When first exposed to cocaine, the adolescent brain launches a strong defensive reaction designed to minimize the drug's effects, Yale and other scientists have found. Now two new studies by a Yale team identify key genes that regulate this response and show that interfering with this reaction dramatically increases a mouse's sensitivity to cocaine...

One of the question most often asked by visitors to the About.com Alcoholism / Substance Abuse site is whether or not a drunk driving charge is a felony. The answer is that most of the time, a DUI is not a felony, but there are some circumstances under which drunk driving can rise to the level of a felony offense. Read more...

More About Drunk Driving:

• What Happens If You Are Arrested for Drunk Driving?
  
• State by State Drunk Driving Laws
  
• Drunk Driving Enhancements Quiz

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Is Drunk Driving a Felony? originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 00:10:58.

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All illicit drugs have a set of paraphernalia associated with them - tools that drug users use to carry, process or administer the drugs. These pictures can help identify various paraphernalia associated with illicit drug use. If you suspect someone is using drugs, finding any of these items could signal a problem. Read more...

Related Information:

• What Is Substance Abuse?
  
• Are You Addicted?
  
• How to Quit Alcohol and Drugs

Photo: BigStockPhoto.com

Pictures of Drug Paraphernalia originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 00:09:41.

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A new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that was conducted in conjunction with Children of Alcoholics Week, February 12-18, 2012, reveals that 7.5 million children below the age of 18 years, i.e. 10.5% of the population, lived with a parent who has experienced an alcohol use disorder in the past year. Furthermore, the findings show that 6...

Soldiers in the National Guard with no history of alcohol abuse are at significant risk of developing alcohol-related problems during and after deployment, according to a new study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence journal...

Fruit flies infected with a blood-borne parasite consume alcohol to self-medicate, a behavior that greatly increases their survival rate, an Emory University study finds...

Alcohol and drug use can progress into abuse and even addiction so insidiously that sometimes people do not realize that it has become a problem for them and those around them. The following self-assessment tests can help you determine whether or not it may be time to get help.

• Alcohol Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Quiz
  
• Marijuana Problem Screening Quiz
  
• Drug Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Could You Be Depressed?
  

Questions for Families:

• Are You Troubled by Someone's Drinking?
  
• Are You Enabling an Alcoholic or Addict?
  
• Did You Grow Up With a Problem Drinker?
  
• Is Your Child Using Drugs?
  
• Adult Child Screening Quiz
  
• Domestic Abuse Screening Quiz
  

Photo: © BigStockPhoto.com

Do You Have an Alcohol or Drug Problem? originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 10:01:17.

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Hospitalization for underage drinking is common in the United States, and it comes with a price tag -- the estimated total cost for these hospitalizations is about $755 million per year, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Researchers also found geographic and demographic differences in the incidence of alcohol-related hospital admissions...

Brain scans of two strains of mice imbibing significant quantities of alcohol reveal serious shrinkage in some brain regions - but only in mice lacking a particular type of receptor for dopamine, the brain's "reward" chemical. The study, conducted at the U.S...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been linked to heavy drinking, substance use by one or both partners, and living in a neighborhood characterized by poverty and social disadvantage. Alcohol outlet density has been linked to assaultive violence in a community...

Frequent drinking can lead to changes in the processing of alcohol cues that can, in turn, facilitate renewed drinking if an individual's ability and motivation to reflect on drinking behaviors are insufficient...

Alcohol abuse and dependence are common problems in the United States due to a number of factors, two of which may be social drinking by college students and young adults, and risk taking that may lead to heavier drinking later in life...

Paul McCartney Giving Up Marijuana... Mike Ditka Son's DUI Arrest Quashed... Bears LB Thomas Arrested for Drug Possession... Doctor Gets Life in Deadly Pill Mill Case...Drug Bust Nabs 17 TCU Students... Native Americans Sue Beer Companies... More... Read more...

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McCartney Gives Up Pot originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 00:01:04.

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Using data from a national survey, a new government report released on Thursday reveals that 10.5 per cent of children under the age of 18 (7.5 million of this population) in the US live with a parent who has experienced an alcohol use disorder in the past year. The report was released to coincide with Children of Alcoholics Week, which runs from 12 to 18 February...

Varenicline is an effective smoking-cessation medication that may also reduce drinking. However, the means by which it might reduce drinking is unclear. A study of the effects of varenicline on subjective, physiological, and objective responses to low and moderate doses of alcohol among healthy social drinkers has found that varenicline may reduce drinking by increasing alcohol's aversive effects...

It's been 10 years since David and Glenda's second try at a relationship ended in a violent break-up, sending them in different directions. Glenda fell in love with another man who supported her and worked with her in her family business. David found another enabler. The results were tragic. Read more...

One Family's Story:

• A Family in Crisis
  
• Domestic Abuse Screening Quiz
  
• Domestic Abuse - Why Do They Do It?

Photo: © ClipArt.com

A Family in Crisis: Final Victim originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at 02:26:13.

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Legal limits for twenty illegal drugs and medicines with an abuse potential have been introduced by the Norwegian government. Norway is the first country to define both impairment-based legislative limits and limits for graded sanctions for drugs other than alcohol. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health participated to provide the scientific basis for the new limits...

Drivers who smoke marijuana within three hours of getting behind the wheel are much more likely to get into a serious vehicle crash than drivers who are not under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. A study of almost 50,000 vehicular collisions found that smoking weed is almost as dangerous as driving with an blood alcohol concentration of 0.08.

The findings were the result of reviewing ten separate research studies on the effects of marijuana in 49,411 auto collisions. ...

Smoking Weed Doubles Car Crash Risk originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 00:47:38.

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This week, Feb. 12-18, 2012 marks the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) observance of Children of Alcoholics week to celebrate the recovery of children of all ages who have found recovery from the loss and pain experienced in their childhood. This year's theme is "A Celebration of Hope and Healing" which offers hope for those who are sill adversely impacted by parental alcohol or drug addiction.

The observance of Children of Alcoholics Week is important because the NACoA estimates that 25% of all children in the United States are affected by or exposed to a family alcohol or drug problem.

Those effects can include physical illness, emotional disturbances, behavior problems, lower educational performance, and susceptibility to alcoholism or other addiction later in life, the NACoA says.

For more information about Children of Alcoholics Week and a list of tools and resources for related activities, visit the NACoA website.

More Resources:

• When Mom or Dad Drinks Too Much
  
• Children of Alcoholics
  
• Resources for Children
  

Photo: NACoA

National Children of Alcoholics Week originally appeared on About.com Alcoholism on Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at 00:01:46.

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Despite the cliches surrounding the habits of adolescents, the results of a study by the University of Seville show that most young people do not fit the risk profile of taking substances. Some 60% of Spaniards aged 13 to 18 say they do not take drugs and rarely drink alcohol - only in moderation - and at the same time, less than 10% admit to have taken some form of illegal drug...