A Quiz for Parents

1. What is the most commonly used drug in the United States?
   • (a) heroin (b) cocain (c) alcohol (d) marijuana
2. Name the three drugs most commonly used by children.
3. Which drug is associated with the most teenage deaths?
4. Which of the following contains the most alcohol?
   • (a) a 12-ounce can of beer (b) a cocktail (c) a 12-ounce wine cooler (d) a 5-ounce glass of wine (e) all contain equal amounts of alcohol.
5. Crack is a particularly dangerous drug because it is:
   • (a) cheap (b) readily available (c) highly addictive (d) all of the above
6. Fumes from which of the following can be inhaled to produce a high:
   • (a) spray paint (b) model glue (c) nail polish remover (d) whipped cream canisters (e) all of the above
7. People who have not used alcohol and other drugs before their 20th birthday:
   • (a) have no risk of becoming chemically dependent (b) are less likely to develop a drinking problem or use illicit drugs (c) have an increased risk of becoming chemically dependent.
8. A speedball is a combination of which two drugs?
   • (a) cocaine and heroin (b) PCP and LSD (c) valium and alcohol (d) amphetamines and barbiturates
9. Anabolic steroids are dangerous because they may result in:
   • (a) development of female characteristics in males (b) development of male characteristics in females (c) stunted growth (d) damage to the liver and cardiovascular system (e) overagressive behavior (d) all of the above
10. How much alcohol can a pregnant woman safely consume?
    • (a) a 6-ounce glass of wine with dinner (b) two 12-ounce beers each day (c) five 4-ounce shots of whiskey a month (d) none

Answers:

1. (c) Because it is legal for adults and widely accepted in our culture, alcohol is the drug most often used in the United States.
2. Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.  These are the "gateway" drugs, drugs that children are first exposed to and whose use often precedes use of other drugs.
3. Alcohol.  More than 10,000 teenagers died in alcohol-related traffic accidents in 1986; 40,000 more were injured.
4. (e) All four contain approximately 1.5 ounces of alcohol.
5. (d) Small quantities of crack can be bought for as little as $5.00.  The low price makes it easily affordable to young people.  In addition, crack is thought to be one of the most addictive drugs.
6. (e) Virtually anything that emits fumes or comes in aerosol form can be inhaled to obtain a high.
7. (b) Early use of alcohol and other drugs--often by age 15 or less--is strongly associated with drug-related problems such as addiction.
8. (a) Combining cocaine and heroin is increasingly popular as a way of trying to lessen or control bad side effects.
9. (f) Steroid users subject themselves to more than 70 side effects.  The liver and cardiovascular and reproductive systems are most seriously affected by steroid use.  In females, irreversible masculine traits can develop.  Psychological effects in both sexes can cause very aggressive behavior and depression.
10. (d) Medical researchers have not established any safe limits for alcohol intake during pregnancy.

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