Welcome to The Life We Live / Ask Ara - Test your knowledge of substance abuse topics.

Some of the statements and facts in this quiz reflect conditions in New Mexico, a state in the southwest United States. If you are not from New Mexico, and things are different where you are, we would like to hear from you about how conditions compare in your neck of the woods.

We also would like to hear from teachers who use the quiz as a discussion tool.

Find the True Statements.

Each set of statements contains
one that is true and two that are false.

Select the answer you think is correct, and then submit your answers to see how well you did.

Statement #1
	Alcohol and marijuana can make you uncoordinated, impulsive and poor at problem solving.
	Alcohol and marijuana can improve your health because they reduce stress and help relax your muscles.
	Alcohol and marijuana can improve your athletic abilities. Consistent use improves muscle tone and sharpens your mind.
Statement #2
	If you are caught with drugs and it is your first offense the police are required by law to issue a warning and then take you home to your parent or guardian.
	If you're caught with drugs, the police might transport you home with no charges, but you could face immediate arrest, detention, court, probation, mandatory counseling, or up to two years confinement in a juvenile reformatory.
	If you are caught with drugs but immediately throw them away, apologize to the police officer and promise in writing never to do it again, they can do nothing to you.
Statement #3
	Once a person is addicted, treatment is ineffective.
	Treatment does not work.
	Even if you don't want to go, treatment can still work effectively by helping you develop the motivation to change.
Statement #4
	Treatment is not necessary. Drugs and alcohol are not addictive and people can quit easily and whenever they want.
	After you successfully complete a treatment program and are drug and alcohol free for 90 days you can safely return to your old environment and friends.
	If you return from treatment into the same bad situation and influences, you may get the same bad result (back to substance abuse, back to jail, back to treatment) in a vicious circle.
Statement #5
	Long term use of drugs and alcohol will physically change your brain and may cause cancer or bronchitis, impair your abilities, or make you forget what you have learned.
	Drugs and alcohol have a devastating effect on a person's physical abilities and conditioning. They can cause cancer and other illnesses but have no neurological effects on the brain.
	Drugs and alcohol have no long term effects. Once the addiction is broken your body will quickly return to the healthy state it was in prior to their use.
Statement #6
	Pot is only harmful if used in large quantities over a long period of time. Occasional use is quite safe and does no harm.
	Any use of pot destroys brain cells, impairs memory and learning, can lead to harder drugs, and it's illegal. Marijuana is four times as harmful as tobacco.
	Marijuana is safer to use than tobacco. It does not cause cancer and is less addictive.
Statement #7
	Alcohol is harmful only if you drink on an empty stomach. If you drink a glass of milk to line your stomach before consuming alcohol, you should be fine
	Alcohol is seldom life-threatening to a healthy young person.
	Alcohol can be fatal if consumed in large quantities in a short period of time.
Statement #8
	Marijuana does not affect your mood, but it does make you more mellow and easier to get along with.
	Use of marijuana can lead to anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and paranoia.
	Smoking marijuana is fun. It makes you feel good, and it makes everything seem funny.
Statement #9
	Research has shown that marijuana users get better grades and better SAT scores than non-users.
	Marijuana makes your mental abilities sharper and gives you faster reflexes.
	Marijuana can impair your ability to concentrate and retain information.
Statement #10
	Drinking alcohol usually causes people to become violent and mean.
	Drunks are funny, and it's okay to make fun of them when they stumble and fall.
	Use of alcohol can cause loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses and blackouts.
Statement #11
	Alcoholism is a brain disease that weakens will power, and relapse is a symptom of the disease.
	Alcoholics have no will power. If they would just decide to stop drinking, they could.
	Drunks are stupid, useless, worthless people who have no moral backbone.
Statement #12
	Alcohol is the only drug that underage people can get easily, and therefore most young people use alcohol more than other illegal drugs.
	Most teens do not drink alcohol. Research shows that 70% of people aged 12 to 20 have not had a drink in the past month.
	Underage people can't get alcohol, so use of alcohol is not a problem for teens.
Statement #13
	There's no way cocaine can kill you. The idea of dying from cocaine is a myth invented by the government to scare people.
	Cocaine use cannot harm a person the first time they use it. The worst it can do is make you fall asleep.
	Cocaine can kill you by causing heart attack, seizure, stroke, and respiratory failure. Even a first time user can have a seizure or fatal heart attack. You can die from one hit of crack or cocaine.
Statement #14
	If you exercise regularly, alcohol won't harm you.
	Consistent light use of alcohol actually can strengthen your liver.
	Alcohol can damage every organ of your body.
Statement #15
	Most teens do not use marijuana. A national survey shows that 4 out of 5 tenth-graders and 3 out of 4 high school seniors have not used marijuana in the past 30 days.
	Marijuana -- everybody's either tried it or is going to.
	Only bad kids use marijuana. Good kids do not use drugs.