Drug Facts

Learn what was top of mind for over 100,000 teens.

What role does your brain play in drug addiction? Learn more about the science, risks and treatment of addiction.

It is not uncommon for someone with a substance use disorder to also experience a mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety.

Gives brief descriptions of different types of drugs.

Briefly describes how more than 15 different types of drugs affect the teen brain.

Teen drinking can put teens' health and safety at risk. Find out how drinking can affect brain development and put teens at risk for alcoholism in the future.

Use of “bath salts” can cause severe intoxication (a person seems very drunk or “out of it”) and dangerous health effects.

Stimulants like cocaine can disrupt how the brain’s dopamine system works, reducing a person’s ability to feel pleasure from normal, everyday activities.

Did you know you can overdose on cough medicine ('tussin', 'lean')? Learn about the health effects of using cough medicine & what to do if someone you know needs help.

Heroin is a very addictive drug made from morphine, a psychoactive (mind-altering) substance taken from the resin of the seed pod of the opium poppy plant.

Chemicals found in these products can change the way the brain works and cause other problems in the body.

THC can affect decision making, concentration, and memory for days after use, especially in people who use regularly.

MDMA can cause problems with the body’s ability to control temperature, especially when it is used in active, hot settings (like dance parties or concerts).

Meth can have dangerous effects like raising heart rate and blood pressure, and use can lead to addiction.

Prescription drug misuse has become a large public health problem, because misuse can lead to addiction, and even overdose deaths.

Depressants should not be combined with any medicine or substance that causes sleepiness. If combined, they can slow both the heart rate and breathing.

Taking high doses of a stimulant can raise a person’s body temperature and blood pressure to dangerous levels and make the heart beat irregularly.

Mixing prescription opioid medications with alcohol can cause a dangerous slowing of the heart rate and breathing.

Researchers are studying salvia to learn exactly how it acts in the brain to produce its effects.

Spice can have unpredictable and dangerous health effects.

People who misuse anabolic steroids can experience many effects, some of which are serious.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States.

Drug use can affect your teeth, gums and tongue. Learn more about what damage your dentist can see.

Drug use can increase a person’s risk for getting a viral infection, like HIV or hepatitis.