Drug Abuse and Dependence

The American Council for Drug Education provides current scientific research, prevention materials, and programs on tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs and their effects. It offers programs and services for teens and provides information to parents, employers, educators, health professionals, policy makers, and the media.

LifeRing is a network of support groups for people with alcohol or drug problems. Support groups meet about an hour each week. LifeRing is abstinence-based, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), but does not rely on a "higher power" concept for recovery.

Nar-Anon is an organization dedicated to helping family and friends of people suffering from drug addiction to cope with addiction. Support group meetings are available in most communities at various times. Contact Nar-Anon or check your local phone book for meeting dates and times.

Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based support group that serves people recovering from drug addiction with more than 31,000 weekly meetings in over 100 countries worldwide. NA provides an environment in which people recovering from drug addiction can help one another stop using drugs and find a new way to live. Meetings are available in most communities at various times. Contact NA or check your local phone book for meeting dates and times.

This organization provides information for the public on drugs. It contains information about how certain drugs affect the brain.

SAMHSA provides information on substance abuse prevention and treatment. Its Web site is the gateway to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (http://prevention.samhsa.gov) and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (http://csat.samhsa.gov).