In 2017, nearly 20 million Americans over the age of 12 suffered from a substance use disorder.
Sometimes the people we love are very skilled at hiding the signs of drug abuse in their own lives.
Learning about commonly abused drugs can help you understand whether or not you should be concerned about someone in your life.
Let’s take a look at 7 frequently abused substances.
Table of Contents
1. Alcohol
Consuming alcohol can lead to damage to most of your body’s organs including the brain. Alcohol abuse can be more difficult to spot than other drug addictions because drinking is considered to be a socially acceptable activity.
2. Pain Relievers
The most commonly abused drugs in the country are prescription drugs. Even if someone obtains prescription drugs legally, that doesn’t mean they aren’t in danger of misusing or abusing them. Pain relievers such as codeine, morphine, methadone, hydrocodone, and oxycodone are abused to experience feelings of excitement or euphoria.
3. Cocaine
This powerful stimulant can increase feelings of well-being, elevate mood, and increase alertness and energy. Cocaine can also dangerously raise your blood pressure and heart rate. While the rates of cocaine addiction in America have been declining over the years, there are still hundreds of thousands of Americans who are addicted to either cocaine or crack cocaine.
4. Benzodiazepines
You’ve maybe heard these referred to as “benzos” for short. Examples of benzos include Xanax, valium, Klonopin, and diazepam. They are prescribed to manage conditions like stress and anxiety, but it’s easy for people to become dependent on these commonly abused prescription drugs.
5. Heroin
This highly addictive drug is derived from morphine and has been responsible for countless deaths and destroyed lives. This drug comes along with severe withdrawal symptoms that make it incredibly difficult to beat a heroin addiction once you have one.
If someone you know is suffering from an addiction, choosing the right long term rehab program could help save their life.
6. Amphetamines
The most commonly abused prescription drugs are amphetamines. While they are prescribed to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, these central nervous system stimulants can be abused by taking them orally or snorting crushed pills.
It has become common in American universities for students to abuse amphetamines as a study aid.
7. Inhalants
These volatile substances are found in a wide variety of household aerosol products. These extremely toxic substances that induce mind-altering effects can damage the kidneys, heart, brain, and lungs.
Knowledge Is Power: Learning About Commonly Abused Drugs Can Help You Identify Addiction
One of the things that can make it hard to identify the signs of addiction in your life or in your loved ones’ lives is that some of these commonly abused drugs are legal. It’s important to understand that even if you’ve been prescribed prescription drugs by a doctor, that doesn’t mean you can’t develop a dependent relationship on them.
Did you find this article about commonly abused drugs helpful? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more informative articles!
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