There is a new and (at the moment legal) drug on the market all over the world called Spice or K2 that is growing in popularity among teens and marijuana users. It is an herb-based drug sold as an herbal incense online or in local stores, but when smoked, produces a high comparable to THC in marijuana. It is made by spraying the herbs that make up this so-called incense with a synthetic substance that mimics the THC found in marijuana. The danger lies in the uncontrolled manner in which this product is manufactured and the unregulated amounts of undefined chemicals which are sprayed onto the herbs. Health and law officials state that this product is being created in a ‘dorm-room’ type of setting by unqualified scientists or lab workers who most likely are not using any quality control measures. Dawn Dearden, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) likens the use of Spice to, ‘playing russian roulette,’ due to the uncontrolled way in which the product is being manufactured. There is no way to tell the chemical makeup of the product, and many users have had adverse reactions to it. Some such reactions are elevated heart rates, difficulty breathing and possible risk of heart attack.
This new drug is not only available in local stores and online, it is also undetectable by drug screens used in treatment centers. Due to this many probationers are using the substance to get high without fear of being caught. Hopefully lawmakers and officials will move quickly to outlaw this substance and bring it under the scrutiny of the DEA.
So what are the warning signs of severe alcoholism? Drinking alone, using any excuse to drink, needing alcohol to “function”, inability to stop drinking(“I can quit at any time” does not count), violence when drinking, drinking in secret/hiding alcohol around the house, lashing out when confronted about their drinking, poor eating habits, not caring about ones physical appearance and having uncontrollable shaking in themorning.