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Video on Drugs/Addiction by: Todd Bentley - used to be drug addict.
Click Here to Read Facts About Meth
Click Here to Read or Print Out Fact Sheet on Meth - This fact sheet is very informative.
Definition - Scientists define a drug as any substance, other than food, which is taken to change the way the body or the mind functions.
Drugs may or may not come from doctors or drug stores. They may or may not have medicinal properties or purposes. Drugs can come from plants growing wild in fields, or they can be manufactured in labs. They can be legal or illegal. They can be helpful or harmful.
By this definition penicillin is a drug and heroin is a drug. Even toothpastes that contain fluoride and deodorants that contain antiperspirants are drugs. So long as a substance changes the way the body or the mind functions in some way, then it is a drug.
Are you a Meth addict? Get help here.
Are you a Heroin addict? Get help here.
Are you Cocaine addict? Get help here.
Questions:
Q. What does marijuana do to the brain?
Smoking marijuana causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused by cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. Some researchers believe that these changes may put a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.(12) Scientists are still learning about the many ways that marijuana could affect the brain.
Q: If a woman is pregnant and smokes marijuana, will it hurt the baby?
Some scientific studies have found that babies born to marijuana users were shorter, weighed less, and had smaller head sizes than those born to mothers who did not use the drug. Smaller babies are more likely to develop health problems. There are also research data showing nervous system problems in children of mothers who smoked marijuana.(2)
Researchers are not certain whether a newborn baby's health problems, if they are caused by marijuana, will continue as the child grows. Preliminary research shows that children born to mothers who used marijuana regularly during pregnancy may have trouble concentrating.
Q: What are the long-term effects of marijuana use?
Cancer - It's hard to know for sure whether regular marijuana use causes cancer. But it is known that marijuana contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per day may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.(15)
Lungs and airways - People who smoke marijuana often develop the same kinds of breathing problems that cigarette smokers have: coughing and wheezing. They tend to have more chest colds than nonusers. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia.
Immune system - Animal studies have found that THC can damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect people from disease. When the immune cells are weakened, you are more likely to get sick.
Street-Drug Hazards
In 1988 nearly two-thirds of all street-drug samples tested by the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario were found to be different from what they were alleged to be by the seller. That means that about two out of every three times a drug was bought on the street, it was not what the buyer thought it was.
Many bad drug reactions, including fatal overdoses, are caused by the users' ignorance of exactly what drug and how much of it they are taking.
Cocaine and ecstasy 'cause genetic mutation'
"Cocaine and ecstasy have proved to be more dangerous than we had imagined," said Giorgio Bronzetti, chief scientist at the National Centre for Research's (CNR) biotechnology department.
"These drugs, on top of their toxicological effects, attack DNA provoking mutations and altering the hereditary material. This is very worrying for the effects it could have on future generations," he said.
The use of ecstasy, a drug popular at all-night dance parties, increased by 70 per cent between 1995 and 2000 according to a United Nations report published in September.
Ecstasy and amphetamines have overtaken cocaine and heroin as the fastest growing global narcotics menace, the study said.
The CNR report, which took more than three years to complete, said animal tests had shown a direct relationship between ecstasy and cocaine intake and the effects on DNA.
"In other words, the longer the time frame of drug consumption, the greater the damage to DNA," Mr Bronzetti said.
ABC News Online - Saturday, December 6, 2003 - Reuters
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WHAT IS A DRUG?
A: Some studies show that when people have smoked large amounts of marijuana for years, the drug takes its toll on mental functions. Heavy or daily use of marijuana affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention, and learning. A working short-term memory is needed to learn and perform tasks that call for more than one or two steps.
A: Doctors advise pregnant women not to use any drugs because they could harm the growing fetus. One animal study has linked marijuana use to loss of the fetus very early in pregnancy.
A: Findings so far show that regular use of marijuana or THC may play a role in some kinds of cancer and in problems with the respiratory and immune systems.
Illegal street-drugs have a set of risks all their own. Users of street-drugs can never know exactly what they are taking. Dealers may not know (or reveal) exactly what they are selling. Some drugs are laced with other drugs or chemicals which can be harmful. Often one drug is sold in place of another.
Cocaine and ecstasy not only cause addiction and raise the risk of cancer but also provoke genetic mutations, Italian scientists have reported.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1004733.htm
Christian Drug & Alcohol Treatment
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Books & Videos:
The Word on Sex- Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll
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Just a Chance, Video
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