Substance Abuse in Adolescents and Young Adults

Health is a key component of human development, growth and quality of life. The Health, Medicine and Human Development book series aim to provide a public forum for book publications from a multidisciplinary group of researchers, practitioners and clinicians for an international professional forum interested in the broad spectrum of health, medicine and human development. We welcome research on a wide variety of substantive areas that will promote and impact healthy human development including prevention, intervention and care also among people in vulnerable conditions.

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The abuse of drugs and chemicals has become a problematic public health dilemma for the world's population and one that must be dealt with by parents, societies, clinicians, researchers, and even countries in the world. This book discusses the complex neurobiology that underlies drug addiction and reveals how these illicit chemicals disrupt central nervous system neurotransmission involving such neurotransmitters as serotonin, dopamine, and others. This manual reviews current understanding in drug interactions with neurotransmitter systems, neuroimmune signaling, current research on reward circuitry, and current medications used to treat drug addiction. It also discusses related topics such as drug addiction in females, co-morbid conditions, drug addiction in minority populations, prenatal drug exposure and others. The book covers new drugs of the 21st century and discusses such controversial topics as legalization of drug use. It also provides internet resources, treatment facilities by state, and parent support organizations. The importance of prevention of drug abuse is a key theme of the book.