Addiction: "Addiction is defined as an overuse of any substance that changes the natural chemical balance of the brain. It is basicallygirl_face.jpg agreed upon that addiction encompasses both biological, psychological, and behavioral factors.
At 1800nodrugs.com we believe the best prevention and catalyst to recovery from addiction is education. We understand addiction and we can help you get the tools and information you need to help you or your loved one’s recovery from addition."
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=281c5047-a242-4253-ac38-993c2fadb3dd)
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
By Christopher Wanjek, Special to LiveScience
posted: 17 May 2006 12:27 am ET
Snake oil salesmen used to prey on women with their "medicinal" tonics packing 40-proof alcohol. Mick Jagger sang of "mother's little helper."
A woman's addiction to alcohol, pills and other narcotics has long been a wink-wink topic—one that garners a few smirks, rarely taken seriously. The focus has always been on men, who traditionally have had higher rates of substance abuse.
But now the gender gap is closing. More than 20 million girls and women in the United States abuse drugs and alcohol and 30 million more are addicted to cigarettes, according to a 10-year research effort from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
The study documents how women, pound-for-pound, not only get more drunk or higher faster then men, but also become addicted more easily. The research results are presented in a new book from CASA called "Women Under the Influence" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006).
Double shot
The numbers could get worse, warns Susan Foster, CASA's director of policy research and analysis, who directed the research behind the book.
Teenage girls now smoke, drink and abuse drugs as often as teenage boys. For certain drugs, such as prescription painkillers, the abuse rate is higher in girls than boys.
Yet even as the rate of abuse becomes equal, physiological and psychological factors combine to ensure that females are more greatly affected by drugs and alcohol.
According to Foster, each single drink hits a woman like a double. A woman's body contains less water and more fatty tissue—which increases alcohol absorption—compared to a male body. And women have a lower activity level of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down alcohol. Similar biological factors are at work in metabolizing illicit drugs.
Hooked on less
The risk of addiction to alcohol and drugs, including nicotine, is approximately doubled as well. The reason may be hormonal or psychological, according to ongoing research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Males and females abuse drugs for different reasons. For example, teenage girls are more likely than boys to abuse substances in order to lose weight, relieve stress or boredom, improve their mood, reduce sexual inhibitions, self-medicate depression, and increase confidence, according to CASA.
"Whereas the substance abuse field has a fairly good understanding of the biological basis of gender differences in susceptibility to alcohol addiction, the research on such differences with regard to narcotic addiction is still in the early stages," Foster told LiveScience. "Women become addicted [to narcotics] faster than men. Our understanding of why this may be the case is more limited."
Foster is calling for more research funding for this neglected area. Similarly, CASA president Joseph Califano said that drug-treatment programs have long had a male-dominated, one-size-fits-all focus and need to better embrace women and their needs. More than 90 percent of American women in need of treatment don't get it, he said.
"Women Get Drunk, High and Addicted Easier Than Men | LiveScience." 5 Sep. 2008
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b4220fb3-4abc-4793-8f34-58111a4ddafc)
By Christopher Wanjek, Special to LiveScience
posted: 17 May 2006 12:27 am ET
Snake oil salesmen used to prey on women with their "medicinal" tonics packing 40-proof alcohol. Mick Jagger sang of "mother's little helper."
A woman's addiction to alcohol, pills and other narcotics has long been a wink-wink topic—one that garners a few smirks, rarely taken seriously. The focus has always been on men, who traditionally have had higher rates of substance abuse.
But now the gender gap is closing. More than 20 million girls and women in the United States abuse drugs and alcohol and 30 million more are addicted to cigarettes, according to a 10-year research effort from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.
The study documents how women, pound-for-pound, not only get more drunk or higher faster then men, but also become addicted more easily. The research results are presented in a new book from CASA called "Women Under the Influence" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006).
Double shot
The numbers could get worse, warns Susan Foster, CASA's director of policy research and analysis, who directed the research behind the book.
Teenage girls now smoke, drink and abuse drugs as often as teenage boys. For certain drugs, such as prescription painkillers, the abuse rate is higher in girls than boys.
Yet even as the rate of abuse becomes equal, physiological and psychological factors combine to ensure that females are more greatly affected by drugs and alcohol.
According to Foster, each single drink hits a woman like a double. A woman's body contains less water and more fatty tissue—which increases alcohol absorption—compared to a male body. And women have a lower activity level of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down alcohol. Similar biological factors are at work in metabolizing illicit drugs.
Hooked on less
The risk of addiction to alcohol and drugs, including nicotine, is approximately doubled as well. The reason may be hormonal or psychological, according to ongoing research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Males and females abuse drugs for different reasons. For example, teenage girls are more likely than boys to abuse substances in order to lose weight, relieve stress or boredom, improve their mood, reduce sexual inhibitions, self-medicate depression, and increase confidence, according to CASA.
"Whereas the substance abuse field has a fairly good understanding of the biological basis of gender differences in susceptibility to alcohol addiction, the research on such differences with regard to narcotic addiction is still in the early stages," Foster told LiveScience. "Women become addicted [to narcotics] faster than men. Our understanding of why this may be the case is more limited."
Foster is calling for more research funding for this neglected area. Similarly, CASA president Joseph Califano said that drug-treatment programs have long had a male-dominated, one-size-fits-all focus and need to better embrace women and their needs. More than 90 percent of American women in need of treatment don't get it, he said.
"Women Get Drunk, High and Addicted Easier Than Men | LiveScience." 5 Sep. 2008
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d7d1a7a6-4693-4183-a716-2fd254275659)
Image via Wikipedia
A few "pleasant" effects of some drugs:
"Drugs." Times Online. 5 Sep. 2008. Times Online. 5 Sep. 2008
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=f4be075d-4b62-4069-a7b9-3e5f57bc8710)
Image via Wikipedia
The proponents of Question 7 say their initiative legalizes "small amounts" of marijuana. The "small amount" they propose to legalize for individuals 21 and older is one ounce. So how many marijuana cigarettes are there in one ounce of weed? Thirty to 120 marijuana cigarettes per ounce depending on the potency of the marijuana.
The excerpt below is from the book Economics of Cannabis Legalization, written by Dale Gieringer, Ph.D., Coordinator, California NORML (National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws)
“We will define a standard dose of THC to be that contained in the government's own marijuana joints, which NIDA supplies to researchers and selected human subjects. These consist of low-quality 2.5% - 3% potency leaf rolled into cigarette-sized joints of 0.9 grams, yielding a 25 milligram dose of THC. The same dose can be had in a slender one-third or one-quarter gram joint of 10 - 12% sinsemilla. A typical joint has been estimated to weigh about 0.4 grams. Taking this as a standard, we will define a "standard joint" to be 0.4 grams of average-quality 6% buds. Thus an ounce of "standard pot" equals 60 joints, an ounce of 12% sinsemilla 120, and an ounce of government pot only 30 joints.”
"Nevada Says No - How many joints are in an ounce of marijuana?" 4 Sep. 2008
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=105e72f3-001b-49b2-8ad3-bdcab74bd8d1)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8eb2baa7-81e4-446c-93be-c950654e94fc)