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High

Page 16

by David Sheff


  104 three hundred fraternal and identical twins: Sheff, Clean

  average weed smoked today: Caleb Hellerman, “Is Super Weed Super Bad?” CNN, August 9, 2013 (www.cnn.com/2013/08/09/health/weed-potency-levels; October 22, 2017).

  105 doubled the risk of causing a collision: McCarton Ackerman, “Pot Use Doubles Car Crash Risk,” TheFix.com, February 10, 2012 (www.thefix.com/content/marijuana-driving-car-crashes9632; October 22, 2017).

  poorer outcome in the long term: Joanna Jacobus, PhD, et al., “Neuropsychological Performance in Adolescent Marijuana Users with Co-Occurring Alcohol Use: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study,” May 4, 2015 (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4633396; October 22, 2017).

  8. PAIN PILLS AND OTHER PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  111 four million teenagers regularly: Foundations for a Drug Free World, “International Statistics” (www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/prescription/abuse-international-statistics.html; October 22, 2017).

  increasing the likelihood of overdose: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Teens Mix Prescription Opioids with Other Substances” (www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/teens-mix-prescription-opioids-other-substances; October 22, 2017).

  at least one prescription drug every day: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Health, United States, 2015,” 2015 (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus15.pdf, October 31, 2017).

  113 A study showed that more than: The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, “National Study: Teen Misuse and Abuse of Prescription Drugs Up 33 Percent Since 2008, Stimulants Contributing to Sustained Rx Epidemic,” April 22, 2013.

  116 “smaller than a snowflake”: Jack Healy, “Drug Linked to Ohio Overdoses Can Kill in Doses Smaller Than a Snowflake,” New York Times, September 5, 2016 (www.nytimes.com/2016/09/06/us/ohio-cincinnati-overdoses-carfentanil-heroin.html; October 22, 2017).

  Deaths from heroin increased 500 percent: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Heroin Overdose Data” (www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/heroin.html; accessed April 27, 2018).

  118 students who abuse prescription stimulants: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Stimulant ADHD Medications: Methylphenidate and Amphetamines,” January 2014 (www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/stimulant-adhd-medications-methylphenidate-amphetamines; October 22, 2017).

  119 abuse of these drugs is up 92 percent: Casey Schwartz, “Generation Adderall,” New York Times, October 12, 2016 (www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/magazine/generation-adderall-addiction.html; October 22, 2017).

  9. HEROIN, COCAINE, METH, AND OTHER ILLEGAL DRUGS

  133 “deadliest drug worldwide”: Mary Brophy Marcus, “Heroin Use in U.S. Reaches ‘Alarming’ 20-Year High,” CBS News, June 23, 2016 (www.cbsnews.com/news/heroin-use-in-u-s-reaches-alarming-20-year-high; October 22, 2017).

  Over 16,000 people in this country died: American Society of Addiction Medicine, “Opioid Addiction 2016 Facts & Figures,” 2016 (www.asam.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/opioid-addiction-disease-facts-figures.pdf, October 31, 2017).

  139 In fact, almost six thousand people die: Sheff, Clean, 420.

  143 small amount of ecstasy: Science News, “Ecstasy Can Harm the Brains of First-Time Users,” Radiological Society of North America, November 28, 2006 (www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061128084458.htm; October 22, 2017).

  hippocampus plays an essential role: Bill Hendrick, “LongTerm Ecstasy Use May Damage the Brain,” WebMD, April 7, 2011 (www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20110407/long-term-ecstasy-use-may-damage-the-brain; October 22, 2017).

  150 For example, it’s been estimated: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings,” September 2014 (www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf).

  10. USE, ABUSE, AND ADDICTION

  162 90 percent of all addictions: CASAColumbia, “National Study Reveals: Teen Substance Use America’s #1 Public Health Problem,” National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, June 29, 2011 (www.centeronaddiction.org/newsroom/press-releases/national-study-reveals-teen-substance-use-america%E2%80%99s-1-public-health-problem; October 22, 2017).

  166 “Addiction is a chronic disease”: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Understanding Drug Use and Addiction” (www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction; accessed April 27, 2018).

  170 cannot substitute for a full evaluation: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “Self-Test for Teenagers” (www.ncadd.org/get-help/take-the-test/self-test-for-teenagers; October 22, 2017).

  12. DRUG-FREE: TREATMENT, RELAPSE, AND RECOVERY

  192 “We know that addiction is a disease”: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction,” February 2007 (www.naabt.org/documents/NIDA_Science_of_addiction.pdf).

  202 “Addiction is the place where”: Sheff, Clean.

  Acknowledgments

  We’d like to offer our gratitude to Jacqueline Periman for allowing us to retell the painful story of her beloved son, Kevin. She recounts it with the hope that she may help prevent others from having to experience what she’s endured. “Laurel” is the pseudonym of the brave family that allowed David to spend time with them over the course of a trying year and sit in on an intervention. We’re grateful to them and Denise Young Farrell, Pat Aussem, and Denise Mariano with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse scientists and science writers who reviewed sections of High. Thanks also to researchers, educators, and clinicians Ulrike Heberlein, Jessica Winter, James Flack, Susan Tapert, Joanna Jacobus, Kyle Redford, and especially Drs. Steven Shoptaw and Richard Rawson.

  We want to thank Lorin Oberweger, who worked tirelessly and artfully edited and organized High (and us). Her hard work can be seen on every page. We’d also like to thank Lisa Vega, who designed High, and Colleen Fellingham and Alison Miller for their copyediting.

  High wouldn’t have happened if not for the book’s champion, Margaret Raymo, our editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. We’re grateful for her vision, guidance, and commitment to helping young adults navigate one of the most challenging stages of life.

  —David and Nic Sheff

  Credits

  Clay Patrick McBride: 2

  CDC WONDER: Drug Overdose Deaths: 23

  NIDA: Drug Use in High School: 26

  NIDA: How Do You Know If a Friend Has a Problem . . . : 69

  NIDA: What to Say and Do . . . : 70

  CDC: Alcohol Use and Your Health: 86–87

  CDC: Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Levels: 88

  Drugabuse.gov: Marijuana Use & Educational Outcomes: 106

  Drugabuse.gov: Teens and drug abuse: 112

  CDC WONDER: Number of Deaths from Prescription Drugs: 113

  CDC: Heroin Use Is Part of . . . : 135

  CDC: National Overdose Deaths (Heroin): 136

  NCADD: Self-Test for Addiction (for Teenagers) reprinted with permission by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc (NCADD), ncadd.org: 168–71

  Jasper Sheff: illustration: 181

  Shawn Ehlers/Stringer, WireImage: 206

  Victor Ochoa (graphics): 23, 26, 32, 33, 35, 37, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 52, 62, 63, 65, 69, 70, 82, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 93, 94, 96, 99, 100, 106, 108, 112, 113, 114, 117, 119, 121, 124, 126, 127, 133, 135, 136, 138, 139, 142, 144, 145, 146, 147, 149, 150, 172

  Index

  A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

  THE LETTER F FOLLOWING A PAGE NUMBER DENOTES A FIGURE.

  A

  Adderall, 118–19

  addiction, 25

  anecdote of use, 157–60

  definition of, 166

  depression after high, 163

  effect on behavior, 163

  effect on family, 175–77

  excuses for use, 216

  heroin after other drugs, 1
35

  homelessness and, 25

  marijuana experience, 103

  self-test, 168–70

  sobriety after treatment, 202–3

  study of, 35

  understanding, 25

  See also alcohol; risk factors

  ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), 13, 40, 117–18

  See also risk factors

  adolescents. See teenagers and teenage problems

  adolescent treatment centers, 103

  alcohol, 223 f

  binge drinking, 89–91

  dangers of, 88

  drinking responsibly, 217–18

  effects of, 85–87, 91–93

  effects on the brain, 92–94

  mixed with other drugs, 127–29

  portrayal in media, 22

  sexual assault and, 90

  society view of, 85

  American Psychological Association, 31

  amotivational syndrome, 101–2

  amphetamines, 138, 229 f

  See also cocaine; methamphetamine

  B

  barbiturates, 120, 229 f

  bath salts, 149, 227 f

  benzodiazepines, 120, 229 f

  brain and nervous system, 143, 163–65

  alcohol, effects on, 92–94

  depressants, effect on, 120

  dopamine in, 47–48, 50–51, 118–19, 138, 140

  drug effects, 45–51

  ecstasy, effects of, 143

  marijuana, effects on, 102, 106

  methamphetamine, effects, 140

  substance-use disorders (SUDs), 164–65, 211

  See also risk factors

  brain development

  drug effect on teenage brain, 52–53

  psychological and developmental forces, 38–39

  teenagers’ curiosity, 36–38

  Breaking Bad, 7, 142, 183

  Bukowski, Charles, 216

  C

  cannabis derivatives, 101

  carfentanil, 116

  Cobain, Kurt, 216

  cocaine, 7, 79, 223 f

  coca plant extract, 138

  convulsions, 9

  effects of, 138–39

  fruit fly experiments, 35

  mixed with other drugs, 150–51

  codeine, 114, 124, 228 f

  Concerta, 118

  crack. See cocaine

  crystal meth. See methamphetamine

  Cyrus, Miley, 143

  D

  depressants, 119–20

  alcohol, 85

  GHB, 125

  marijuana, 103

  detox, 11–12, 215

  dissociative drugs, 121–24

  dopamine. See brain and nervous system

  Downey, Robert, Jr., 20

  drug availability, 213–14

  drug education, scare tactics, 24–25

  drugs, dirty (adulterated), 79

  drug use and abuse, 26–27

  confrontation plans, 65–68

  consequences, 22, 24–25, 80

  drug use in high school, 26–27

  fruit fly experiments, 35–36

  risk factors, 33 f

  See also teenagers and teenage problems

  dual diagnosis. See mental illness

  DXM (dextromethorphan), 123–24, 224 f

  E

  ecstasy, 7, 79

  deaths from, 143

  effects of, 38, 142

  Eminem, 20

  emotional trauma, self-medication, 12–13

  exercise, 61–62

  F

  families of addicts

  awareness of genetics, 180

  effect on, 175–77

  fear of following, 178–79

  instability of, 182

  intervention anecdote, 189–91

  role models and behaviors, 181, 218

  sobriety after treatment, 202–3

  support and help, 183–85

  worry and action, 212–16

  fentanyl, 79, 115–16, 228 f

  flunitrazepam, 225 f

  FOMO (fear of missing out), 60

  G

  GHB, 124–25, 225 f

  Good Samaritan laws, 115

  Grissom, Miles, 190–91, 193

  H

  hallucinogens, 7, 142, 144–45

  Hazelden Betty Ford rehab center, 103

  co-occurring psychological disorders, 105

  Heberlein, Ulrike, 35–36

  Hemingway, Ernest, 20

  heroin, 9, 79, 225 f

  addiction anecdote, 134–37

  opioid, 133

  opium poppy, 133

  overdose deaths, 136

  overdoses, 134

  homelessness, 7, 25

  hydrocodone, 114, 228 f

  hydromorphone, 228 f

  I

  inhalants, 147–48, 227 f

  J

  Jackie Brown, 102

  Jacobus, Joanna, 105

  Jenkins, Stephan, 139

  K

  Kaku, Michio, 46

  ketamine, 122–23, 224 f

  L

  Lady Gaga, 20

  Lamott, Anne, 57

  “lean” or “purple drank,” 124

  LSD, 144, 226 f

  M

  marijuana, 79–80, 104, 223 f

  addiction experiences, 103, 107

  brain structure effect, 102, 104

  chronic use effects, 101–2

  death from fatal car accidents, 105

  edibles, 100

  effect on education, 106

  first use, effect, 5–6

  gateway drug, 104

  legality and danger, 99–100

  television and movie portrayal, 21

  MDMA, 142–43, 225 f

  See also ecstasy

  meditation, 61–63

  mental illness, 25

  bipolar disorder, 12, 40, 196

  co-occurring psychological disorders, 25, 105, 195, 198

  delay in diagnosis, 105

  meperidine, 228 f

  mescaline, 145, 226 f

  methadone, 228 f

  methamphetamine, 75, 79, 224 f

  anecdote of use, 7, 9, 141

  effects of, 139–41

  mixed with other drugs, 80

  overdose, 7–8

  overdose deaths, 79

  stimulant, 118

  methylphenidate, 229 f

  mixed message on drugs, 19–20

  Molly. See ecstasy

  Monteith, Cory, 137

  morphine, 228 f

  N

  Narcan (naloxone), 117

  National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 25

  National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 168

  National Institute on Drug Abuse, 166

  nicotine. See tobacco

  O

  opioids, drug overdose deaths, 23 f, 116

  opium poppy, 133, 226 f

  overdoses, 19, 79, 111

  consequences, 22–23

  deaths from, 80, 116–17, 134

  See also heroin; methamphetamine; Narcan (naloxone); OxyContin; prescription drugs; Vicodin

  oxycodone. See OxyContin

  OxyContin, 7, 111, 134, 228 f

  overdose deaths, 22

  P

  pain pills

  codeine, 114

  hydrocodone, 114

  morphine, 114

  roxicodone, 114

  use and abuse, 116

  Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, 31–32

  PCP (phencyclidine), 25, 121–22, 224 f

  peer pressure, 22, 33–34, 65–67

  peyote, 145

  Pink, 24

  polydrug use, 150

  pot. See marijuana

  prescription drugs, 111

  availability, 112

  deaths from overdoses, 113–14

  depressants (tranquilizers), 119–20

  misinformation on safety, 113–14

  overprescription by doctors, 112–13

 

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