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Drug & Alcohol Facts

Alcohol and drugs affect everyone. Even if you don't drink or do drugs, you probably have friends or relatives who do. People who oppose drug use may think alcohol is acceptable, but the fact remains that it is a drug too.

  1. Health

    • The prolonged use of alcohol can cause a host of health problems, including liver disease, digestive ailments, memory loss, heart disease, sexual impotence and central nervous system damage.

    Death

    • According to the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse website, excessive alcohol consumption is the cause of more than 100,000 deaths each year in the United States. Approximately 45 percent of traffic-crash fatalities are alcohol related.

    Illicit Drugs

    • Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the United States. Marijuana blocks brain signals and alters perception, coordination, hearing, vision and emotions.

    Prescription Drugs

    • People can become addicted to prescription drugs such as tranquilizers, which slow down the central nervous system. A person may build a tolerance to such drugs over time so that they need to take larger amounts which can cause accidental overdose.

    Significance

    • According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, approximately 37 percent of rapes and sexual assaults involve alcohol use on the part of the offender.

    Interesting Fact

    • Cocaine and crack are highly addictive and so dangerous that even first-time users could have a heart attack or experience seizures.

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