A hair follicle drug test can detect five substances or drug classes, including marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, PCP, and opioids. Hair drug testing can be more accurate and less intrusive than urine or blood tests. A recent study compared self-reported drug use on the internationally validated Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) with laboratory analysis of a standard commercially-available 5-panel hair test. They found substantial under-identification of drug use and even over-reporting of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, and opioids.
Marijuana, a greenish-gray substance made from the flowers of the Cannabis sativa plant, contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC and CBD affect your brain by changing the way you feel. Using marijuana regularly changes how your brain works, leading to addiction and dependence. It may also make you less sensitive to the natural chemical endocannabinoid, which your body produces.
Heavy use of marijuana can cause memory loss, difficulty learning and decision-making, and a higher risk for mental illness and criminal behavior. It also can contribute to poor school performance, higher dropout rates, and social problems. Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that works by stimulating key receptors in the brain that produce a feeling of euphoria. It can be ingested, snorted, or injected into the body.
Opiates bind to receptors in the brain and body to reduce pain perception and create feelings of euphoria. They produce these effects by flooding the brain with dopamine, which sends signals to reward circuits to make you feel good. Long-term opiate use is linked to various health and mental health problems. These include drug abuse, overdose, and addiction.
It creates a high by interfering with the normal dopamine production in the brain, which is associated with feelings of pleasure and reward. This makes cocaine more addictive and causes tolerance to build. Cocaine addiction is extremely difficult to treat and can lead to serious physical, mental, and social issues. In some cases, it can even affect relationships with family and friends.
Opioids can also cause respiratory depression, slow breathing, and lead death. In addition, they can cause several side effects, including confusion, dizziness, and fatigue. Taking opioids can also cause drug tolerance, which means you need more of the drug to get the same effects. Methamphetamine, known as meth, crystal, speed, ice, or chalk, affects the brain by flooding dopamine levels. This neurotransmitter is responsible for feelings of pleasure, motivation, movement, learning, and reward processing.
Meth users often crave more of the drug to maintain its euphoric effects, which leads to addiction. Long-term use can also damage the cells that make dopamine and nerve cells that produce serotonin. Methamphetamine can also cause high body temperature, confusion, and convulsions (uncontrollable jerking of the arms and legs). High doses of meth can cause heart problems and stroke. It can also damage the brain's blood vessels and cause a circulatory system collapse, which can result in death.
Alcohol is an extremely addictive substance that can affect your brain and body in several ways. It depresses your mood, decreases your inhibitions, and can trigger psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety or depression. It can also negatively impact your health and cause serious diseases like cancer. Research suggests that even moderate drinking is harmful to your brain. Heavy drinking causes a significant reduction in the size of your neurons or nerve cells. These changes make it harder for the parts of your brain that control balance, speech, and judgment to function properly.
