What Is A Drug?
In medical terms, a drug is any substance that when taken into a living organism may modify one or more of its functions. Drugs can provide temporary relief from unhealthy symptoms and/or permanently supply the body with a necessary substance the body can no longer make. Some drugs produce unwanted side affects. In large enough doses, all drugs are toxic. Some drugs lead to an unhealthy dependency that has both physiological and behavioral roots.

Alcohol Abuse
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines alcohol abuse as "a maladaptive drinking pattern that repeatedly causes life problems." Alcohol abuse is defined as a pattern of drinking that results in one or more of the following situations within a 12-month period:
Failure to fulfill major work, school, or home responsibilities;

• Drinking in situations that are physically dangerous, such as while driving a car or operating machinery;
• Having recurring alcohol-related legal problems, such as being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or for physically hurting someone while drunk; and
• Continued drinking despite having ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by the drinking.

Alcoholism
A disease that includes four symptoms:

• Craving: A strong need or compulsion to drink.
• Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking on any given occasion.
• Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.
• Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to “get high.”

For more information on Alcoholism and Addiction, please visit BreakingtheHabitt.net

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Related News and Facts

Va.'s ABC Dept. Hosts Annual College Conference to Prevent Underage Drinking
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control invites participants to the 2006 College Conference to prevent underage drinking and high-risk alcohol consumption.

An estimated 112,085,000 Americans aged 12 or over (46.1% of the US population aged 12 and over) report having used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetimes. Source:  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Rockville, MD: Office of Applied Studies, Sept. 2006), p. 224, Table G.1 & p. 225, Table G.2.

An estimated 35,041,000 Americans aged 12 or over (14.4% of the US population aged 12 and over) used an illicit drug during the previous year. Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Rockville, MD: Office of Applied Studies, Sept. 2006), p. 226, Table G.3 & p. 227, Table G.4.

The average "dealer" holds a low-wage job and sells part-time to obtain drugs for his or her own use. Source: Reuter, P., MacCoun, R., & Murphy, P., Money from Crime: A Study of the Economics of Drug Dealing in Washington DC (Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation, 1990), pp. 49-50.

Of the 1,846,351 arrests for drug law violations in 2005, 81.7% (1,508,469) were for possession of a controlled substance. Only 18.3% (337,882) were for the sale or manufacture of a drug. Source: Crime in America: FBI Uniform Crime Reports 2005 (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, 2006), Table 29, from the web at http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_29.html and Arrest Table: Arrests for Drug Abuse Violations, from the web http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/arrests/index.html last accessed Sept. 20, 2006

Criminalizing substance abuse during pregnancy discourages substance-using or abusing women from seeking prenatal care, drug treatment, and other social services, and sometimes leads to unnecessary abortions. Sources: Cole, H.M., "Legal Interventions during Pregnancy: Court-Ordered Medical Treatment and Legal Penalties for Potentially Harmful Behavior by Pregnant Women," Journal of the American Medical Association, 264: 2663-2670 (1990); Polan, M.L., Dombrowski, M.P., Ager, J.W., & Sokol, R.J., "Punishing Pregnant Drug Users: Enhancing the Flight from Care," Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 31: 199-203 (1993); Koren, G., Gladstone, D. Robeson, C. & Robieux, I., "The Perception of Teratogenic Risk of Cocaine," Teratology, 46: 567-571 (1992).