase awareness and promote additional research in this area. Addiction is a brain disease and hence can be treated by incorporating several components, such as counseling in conjunction with a prescribed m edication, and multiple courses of treatment for the patient to make full recovery.Link between Drugs and HIV
Drug abuse is now the single largest factor in the spread of HIV and Hepatitis infections. Using or sharing unsterile needles, cotton swabs, rinse water, and cookers, such as when injecting heroin, cocaine, or other drugs, leaves a drug abuser vulnerable to contracting or transmitting HIV. Research done by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has shown that drugs and alcohol use interfere with judgment about sexual behavior thereby engaging in unplanned and unprotected sex. This increases the risk for contracting HIV from infected sex partners. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis of HIV surveillance data reveals that 25 % were among injection drug users (IDUs). Noninjection drugs such as “crack” cocaine also contribute to the spread of HIV when users trade sex for money.Drug: No Fun for the Unborn Baby
Substance misuse by women is an area of growing concern for drug agencies. Drug usage rates by females equal or exceed male usage. Recent survey by the NIDA and CDC shows that 42.7% of women had used an illicit drug such as marijuana, cocaine, Ecstasy and other amphetamines, and heroin. Some of these drugs can cause a baby to be born too small or to have withdrawal symptoms, birth defects, learning or behavioral problems. Babies exposed to heroin before birth also face a ten-fold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). There is an urgent need for greater support to be given to pregnant women who misuse drugs.Effects of Drugs on Depression and Crime Rate
Teenage depression is one of the important signs of substance abuse. When adults age 18 or older feel depressed then it is found that there is nearly twice the amount of illicit drug usage. There is an intimate link between illicit drugs and growth in crime. Research shows that more than half, and possibly up to 80% of property offences have some drug involvement. Drug related crime committed by users is almost entirely committed by those described as dependent drug users. It is important to recognize that any treatment interventions that reduce reliance by dependent users on the illicit drug market have direct community benefits in reducing crime.Advertisement
