Detox.net Drug Tweets

In this age of self-education via the Internet, it is essential to pay attention to what people are being told online, especially about drugs.

A website tracking drug-related search terms has revealed a surprising - and perhaps, worrying - trend: drug users are seeking information at an unparalleled rate, but not for educational, safety or practical purposes. Rather, current drug search trends indicate that users are far more concerned about preventing their habits from being discovered than educating themselves on issues such as safe access, moderation of consumption and informed street drug identification.

Recently, detoxification awareness website Detox.net compiled information about the trends and commonly-asked questions relating to the majority of popular drugs around the world, using Yahoo! Answers as the average source for information sought by either drug users, potential drug users, addicts and/or those seeking treatment for their substance abuse issues.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, queries relating to Cannabis were the most common, followed by cocaine, Xanax and heroin. Of the regions studied, it was only from within the United Kingdom that the inquires centered more upon cocaine than around marijuana. Information seekers wondering about bath salts were most likely to ask where they could be purchased, while MDMA users seemed to be more concerned with the safety of the drug. Methamphetamine questions seemed to focus upon the chemical differentiation of the drug versus other forms or pseudonyms, while opiate questions related to the longevity of the drug, with regards to either detection times or intoxication windows.

Unlike those drugs or weed questions, the latter of which mostly pertained to dodging drug tests, the prevailing cocaine-related questions regarded consumption, aligning with the known prevalence of the drug's use among the British population. In fact, cocaine outranked Cannabis as the most popular subject of inquiry.

In addition to a lack of emphasis on safe consumption and access, a noticeable trend in false information was revealed. For example, those wishing to know exactly how long marijuana stays in the body were treated to answers ranging from semi-truthful to completely inaccurate.

Detox.net is a website dedicated to helping people rid themselves of all sorts of toxins and addictions. Folks from all over the planet are currently increasing their self-awareness and body knowledge. One of the results of this inner attention is the realization that a detox of some sort may be necessary. For example, due to the unhealthy eating habits of many people around the world, food cleanses and diet detoxes are growing in popularity. However, bad eating habits are not the only problem - as drug use trends fluctuate around the globe, so does the need for substance detoxification programs.

The aim of Detox.net is to provide information ranging from what happens to the body during detox to rehabilitation programs, resources on where to find local assistance for various addictions, in-patient versus out-patient treatment and more. The main substances that are generally addressed by the site include drugs, alcohol, food and environmental chemicals and the approach is varied, offering treatment resources ranging from holistic to natural, medically-assisted to rapid, and even luxury facilities.

The recent release by Detox.net surveyed question askers from six countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia and Italy. Eight major drugs - marijuana, cocaine, heroin, Xanax, MDMA, opiates, methamphetamine and bath salts - formed the basis for the survey.

The idea behind the drug question compilation is simple. As the website explains:

All over the world, people are turning to Yahoo! Answers to pose semi-anonymous questions about drugs and drug abuse. In this digital age, it's not surprising that people are seeking advice online; however, what is startling is the extent to which people of all ages may forego [sic] real medical opinions on important health topics and, instead, settle for the virtual wisdom offered by faceless strangers.

Such trends are interesting to note, considering the high percentage of those from teenaged years to middle-aged adults looking to have drug questions answered online, with little thought of the source and whether the answers are based upon actual drug or medical knowledge. Due to the illicit subject matter, most of the question askers could be forgiven for trusting a shadowy source, since there is often no local place from which to seek such answers. However, it should be noted that even the most experienced drug users might not be well informed, and their experiences are simply anecdotal and not necessarily indicative of the effect that the same drugs in the same doses would have upon another person.