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Legal Drugs
A legal drug is not necessarily safe or non-addictive.
Drugs that are both legal and freely available (such
as alcohol and nicotine) are among the most often abused.
Even prescription drugs at prescribed doses can be addictive,
can have dangerous side effects and can cause drug interactions.
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Alcohol and Drugs
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Alcohol is a drug that depresses
the central nervous system. Even after one drink (1
oz of hard liquor, 1 beer, 1 glass of wine), driving
ability is impaired. Driving while intoxicated is illegal
in the United States. Each state has its own laws regarding
the allowable BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration). Many
states have settled on .08 as the legal BAC limit, while
others use the less restrictive .10 BAC limit. As a rough
guide, an average 170-pound male reaches a .08 BAC level
after consuming four drinks in an hour, and a 137-pound
female reaches it after consuming three drinks in an
hour.
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End Stage Alcoholism
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Alcohol is a cumulative poison
that damages the skin, brain, liver, heart, and other
parts of the body. Chronic, heavy use of alcohol can
lead to physical and neurological damage that is irreversible.
Severe physical damage often leads to life-threatening
illnesses that result in premature death.
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Prescription Narcotics
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Narcotics are used to control
chronic or severe pain. Like alcohol or sedatives, they
depress the central nervous system and have mood-altering
effects. Narcotics are highly addictive and must be
used carefully in a well-controlled manner. Opiate narcotics
are among the most commonly abused narcotics. Codeine,
methadone, and morphine (from which heroin is derived)
are examples. All pain-relieving narcotics, including
Percodan, Vicodin, and Percocet, are very addictive.
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Cough Preparations
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Many cough preparations, especially
cough suppressants, contain codeine or DXM (Dextromethorphan).
Codeine and other opiates are very effective cough suppressants,
but they are addictive. DXM, a powerful psychoactive
drug, is particularly addictive. Cough syrup abusers
can obtain the drug from their doctors by complaining
about coughs and other cold symptoms. Examples of cough
preparations include Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps, Robitussin
AC, Dectuss, Phenergan with Codeine, Phensedyl, and
Pherazine with Codeine.
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Tranquilizers/Sedatives
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Tranquilizers and sedatives are prescribed to treat
anxiety disorders and sleep disturbances. These drugs
have a depressant effect on the central nervous system
and work similar to alcohol. Tranquilizers used to control
psychotic mental illness include Haldol, Thorazine,
Navane, Prolixin, Mellaril, and Trilafon. Tranquilizers
that decrease anxiety, encourage sleep, and act as an
anesthetic include Halcion, Xanax, Ativan, Valium, BuSpar,
and the antidepressant Anafranil. Sedatives are specifically
designed to induce drowsiness or sleepiness. They include
barbiturates such as Nembutal, Seconal, Amytal, and
Phenobarbital (Luminal).
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Tranquilizers
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Tranquilizers are drugs used to treat anxiety or problems with sleep.
They have a calming effect by depressing the nervous system in a way
similar to alcohol. The most common forms of minor tranquilizers prescribed
are the benzodiazepines. These include Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Librium.
Major tranquilizers such as Haldol, Navane, Thorazine, Mellaril are called
"anti-psychotics". They are generally used to treat symptoms of paranoia,
psychosis, hallucinations or delusions. Tranquilizers are frequently abused
because of their ability to reduce anxiety. Tolerance for these types of
drug develops rapidly,as more and more of the drug is needed to be effective.
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Sedatives
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Like alcohol and tranquilizers, sedatives depress the
nervous system. They have a calming effect and help
induce sleep. Of the four groups of sedatives, barbiturates
are the most commonly abused and the most addictive.
Commonly abused barbiturates are Nembutal, Seconal,
and Amytal. The other three groups of sedatives are
benzodiazepines, barbiturate-like sedatives, and other
sedatives. Benzodiazepines, which are prescribed as
sleep medications, include Restoril, Dalmane, and Halcion.
Barbiturate-like sedatives include Placidyl, Miltown, Doriden,
Noludar, and Quaaludes. Other sedatives prescribed as
sleep medications include Ambien and Sonata. Desyrel,
an older antidepressant, is also prescribed as a sleep
medication.
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Soma
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Soma is a prescription muscle relaxant for reducing
certain types of pain and muscle tension. It produces
sedating effects through the central nervous system
and is chemically similar to the sedative Miltown. Soma
can transfer from a pregnant woman to an unborn fetus,
and it also appears in the breast milk of mothers who
use it.
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Prescription Amphetamines
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Doctors prescribe amphetamines for different medical
purposes such as appetite control in weight loss programs,
narcolepsy, and hyperactivity disorders. Ritalin, Cylert,
and Adderall are among the best-known forms of prescription
amphetamines. These drugs are used to treat hyperactivity
or attention deficit (known as ADHD or ADD) in children,
adolescents, and adults. Amphetamines, which "speed
up" normal people, have a calming effect on those with
hyperactivity or attention-deficit disorders. On the
street, amphetamines are also called speed, bennies,
eye openers, lid poppers, pep pills, and uppers.
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Over the counter drugs
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Many drugs available over-the-counter (OTC) can be addictive to different degrees.
In fact, some of them are commonly used as ingredients in the production of illicit drugs.
For example, cough and cold medications are used to produce illegal versions of amphetamines.
Others may be used directly, such as mouthwashes and diet aids, because they contain drugs
that produce pleasurable effects. Although these drugs have negative effects, people
ignore them in an attempt to get the high that the drugs produce.
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OxyContin
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OxyContin is the trade name of the opiate, oxycodone, which is converted into morphine in
the body. The morphine activates opioid receptors that are found in many areas of the brain.
Two of the major effects of opiates, like oxycodone, are the simulation of the pleasure center
by releasing dopamine and the relief of pain.
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