9781422279649

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The Dangers of Drug Abuse

different compound, she found that opiates bind to the brain’s receptors. When someone starts taking drugs like opioids, they stimu- late the brain’s chemical pleasure centers. These are called endorphins, and the body naturally produces them during exercise, when people laugh, listen to music, eat chocolate or do other enjoyable activities. Drug takers get an artificial high from the drugs they take. Over time and as a person continues to use drugs, the opiate receptors in their brain stay full. At that point, the addict’s brain has turned off some of its recep- tors. The person needs to take more of the drug in order to

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, an estimated 21,000 adolescents (age 12 to 17) used heroin in 2015. Approximately 5,000 were current heroin users.