Did you know that babies of narcotics addicts are born drug-addicted themselves? That prolonged aspirin use during pregnancy can cause bleeding problems? That life-saving anti-cancer drugs given to a pregnant woman can kill her unborn child? That heavy drinking can cause severe birth defects? Drugs and Pregnancy investigates the risks and benefits associated with drug use during pregnancy and explores the process of conception, growth, and development of the fetus. It provides up-to-date information on how legal and illicit drugs work in the body, which drugs are known to cause severe birth defects, and how drugs that seep into breast milk can affect a nursing infant. From the tragedy of the thalidomide-defomed babies to the fate of addicted infants, the story of how drugs affect pregnant women and their children is revealed.

The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs answers the questions that young people are likely to ask about drugs, as well as those they might not think to ask, but should. Topics include: what it means to be intoxicated; how drugs affect mood; why people take drugs; who takes them; when they take them; and how much they take. They will learn what happens to a drug when it enters the body. They will learn what it means to get 'hooked' and how it happens. They will learn how drugs affect their driving, their school work and those around them -- their peers, their family, their friends, and their employers. They will learn what the signs are that indicate that a friend or a family member may have a drug problem and to identify four stages leading from drug use to drug abuse.