Drug abuse is a serious problem, which is capable of not only causing death to the one using it, but create a havoc in the lives of those who are associated with that person too. There have been plenty cases, whether it is Matthew Perry or the recent death of Liam Payne, which is in trial currently.

It is also a problem in the US and is emerging as one of the health concerns that could destroy families and society. One of the most alarming aspects of drug abuse is also its impact on public safety as well as increased crime rates. Drugs also take a heavy toll on healthcare systems as emergency departments frequently encounter cases of drug overdoses, which puts the burden on medical professional who have the strain the limited resources available.

There are also long-term health impact due to drug abuse, which includes organ damage, infectious disease, mental health disorders and rise in healthcare cost.

Are there any specific drugs which are most abused in US?

Yes. There are commonly used drugs, which also includes prescribed painkillers like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and fentanyl, as well as illicit substances like heroin. As per recent data, opioid abuse has also reached alarming levels which has affected millions of Americans.

Here are the most abused drugs in the US:

Stimulants

They are used to increase alertness, attention, and energy. They also have a high potential for abuse due to the euphoric and performance enhancing effects. Cocaine and methamphetamine are notable stimulants frequently abused in the US. As per 2019 data, 10.3 million people reported to misuse stimulants in the previous year.

Depressants

These substances are used to slow down brain activity and induce relaxation. Benzodiazepines is one of the commonly prescribed medicine. Around 4.8 million individuals in the US have misused this drug.

Other misused drugs and its affects on the health:

Opioids:

It could lead to slow breathing and heart rate. It can also increase the risk of overdose and respiratory failure, constipation and a weakened immune system.

Stimulants:

It can elevate heart rate and blood pressure. It could also increase body temperate and lead to an irregular heartbeat. Furthermore, one can experience loss of appetite and weight loss.

Cannabis:

This can alter perception and coordination. People who consume it often have red eyes and a dry mouth. This can increase appetite, sometimes the "munchies" can reach to a point of no return and it could impair memory and cognitive function.

Benzodiazepines:

It could lead to sedation and drowsiness and an impaired coordination and balance. There also could be memory problems and confusion, along with respiratory depression, when combined with other depressant substance.

Alcohol:

This could lead to slurred speech, impaired condition, poor judgment and decision-making, liver damage and cirrhosis and an increased risk of accidents and injuries, which is the 3rd most leading cause of death in the US.

Additional Negative Impact: Social and psychological

Substance abuse impairs job performance and reliability, leading to frequent absenteeism, reduced productivity, and even job loss. This further leads to financial instability, strained relationships, and a cycle of dependency.

Every year on October 2, World No Alcohol Day urges people to pause and think about alcohol's place in everyday life. Here's where the day came from, and what current research actually shows about drinking.

World No Alcohol Day: Origins

It began in 2008, when India's then Union Health Minister, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, proposed a global alcohol-free day at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, according to National Day Calendar. The proposal drew support from 11 Southeast Asian countries.

The World Health Organization never formally adopted October 2 as an official global observance, according to a summary on Checkiday. There are, in fact, three dates tied to alcohol awareness worldwide: October 2 and October 3, observed by many groups as World Alcohol-Free Day or World Temperance Day, and November 15.

In India, October 2 is also a nationwide dry day, with no alcohol sales permitted, and is marked separately as National Anti-Drug Addiction Day.

Also Read: Does Experimental Obesity Drug Petrelintide Cause Fewer GI Side Effects Than Ozempic? Lancet Study Shows Promise

What Science Says About Alcohol Now

The science has shifted since 2008. In January 2023, the World Health Organization stated plainly that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health, publishing the position in The Lancet Public Health. The WHO said current evidence cannot identify any threshold below which alcohol's cancer-causing effects switch off.

Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same risk category as tobacco and asbestos, and is linked to at least seven types of cancer, including the most common cancers in men and women, bowel and breast cancer, according to the WHO.

Globally, alcohol was responsible for an estimated 741,300 new cancer cases and contributed to nearly 400,000 cancer deaths in a single year, as per Lancet-based estimates cited by the Union for International Cancer Control.

Previous research has showed some benefits of wine, but the majority scientific consensus now is that there is no safe levels of alcohol. The World Health Organization says health risks begin with the first drop of alcohol, meaning no level of consumption is completely safe or risk-free.

The toll beyond cancer

Cancer isn't the only risk. Alcohol use is tied to roughly 2.5 million deaths worldwide each year, including 320,000 among people aged 15 to 29, according to the WHO. Beyond individual health, alcohol-related harm also means more road accidents, violence, and strain on healthcare systems.

A May 2026 study linked alcohol to 62 disorders, ranging from heart and digestive diseases to mental and neurological conditions and cancers.

The study, published in the journal Addiction, showed that the fully alcohol-attributable conditions are mainly grouped under non-communicable diseases and injuries.

These include:

• Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases
• Mental and behavioral disorders
• Diseases of the nervous system
• Diseases of the circulatory system, such as alcoholic cardiomyopathy
• Digestive diseases
• Alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis.

The data also included psychotic disorders, gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, fatty liver disease, pregnancy- and perinatal-related conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, as well as external causes and injuries, including alcohol poisoning.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the leading preventable causes of illness and death in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research shows that alcohol accounts for approximately half of all liver-related deaths, while alcohol-associated cirrhosis has become the leading cause of liver transplants.

Actress Amanda Peet has opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis, revealing a “weird” change in the skin that did not feel like the typical lump many people associate with breast cancer.

A breast lump is a well-known warning sign of breast cancer, but the disease can also cause changes in the breast’s skin, shape or texture. This makes it important to pay attention to changes that may not feel like a distinct lump.

What Did Amanda Peet Feel?

Peet, 54, recalled noticing something unusual while getting dressed.

“I was in my closet, I was probably putting something on and I felt a weird — it just didn’t feel like normal skin, but it wasn’t the frozen pea that everybody talks about,” she told Today.com.

Peet described the sensation as a change in how the skin felt rather than a clearly defined lump.

Other breast cancer warning signs can include changes in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, swelling, redness, nipple changes or unusual discharge. Skin that becomes pitted and resembles an orange peel, known as peau d’orange, can also be a warning sign.

Importantly, breast cancer can sometimes be present without an obvious lump.

Peet had been undergoing regular breast screening and follow-up because of her breast health history. She has said that an MRI did not show the cancer, but a subsequent ultrasound detected an abnormality. A biopsy later confirmed a tumor.

She was diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative invasive lobular carcinoma and underwent a lumpectomy followed by radiation.

What Is Invasive Lobular Carcinoma?

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of invasive breast cancer and accounts for about 10% of invasive breast cancers.

Unlike many breast cancers that form a distinct lump, ILC can grow in a more diffuse pattern. It may cause thickening, fullness or a subtle change in the breast rather than a clearly defined mass.

Because of the way ILC grows, it can sometimes be harder to detect on mammography. Additional imaging, including ultrasound or MRI, may be used depending on an individual's symptoms, breast density and clinical assessment.

Most invasive lobular cancers are hormone-receptor positive. Peet wrote that she had been seeing a breast surgeon every six months for checkups. Her cancer was diagnosed at Stage 1.

“I think about how lucky I was in so many ways,” she said.

Why Early Detection Matters

Breast cancer screening is designed to detect cancer before signs or symptoms become apparent. The goal is early detection, when treatment may be more effective.

The appropriate screening schedule depends on age, breast cancer risk, family history and other factors. In the US, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women at average risk aged 40 to 74 have a mammogram every two years.

People with a higher risk of breast cancer may need a different screening approach or additional imaging. Discussing individual risk and screening options with a healthcare professional can help determine what is appropriate.

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with this year’s theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters,” highlighting that every breast cancer experience is different.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. About 80% of breast cancers occur in women with no specific risk factors other than sex and age.

In 2024:

• 2.4 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide.
• 694,000 women died from the disease.
• 8.2 million women were living with breast cancer at the end of the year.

After eliminating measles in 2000, the US is now seeing a sharp increase in cases, with 3,659 confirmed cases reported as of September 24, 2026. Pennsylvania has reported five measles-related deaths this year, the first such deaths in the state in 35 years.

The number has risen significantly from previous years. The US reported 2,289 cases in 2025, compared with 285 in 2024 and just 85 cases in 2000.

Measles can cause serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, or brain swelling, and can be fatal.

Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent measles by up to 97%, although breakthrough infections can still occur.

Around 95% of reported cases have been among unvaccinated people, although breakthrough infections have also been reported among people who were fully vaccinated. However, measles is not expected to be as severe in people who are vaccinated.

“Their illness will be much more mild and less likely to cause serious illness than if they had not received two vaccines,” Dr. Pia Fenimore, chief and vice chair of pediatrics at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

Yet according to experts some people can take a booster shot to stay safe.

Who May Need a Measles Booster?

The first measles vaccine was introduced in the US in 1963, but the formulation used between 1963 and 1967 was less effective than current versions.

Adults vaccinated during that period may need another dose if they have not received a later measles vaccine.

People born before 1957 are generally considered to have presumptive evidence of immunity because measles circulated widely before routine vaccination, and most people in this age group were naturally infected.

Some people may need individualized vaccination guidance rather than standard recommendations, including:

• People with uncertain vaccination status or no vaccination records
• People who received an inactivated measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967
• People with a weakened immune system
• Pregnant people

A measles vaccine booster may also be considered for children who received only one MMR dose, high-risk adults such as healthcare workers or international travelers, and people whose testing shows they lack immunity.

Can A Blood Test Check Measles Immunity?

In cases where people do not remember or have no records of two-dose measles vaccination, an Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody test can help assess whether they have antibodies against measles.

If testing shows sufficient measles IgG antibodies, the person is considered immune. If immunity is not established, vaccination may be recommended based on their individual circumstances.

Why Adults Also Need To Be Alert

Measles is often associated with children, but adults can also become infected.

“We often forget about adults getting measles ... 38% to 40% of cases this year of measles have been in adults. Adults become infected at the same, if not higher, rates than children themselves ... in 2025, just over half of the measles hospitalizations were actually ... adults,” Dr. Gavin Harris, an infectious diseases physician with Emory Healthcare in Georgia and the associate medical director of the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit.

What If You Were Exposed To Measles?

Measles is highly contagious and can spread through even limited exposure to the virus. With the virus outbreak, it is likely for people to get exposed to it.

The measles vaccine remains the absolute best way to prevent disease.

A shot within three days of exposure to the contagious virus can help prevent the disease. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) given within six days can also provide protection after exposure.