The summer months are a time for rest and relaxation. For some teens though, they can also be a time for risk taking and substance abuse.

Opioid prescription drug abuse is being called an epidemic by the Obama administration. New education measures will be required at the expense of the drug manufacturers.

Kids that live in homes where their parents use methamphetamines are often abused and neglected. Foster care interventions can help place the child in a better environment.

Emergency rooms (ER) report all drug-related information to a special government public health watchdog. Reports of drug overdoses and adverse reactions are through the roof, compared to a few years ago.

Methadone can be prescribed safely for cancer-level pain and heroin addiction. When abused, it’s responsible for more prescription painkiller overdose deaths than any other opioid .

Among the treatments for dependence on opioids such as heroin or hydrocodone are methadone maintenance treatments, which block a person's cravings and relieve withdrawal symptoms.

Think about the last time you saw an actor smoking in a film. Did the actor look cool or dumb? Were they a "good guy" or a "bad guy?" Was the movie rated PG-13 or R? Does it matter?

One of the unfortunate aspects of lung cancer is that it tends to have a high rate of recurrence. It can be treated successfully only to return, and that return often comes far too soon.

Doctors may have found a drug to help people transition off opioids . Similar to the way methadone helps heroin addicts, Suboxone may work for opioid users.

It's no surprise that smoking is harmful to a pregnant woman's fetus. But smoking can also increase the risk of a woman experiencing a dangerous kind of pregnancy in the first place.