‘Let the punishment fit the crime.’

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Physicians and nurses deal with the reality of illness and death on a daily basis. What is abstract and theoretical to most is a part of normal daily reality for those who work on the front lines in the medical field, and unsurprisingly this can exact a significant psychological toll. Many speculate that the high levels of stress doctors and nurses experience because of their frequent exposure to physical trauma and serious illness could leave those who work in these occupations particularly vulnerable to the lure of mind-altering substances.

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Once again "legal drugs" are making the news, but what exactly is in these substances if people are dying from using them?

According to an article, a young man recently died in Scotland after taking the legal drug, Benzo Fury. Officials caution the practice of mixing alcohol and drugs like this because you do not know the effects of using both of them at the same time.

In addition, Benzo Fury is known to have similar effects as that of ecstasy, but seems to fall under the threshold of being legal because of its chemical makeup. This is the same scenario as many drugs we have heard of lately, such as K2. These drugs seem to brush the line between legal and illegal because of what is in them.

However, laws are getting tougher on these borderline substances and one could anticipate that Benzo Fury would soon fall under the illegal classification.

There are so many unknowns with drugs like these, health officials just do not know their full affects yet. However, if you mix them with alcohol, they know the combination could be deadly.

Any time someone uses a drug that has not been prescribed to them for a medical reason there can be adverse side effects. One would believe that there would soon be laws prohibiting this type of drug use.

The fear of the unknown is often a scary situation. Drugs like Benzo Fury are no different. In this case what you don’t know may end up hurting you, or even worse. However, the more we learn over time could also educate us on even other risky effects.

As a parent who fosters open communication in your home, it may be easy to assume that your child is unlikely to get him or herself involved in drugs. You had the talk with your kids and they assured you that they aren’t using and have no interest in using drugs. If your son is on the football team and it looks promising he will get a scholarship to a top ten school, you might be inclined to dismiss the idea that he is using drugs.

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Suicide is shocking and devastating for family and loved ones and takes many victims each year. It remains the third leading cause of death with adolescents between the ages of 10 to 18 years old and is the second leading cause among college aged youth.

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A recent study in the Archives of General Psychiatry revealed high numbers of teens who are experimenting with drugs and alcohol, putting them at risk for early dependency and social and physical problems that may plague them for the rest of their lives. Between February 2001 and January 2004, researchers surveyed alcohol and drug exposure and use among 10,123 teens aged 13 to 18. Of those teens, 78 percent had already experienced their first taste of alcohol and 42.5 percent had already experimented drugs.

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The state of Oklahoma has some ironic statistics when it comes to drug penalties and overdoses. While the number of overdoses on prescription pills is at an all-time high, the penalties for possession of a small amount of drugs can result in life sentences for offenders.

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Researchers in the field of drug addiction have been able to pinpoint certain differences in the way men and women abuse drugs. Some of the reasons for these differences are biological, and others have to do with the importance women place on their emotions and relationships.

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