Test your IQ: Drug use and addiction

By Ginny Greene Content provided by

Drug addiction and abuse is a serious problem in America. Some people believe addiction is all about willpower. However, much research has shown that addiction is a brain disease.

Early experimentation with illicit drugs, nicotine and alcohol may be voluntary. But using or abusing these drugs can change the way our brains work. This, in turn, causes changes in our social behavior, judgment and relationships. Our actions can become centered on getting more of the drug we crave.

Drug abuse and addiction can affect heart and liver disease, lung disease, stroke, cancer, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, federal health officials say. Some of these physical effects occur over time. Some may occur with just a single use.

Let's test your drug IQ. See how many of these questions you can answer correctly.

1. Abuse of alcohol, nicotine and illegal substances costs Americans a lot of money. The yearly cost of their combined medical, economic, criminal and social impact is estimated at:

A) $500 million B) $1 billion C) $100 billion D) $500 billion

Answer: d. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) says half a trillion dollars is spent on these areas related to alcohol and drug abuse.

2. Every year, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contributes to the death of how many Americans?

A) 50,000 B) 100,000 C) 200,000 D) 250,000

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Test your IQ: Drug use and addiction