• Various estimates reports that the alcohol related problems cost American society and the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year.
• According to an estimate by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alcohol addiction costed an estimated amount of $184.6 billion in 1998 to the U.S. economy. Researchers also found that the cost of alcoholism increased between 3 percent to 4 percent each year.
• The Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog organization, estimated that the problems related to alcohol addiction costs American society more than $175 billion a year.
• The same research also reported that the alcohol is abused largely by the teens who are between 12 to 17 years. Researchers also noted that alcohol addiction is the reason for the cause of thousands of deaths each year.
• The different types of the costs caused by the alcohol addiction to the economy and the society include, medical costs, lost earnings related to alcohol related illnesses, lost earnings resulting from premature deaths and various costs arising from alcohol related traffic accidents and costs associated with criminal justice and litigation.
• The World Health Organization, in a report, in the year 2004, on the global impact of alcohol use, concluded that the alcohol addiction causes serious health problems like cancers, cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease and severe brain diseases.
• Along with these economic costs, alcohol addiction also causes social problems like damaging the family relationships, drunken driving and other criminal offenses.

The above are the various social and economic problems caused due to alcohol addiction.

69.7 million Americans aged 12 or older were current users of a tobacco product in 2009 according to the survey. 58.7 million persons were current cigarette smokers, 13.3 million smoked cigars, 8.6 million used smokeless tobacco and 2.1 million smoked tobacco in pipes. The rate of current use of any tobacco product among persons aged 12 or older remained steady from 2008 to 2009.

Adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest rate of current use of a tobacco products in 2009 and the 35.8 percent of adults used cigarettes, 11.4 percent used cigars, 6.1 percent used smokeless tobacco, and 1.7 percent used pipe tobacco.

Among persons aged 12 or older, males are higher than the females who used tobacco. Males also had higher rates of past month use than females of each specific tobacco product which includes cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and pipe tobacco. Among youths aged 12 to 17, the rate of current cigarette smoking in 2009 was slightly higher for males than for females.

In 2009, current cigarette smoking was more common among unemployed adults aged 18 or older than among adults who were working full time or part time. Among adults aged 18 or older, current cigarette use in 2009 was reported by 35.4 percent of those who had not completed high school, 30.0 percent of high school graduates who did not attend college, 25.4 percent of persons with some college, and 13.1 percent of college graduates.

Reasons for addiction
Every abuser has a different reason for drug abuse or addiction. Mostly to escape from problems, people abuse drugs, and become addicted. Many factors influence the individuals like social environment, person’s biology, and age. Family, friends, life style of individual contribute to drug abuse. Critical stages of life along with genetic, and environmental factors also affect drug addiction susceptibility.

Effects of addiction
Complications of drug addiction are very high and it is like a disease that affects brain, and total functioning of the body. Brain’s communication system is affected with the chemicals present in drugs as they disrupt the process of information flow to nerve cells. Short and long term effects are seen in the abuse due to drug addiction.

• Short term: The chemicals present in the drugs will blow into the brain’s communication system. These chemicals can disturb the functioning of the “reward circuit” of the brain. Many short-term consequences are observed in abuser’s health and avoiding drug abuse can help in overcoming the short-term consequences. Sleeplessness, irritability, anxiety, running nose, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, depression, headache, dizziness, effects on memory and respiratory problems etc are found with short term drug addiction.

• Long term: Serious long-term effects are found with drug abuse and addiction changes brain chemical system and circuit. These effects can lead from mild itching to coma and to death of the drug abuser. This addiction facilitates the user in experiencing uncontrollable cravings particularly when they see place or person associated with drug. High drug addiction can lead for infectious diseases, breathing related diseases, veins, or nervous collapse, and abuser can even die in minutes in certain situations.

The above addressed information about reasons and effects of drug abuse and addiction can be useful in preventing drug abuse. Prevention programs and educating the people about effects can be helpful in preventing drug abuse and addiction in society. If it is not controlled at right time, these drugs can become masters of abuser’s life. The consequences of addiction of drug can be overwhelming to both the user and to the user’s family members.

Source: DrugAlcoholTest.com

According to the report, 32 percent of the children who are aged 12 to 13 years, kept or sold drugs in schools and it was 23 percent in the last year. It may increase to 39 percent in future. Teens who are 11 and 13 years old are 33 times more likely to use tobacco and around 3 times more likely to have tried alcohol. 10 percent of teens use marijuana in drug infested schools.

According to the report, the percentage of older teens increases from nearly 51 percentage to 66 percentage in drug infested high schools. According to the findings, children are kept in the place where illicit drugs are common, so they are surrendered by them and they become addicted to drugs. So, it should be prevented. If any child crosses the age 21 years with out smoking, using illicit drugs or abusing alcohol and over use of prescription medicine then he or she never takes them in their life. But, there is difficult to find such type of children.

According to the survey, there are gangs who are associated with drug abuse in schools. Drug abuse can start in schools. Around 60 percent of the schools are drug infested with these gangs.

So, United States is facing the threat of the teen drug abuse problem. There is a significant increase in number of the teen abusers.

Marijuana causes many side effects on the users, and some of the common side effects of using Marijuana are trouble in remembering things, user can feel sleepiness, anxiety, paranoia, it alters time perception. These symptoms vary depending upon the person’s health. Suppose if a person who has history of mental or health problems then it is better to not to take the drugs, it will worsen both his or her body and mind.

Using marijuana effects the body and brain of the user, marijuana side effects can be as innocent as increased appetite to lung cancer. It causes accidents, so it is also one of the side effects. Other physical side effects are dry mouth, headache, nausea, tremor, increased heart rate, decreased coordination, altered body temperature, increased food consumption, reduced blood flow to brain, breathing problems, changes in reproductive organs.

There are few side effects on brain like anxiety and panic, paranoia, confusion, aggressiveness, hallucinations, sedation, depersonalization, poor sense of time, worsened short-term memory, addictive behaviors, slowed reaction time, red, blood shot eyes, difficulty in concentrating.

Long time use of marijuana can make a person loose interest in school, work, relationships and other activities and not only these, it also causes some legal problems. Driving under the influence of Marijuana is very dangerous because it impairs your reaction time. So it leads you to dangerous conditions.

According to the analysis of federal, state, and local data nearly 1 million gang members are active in the United States of America. Hispanic and African American street gangs are expanding because they have greater control over drug distribution in rural and suburban areas. They generally acquire drugs directly from DTOs in Mexico or along the Southwest Border.

In 2009, drugs business is dominated by 900,000 active gang members and these members represent around 20,000 domestic street gangs in more than 2,500 cities. Gangs are varied with respect to ethnic or racial identities or types and amounts of drugs they distribute or by their strength and influence or by their adaptability.

Hispanic prison gangs working in Southwest Border States are gaining strength by working directly with Mexican DTOs. These DTOs helps to acquire wholesale quantities of drugs. Prison gangs are active in 50 states and they are increasing because of the influence over drug trafficking areas.

All above statistics show a clear picture of active drug gangs in U.S market. DTOs are the major originator for gang’s formation because these DTOs help to acquire wholesale quantities of drugs to these gangs.

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An employer has the right legally to test whether the candidates who are eligible for their company are free from drug abuse, before appointing them as employees. Various laws are supporting this type of drug screening.

Requirements of Pre- employment drug screening:

• Employer should prescribe the policy of drug testing indicating that the drug abusers are not eligible and even the drug test is going to be conducted.
• Many legal advisors and even laws also say that the written description should be made compulsorily before. And the notification is to be sent in advance.
• In the written notice the employer has to confirm the employee with the type of the test.
• A written notice is given to the applicant while attending the first interview.
• After the completion of the interview offer letter is given to the employee on the conditional basis that drugs are not being used during the work hours

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Cocaine is one of the major illicit drugs, which are smuggled through land routes. There are significant shifts in cocaine smuggling routes. This is mainly due to the following factors:

• Decreased cocaine production in Colombia
• Enhanced counter drug efforts in Mexico
• High levels of cartel violence
• Sustained interdiction pressure
• Cocaine flow to non U.S markets

A decline in the amount of cocaine seized is noticed whereas there is a huge increment of heroin availability in U.S drugs market. This shift in smuggling trend appears to be directly related to production trends and the changing roles of DTOs. For the past several years, heroin is smuggled more than cocaine in U.S market.

All these factors visualize that there is a huge change in overland smuggling method. Year by year many major changes were noticed. Many factors are responsible for this type of change.

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A scrutiny of 168,900 autopsies (examination of dead body) conducted in Florida in 2007 identified  that three times as many people were killed by legal drugs like cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines all together. According to state law enforcement executives, this is an indication of a increasing prescription drug abuse problem.

In 2007, prescription was responsible for 843 deaths, heroin for 121, methamphetamines for 25 and marijuana for zero, out of 989 deaths. In contradiction, 2,328 people were killed by opioid painkillers, like Vicodin and Oxycontin, and 743 were killed by drugs belonging to benzodiazepine, and depressants Valium and Xanax.

While the number of dead bodies containing heroin increased to 14 percent, to a total of 110 deaths, but the number of deaths occurred due to the painkiller oxycodone raised by 36 percent, to a total of 1,253 deaths.

Prescription drugs have become more accessible alternative, as they can be easily acquired than illegal drugs. Even though illegal drug use among teenagers have reduced, prescription drug abuse has increased. For instance, while 4 percent of U.S. 12th graders were taking Oxycontin in 2002, by 2005 that number was increased to 5.5 percent.

Adults can obtain prescriptions by bluffing injuries, or by visiting many doctors and pharmacies for the treatment of same health problem. Some people acquire more drugs than it is required, and will sell the extras.

Any person using a prescription medicine will have a risk of negative consequences and the drugs are very dangerous when abused. For instance, many painkillers are intended to have a prolonged effect  which disappears after some time. This will make recreational users to take more amount of drugs before the old ones are exhausted from their system, which makes them vulnerable to an overdose. Similarly, the general process of grinding pills up leads to large dose of drugs to enter the body all at a time, with possibly dangerous consequences.

Drug addiction is a major problem and more for pregnant mothers who sometimes feel that pursuing  help cause problem to themselves. Every year nearly 4,500 babies are born at Derriford Hospital. Although the degree of substance abuse cases may appear less but the number is more. Infants that are uncertain of having substance abuse problems are initiated to a special care ward for supervision, children with adequately severe drug withdrawal symptoms are admitted in a treatment program. Usually these programs are conducted for minimum of 10 days and some require care for two to three weeks or more.

There are programs for pregnant women who are experiencing substance abuse problems that concentrate on favoring the child to be born drug free or less affected due to drugs. Sadly, these programs are underutilized and most of these women preferred to go through the suffering of giving birth to a drug addicted child under the belief that they have no choice. If women are made aware about such programs, then high rates of drug addiction in newborns would be reduced.

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There is a decline in the total number of noted drug users, which decreased by 2.3 per cent to 13,909 in the large town of 7 million people. The total number of drug users in the below 21 age group decreased by 3.3 per cent to 3,359.

The figures, reported at a meeting to analyze the drug circumstances in the former British colony, recognized that nearly 71 per cent of young drugs abusers consumed their drugs at home or at the homes of friends in contrast to 29 per cent who consumed them at discos or karaoke bars.

The report revealed that heroin is the most common type of drug among the noted drug abusers in 2009 even though there is a  4.8-per-cent fall in the reported number of heroin abusers. Ketamine is the most popular psychotropic drug taken among the young with 53.9 per cent of abusers below 21 age.

The committee told that the most common reasons noted for consuming drugs were to recognize with peers (55.8 per cent), to decrease boredom or depression (51.8 per cent), and eagerness (39.9 per cent). Drug abuse among the young has increased in recent years in Hong Kong, impelling the government to intensify drug education in schools and conduct voluntary drug-testing in few secondary schools.

A government survey consisting of more than 150,000 pupils recognized that one out of every 10 Hong Kong primary schools had consumed drugs or turned to substance abuse.

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International Narcotic Control Board ’ s (INCB) 2009 annual report states that the rate of drug abuse is high among teenagers and young adults. The report also revealed that there is increase in young women abusing drugs. It also mentioned that nightclubs, discotheques, bars, music festivals as well as colleges and universities are the prime locations for the messages to spread from adults to the teenagers.

The report said that the primary prevention strategies need to focus on the whole population of the country. This kind of strategies can reduce demands for drugs as well as identify all the drug addicts.

It said that primary prevention should be started with parents, by raising their awareness of dangers of unhealthy practices of drugs and harmful effects of drug addiction. Drug education is an important method to help teens deter drug use.

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Employees in these companies are more vulnerable to drug addiction as many employees are just out of college and are between 18 and 30 years. These young people undergo rigorous training, put in long hours, and make many calls each night. Long working hours, high earning capacities and little awareness makes them vulnerable to these substances. Some people get into these unhealthy habits due to curiosity or just to experiment. Soon they will get addicted to them and destroy themselves.

According to the 2004 National Survey on the substance abuse by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), nearly 73 million people in this country consume illicit drugs including alcohol. The drug or alcohol addiction can affect the company in terms of absenteeism, and medical leaves, reduced productivity, and accidents or errors at job.

Understanding the harmful effects of drug addiction, five companies joined the programme organized by UNODC to prevent the substance use. It should be noted that there is no taboo in talking about drugs their impact on people’s lives. Drug detection and awareness enhances productivity as well as employee welfare. Also detecting drug addicts at work and counseling them makes working environment safe.

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According to National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2008, around 20.1 million Americans aged 12 or older were illicit drug abusers in 2008. This represents 8.0 percent of the population aged 12 years old or older are drug abusers.

According to the survey, Marijuana was the most commonly abused drug with 15.2 million abusers. There were about 1.9 million cocaine abusers aged 12 or older in 2008. Prescription drugs are also one of the major drugs of abuse with 6.2 million people above 12 years in 2008.

Most illicit drug abusers were employed either full or part time. There were about 12.9 million drug abusers employed in 2008. Many people in America are also driving under the influence of the illicit substances. About 10 million persons aged 12 and above reported driving under the influence of illicit drugs in 2008.

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