Today’s youth face many risks, including drug abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS. Responding to these risks before they become problems can be difficult. One of the goals of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is to help the public understand the causes of drug abuse and to prevent its onset.

Three decades of scientific research and clinical practice have yielded a variety of effective approaches to drug addiction treatment. Extensive data document that drug addiction treatment is as effective as are treatments for most other similarly chronic medical conditions.

Large numbers of American adolescents are putting themselves and others at great risk by driving while under the influence of illicit drugs or alcohol, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Monitoring the Future survey has studied annually the extent of drug use among 8th- through 12th-graders, collecting data on past month, past year, and lifetime drug use among students in these grade levels.

Drug craving triggered by cues, such as the sight, smell, and other sensory stimuli associated with a particular drug like cocaine, is central to addiction and poses an obstacle to successful therapy for many individuals.

People of all ages suffer the harmful consequences of drug abuse and addiction. How does science provide solutions for drug abuse and addiction?

It all started one summer day when Alby was 13. "You need to get your mind right. Hit this blunt," a friend said. He felt he had to smoke the blunt (a cigar hollowed out and refilled with marijuana or a mix of cocaine and marijuana) to fit in. He desperately wanted to belong.

Daniel wanted prom night to be special. So, he took out pills stamped with images of Tweety Bird and Buddha. Ecstasy looked harmless enough. But Daniel found out the hard way how dangerous it can be.

The story behind his bulk was five years of steroid abuse and a struggle with muscle dysmorphia, a condition in which a person has a distorted image of his or her body.

Adapted from Heads Up: Real News About Drugs and Your Body, Scholastic, Inc.