There are many effects that drugs and alcohol can have on a person's body and life. Thousands of jobs, homes and families are lost every year due to drug and alcohol addiction. Children grow up without parents, spouses are forced to raise children as single parents, and grandparents become legal guardians for a second time due to the effects of substance abuse and addiction. Exactly how addiction is defined and diagnosed is an open question and will be discussed in this article. While there are eleven different categories that substances are classified into, this document will focus specifically on alcohol and cannabis. An estimated 126 million Americans over the age of 12 reported being regular consumers of alcohol in 2005 (Smith & Stevens, 2009). According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), in 2008, over 42,000 homeless adults over the age of 50 were admitted to treatment for substance abuse, and 65% were in treatment for alcohol abuse (TEDS, 2010). Excessive alcohol consumption may have been accepted in the early twentieth century, but currently a man who consumes more than 14 drinks a week or more than four drinks a day and a woman who drinks more than 13 drinks a week 3 drinks a day day, is considered “at risk” of being an alcoholic (Burge & Schneider, 1999). Cannabis, better known as marijuana, is the most abused illegal drug in America (Smith & Stevens, 2009). The highest level of abuse and addiction was also recorded in 2005, with over 4.1 million people affected (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2006). Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette, also called a joint or blunt, and is also used in a pipe or bong. There is a more powerful, non-interrogative text... at the heart of the article... Mendelson, J., & Mello, N. (eds.). (1985). Diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism. New York: McGraw-Hill. National Institute on Drug Abuse, (2006). Marijuana. Bethesda, MD: Author. Retrieved August 11, 2010, from http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.htmlSmith, R.L. & Stevens, P. (2009). Substance abuse and counseling. Theory and practice. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson. US Department of Health and Human Services (2007). The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and reduce alcohol consumption among minors. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/alcoholdrug/index.htmU.S. Department of Justice (1988). Drug Enforcement Administration, “In the Matter of Petition to Reschedule Marijuana” (Docket #86-22). Retrieved from http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30