Nicotine, alcohol and drug abuse results in more deaths and disabilities each year in the United States than any other health problem. Determining exactly who is -- and isn't -- using and abusing drugs certainly is not the solution to the problem, but it can be an important tool for parents, employers, educators and others. The FDA-approved drug and alcohol test kits available at www.homedrugtestingkit.com/zshop provide rapid results, have guaranteed accuracy rates of around 99 percent, can be done in the privacy of a home, school, or workplace, and are affordable.
"There are still a lot of people that don't know these types of products exist," states Amanda Beihl, president of HomeDrugTestingKit.com, who provides a pamphlet regarding drug use and abuse with each order. "A big part of what we do is educational. We've found people stay online for a long time to read and re-read what's there." Go to www.homedrugtestingkit.com to learn more about the physically and psychologically damaging results of drugs, alcohol and tobacco use.
For years the public has been warned about the dangers of smoking. Nicotine is very addictive and many people who are trying to quit will hide occasional use. Chewing tobacco is just as dangerous, but not as easily detected without a test. "Our nicotine test can easily confirm use or nonuse of nicotine," says Beihl.
Beer, wine and other alcoholic beverages all have the same effect of depressing the central nervous system. This causes the bodily functions controlled by the brain to slow down.
The result? One-quarter of all emergency room admissions, one-third of all suicides and more than one-half of all homicides and incidents of domestic violence are alcohol-related. And then there are the 16,000 people who die each year and the more than 700,000 who are injured in automobile accidents involving alcohol.
Here are some common side effects of drug and tobacco use:
Marijuana use can increase heart rate, decrease short-term memory and comprehension, and produce paranoia and psychosis.
Cocaine can decrease respiratory function and result in a coma or death, even for first-time users.
Methamphetamine/speed/ecstasy elevates blood pressure, causes increases in heart and respiratory rates, produces sweating, tremors, and other symptoms that in certain cases can result in stroke, high fever and heart failure.
Opiates, the active ingredient in morphine and heroin, is a stimulant and has similar effects on the body as methamphetamine.
PCP, or phencyclidine, interrupts functions of the brain that control intellect and instinct.
Benzodiazepines such as valium and xanax act as depressants that slow normal brain function. Use can result in blurred vision, impaired thinking, slowed reflexes and breathing, and reduced sensitivity to pain. Overdoses can result in a coma and death.
Nicotine is a stimulant and sedative which acts on the central nervous system. It is both physically and psychologically addictive. Tobacco smoking will result in the absorption of nicotine into the lungs and oral/nasal tissues, and nicotine is of course a well-documented carcinogen.
The Home Drug Testing Kits screen for those drugs through the use of a testing card that is dipped into a urine sample. Results are delivered within three to five minutes. A basic single-substance kit costs $3 and ranges up from there to the five-substance test kit at $7.
If it is alcohol use you want to measure, for less than a dollar per test, the Guardian Angel Personal Alcohol Test is available in packages of 2 or 4 individual tests strips. Simply place a test strip on your tongue to determine your blood alcohol level range.
"I have a medical background and I know information is key," says Beihl. "So we are all about giving people the tools they need to make educated, informed decisions about the health and welfare of their family members, students, employees and other important people in their lives."
With the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs straining our health care system, harming family life and threatening public safety, education and information helps all of us.
Copyright © 2005, ARA Content
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