Research Articles

Is there a relationship between eating disorders and substance abuse? At least one study, known as "Food for Thought - Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders," shows that up to 50 percent of individuals with an eating disorder also abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, as opposed to nine percent of the general population. On the flip side of this, up to 35 percent of alcohol or illicit drug abusers have eating disorders, while the figure for the general public with eating disorders is only three percent.

Methamphetamine goes by at least three popular names -- meth, speed, and chalk; sometimes people will also refer to it as ice or crystal, crank or glass. No matter what the name, you should be able to recognize the various symptoms of meth use.
 

In 2008 in the U.S., 7,500 teenagers drank alcohol for the first time; 4,360 teenagers used an illicit drug for the first time; 3,900 teenagers smoked cigarettes and nearly as many, 3,700, smoked marijuana, all for the first time. In a study known as "A Day in the Life American Adolescents: Substance Use Facts Update," conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), this is a stark approximation of what's happening in the adolescent life of Americans aged 12 to 17 years.

How do you know when a person is using marijuana? Such information might be invaluable for employers, teachers, parents, and friends who suspect someone they care about or work with might have a problem. If a person uses marijuana only occasionally, then you're not likely to be able to tell. For instance, do you know if someone was drunk the night before? The person might simply have a headache, or stayed up too late or overslept. In other words, there are any number of symptoms which may lead you to suspect someone is using a drug or alcohol, but there's no way to be absolutely certain.

The definition of binge drinking, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is as follows: Drinking five or more drinks within a few hours of each other on at least one day in the past thirty days (this statistic is for males; for females, four drinks or more is considered a binge). Such drinking, over time, creates a number of significant health problems, and studies throughout the last decade emphasize the serious nature of this problem.

While most treatments for drug addiction follow a general path -- from detox to residential or out-patient care, from counseling and individual therapy, to support groups -- treatment depends mostly on the traits of the individual patient and drug. Many consider drug and alcohol addiction to be a symptom of another problem, a kind of self medication for another, larger problem, whether that problem is related to mental health, an occupation, or other social issues.

If you or someone you love is suspected of being addicted to drugs, this is a frightening position to be in, though there are resources to help you or your loved one through the difficult process of detoxification and recovery from the addiction. The type of treatment program that is needed for your particular situation may be dependent on the degree of use and type of substance that is being abused.

Treating cocaine addiction is a complicated issue and incorporates various elements into its structure and format. There are various programs available and differing extents of in-depth treatment options. The alcoholics anonymous twelve-step program has expanded to included various narcotic drugs and other chemical dependencies and Cocaine Anonymous is one of its programs. It should also be noted that this twelve-step program has the highest success rate for its addicts than does any other.

If you suspect that you or someone you love may be addicted to alcohol or drugs, it can be helpful and also something of a relief to know that there are resources and options available to you. The most important thing is to admit and accept that there is a problem, which is also the first and most important step of recovery.