Suncoast Rehabilitation Center wanted to get involved with NIDA’s National Drug Facts Week, which runs from January 28th through February 3rd.  Today we have three myths to shatter in our ongoing series of drug myth articles:

MYTH #6:  

Marijuana is not bad for you.

TRUTH:

Marijuana is actually bad for you. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has said the following about marijuana use: 

“Pleasant experiences with marijuana are by no means universal. Instead of relaxation and euphoria, some users experience anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic. These effects are more common when too much is taken, the marijuana has an unexpectedly high potency, or a user is inexperienced. People who have taken large doses of marijuana may experience an acute psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity. These unpleasant but temporary reactions are distinct from longer-lasting psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, that may be associated with the use of marijuana in vulnerable individuals.”

MYTH#7:  

Combining drugs is not harmful.

TRUTH:

Mixing drugs can be extremely dangerous. Many times, overdose and death occur as a result of combining drugs. Examples include: mixing certain prescription drugs together or combining illegal drugs with alcohol. Due to these and other risks one faces when taking drugs, drug treatment centers are recommended for recovery assistance. Click here to read an earlier blog about the harms of mixing drugs and alcohol. (Drugabuse.gov)

MYTH #8:

Pregnant women can take drugs without having to worry about harmful side effects.

TRUTH:

When a woman is pregnant, any drugs taken can be very harmful and dangerous to them and to their growing child. Many drugs, prescription drugs included, are able to enter the developing fetus by breaking through the placenta barrier.  In fact, estimates state that 60-80 percent of babies exposed to heroin or methadone in the womb will wind up addicted once they are born.  This means that they have to be weaned off these health-destroying drugs after birth, if they are born at all.  In some extreme situations, the child dies in utero.  Drugs taken while a child is in the womb can cause premature birth, low birth weight, breathing difficulties, and bleeding within the baby’s brain. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a serious set of symptoms, including birth defects and mental retardation, which are associated with pregnant woman drinking alcohol.

Breast feeding is also dangerous for the baby if drugs are taken.  A pregnant mother would do well to understand how any drug will effect fetal development before deciding to take it.

(Drugabuse.gov, American Pregnancy Association, PBS Newshour, LA Times, Wall Street Journal)

If you know someone who is addicted to or abusing drugs, please contact us right away.  Our phone number is (877) 850-7355, and information about our long-term, inpatient program, how it works, and the stories of our graduates can be found at www.suncoastrehabcenter.com.