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Dear Student:
Welcome to Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body. Here you'll find real, science-based facts about the effects drugs have on the teen brain and body. Check out the articles and features below to get the latest facts so you can make smart choices about your health.
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Talking With Your Doctor
Some tips to help you get the most out of your doctor visit.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
Scientists Answer Teen Questions About Drug Abuse
NEW!
Teens and Decision Making: What Brain Science Reveals
Recent research shows that emotions have an edge over logic in teen decision making.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
Peer Pressure: Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making
Out of It
Find out the facts about impairment from drug abuse and how it can affect a wide range of abilities.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
The Effects of Marijuana on the Brain
The Lowdown on Hydrocodone
The active ingredient in many prescription pain relievers is a powerful drug—and dangerous when not used as prescribed.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
Dangerous Liaisons: Mixing Hydrocodone with Alcohol and Other Drugs
Stress and Drug Abuse
Find out facts about how the body responds to stress, and how stress puts people at risk for drug abuse or relapse to drug addiction.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
How Drug Abuse Puts Your Body at Risk
Get the facts on how drug abuse and addiction can affect almost every system in your body.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
The Deadly Effects of Tobacco Addiction
Find out facts about the chemicals in tobacco that make it addictive, as well as the deadly effects of smoking and of secondhand smoke.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
The Science of Addiction: What Brain Research Tells Us About Addiction
Find out facts about why scientists consider drug addiction a chronic disease, and the roles that one's environment and genetics also play.
- Student Article (HTML)
- Student Article (PDF)
A Day in the Life of a Teen: Decisions at Every Turn
Find out the facts and dangers of drug abuse and what you can do—and say—to protect yourself and navigate through social situations.
Poison Vapors: The Truth About Inhalants
Inhalants can cause harm to the whole body, including long-lasting damage to the brain, physical disabilities, and even death.
Prescription Drugs: Their Use and Abuse
A prescription label is not just a bunch of words. It's a doctor's instructions to a patient: Only this person can take this medication, in this amount, for this length of time. When the medication is taken on purpose for any other reason, that is called abuse.
Methamphetamine: Toxic. Addictive. Devastating. Get the Facts!
Also known as "meth" or "ice," this highly addictive and brain-altering drug is a serious threat to individuals, families, and communities.
Drug Addiction Is a Disease: Why the Teen Brain Is Vulnerable
Today, as a result of research studies, clinical trials, and new ways to study the brain, scientists know that drug addiction is a disease—and that teen brains are more susceptible than adults' to the effects of drugs.
Teens, Drug Abuse, and AIDS: The Deadly Connection
According to a 2004 report from NIDA, behavior associated with drug abuse is now the single largest factor in the spread of HIV infection in the United States. The teen health threat of drug addiction helps set the stage for the disease of AIDS.
Abuse of Inhalants and Prescription Drugs: Real Dangers for Teens
The latest studies on teen drug use show good news and bad news. The good news is that overall drug abuse among teens is down. The bad news is that three dangerous substances show an increase in abuse: inhalants and the prescription drugs OxyContin® and Vicodin®.
Two Teen Health Dangers: Obesity and Drug Addiction
Researchers have discovered an amazing connection between how the brain is involved in obesity and drug addiction.
Also check out these interactive activities...
• Go on a Scavenger Hunt and hone your Web-searching skills.
• Check out our pop-up brain diagram.
• Read the personal story of a teen who abused hallucinogens and is now in recovery.
• Get the personal story of a teen who thought cocaine would give him good feelings.
• Get the facts on hallucinogens and cocaine.
• View a slide show of student artwork on drug education.
Photo (top): ©LWA-Dann Tardif/CORBIS.
Photo (bottom): ©Denis Felix/Getty Images.
