Preventing Drug Abuse 11 Grade Health

Legal and Illegal Drugs Facts About Drug Use Medicine- legal drugs that help the body fight injury, illness, or disease. Over-the-counter- medicine that is sold legally in pharmacies and other stores without a doctor’s prescription Prescription drug- a drug that can be obtained with a written order from a doctor and can be purchased only at a pharmacy

Facts About Drug Use-Continued Illegal drug- a chemical substance that people of any age may not lawfully manufacture, possess, buy, or sell Drug misuse- the improper use of medicine, prescription or over-the-counter (often a mistake) Drug abuse- when a drug is intentionally used improperly or unsafely

Drug Abuse and the Brain Psychoactive drug- a mood altering drug –Typically create a pleasurable feeling –Trigger activity along a pathway of cells in the brain called “reward pathway” –See page 428

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse Immediate effects of drugs may be positive, but unpleasant side effects may follow Side effect- an unwanted physical or mental effect caused by a drug (nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, etc) –Side effects of a particular drug vary from person to person (do not share prescriptions) –Drugs that are misused or abused often have side effects that can not be predicted and may be severe or even life threatening

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse- Continued Tolerance and Dependence- after repeated use of a drug, the body may build up a tolerance to the drug. As tolerance grows, the user needs increasingly larger amounts of the drug to achieve the original effect Tolerance may lead to drug dependence- the body develops a chemical need for the drug and can not function normally without it

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse- Continued Withdrawal symptoms- the body’s reaction to not having the drug Range from mild to life threatening, depending on the drug that was used –Nausea or vomiting –Headaches dizziness –Fever –Digestion problems –Paranoia or panic –Tremors, seizures, or death

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse- Continued Drug interactions- when a person takes more than one drug at a time, the drugs may interact in different ways than when taken alone –Drug antagonism- drug’s effect is canceled out or reduced by the other (nicotine v. drugs to lower BP) –Drug synergism- drug’s produce greater effects than those that each drug would produce alone (sleep medication + small amounts of alcohol = may cause rapid loss of consciousness)

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse- Continued Impurities- illegal drugs are not regulated so there is no guarantee that they are pure Many illegal drugs are contaminated with chemicals that may themselves be harmful Dealer may “cut” or dilute drug by adding cleansing powders or rat poison Drugs may vary in concentration of psychoactive chemicals from batch to batch making it difficult to predict the effect the drug will have each time

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse- Continued Other Health Risks –Hepatitis and HIV- sharing of contaminated needles can carry disease-causing viruses from user to user Hepatitis could lead to liver disease (possibly fatal) HIV causes the fatal disease AIDS –Risks to Fetus and Newborn- drugs can pass through the placenta or breast milk, babies can be born with a drug dependence

Legal Risks and Other Costs Penalties for individuals who produce, possess, transport, or sell illegal drugs include long prison terms and heavy fines Even if no jail is imposed, the individual still develops a criminal record as a drug violator (jobs, school, military) Drug users may commit other crimes, such as shoplifting or robbery, to support their drug addiction

Legal Risks and Other Costs Relationships become strained (family, friends) Behavior and personality change Unpredictable mood swings Loss of interest in activities Drugs can cause friends to drift away and families to break up

Legal Risks and Other Costs US spends billions of dollars in efforts to stop illegal drug manufacture and sales Money goes toward drug abuse prevention, education, treatment, and rehabilitation programs Other costs –Cost of incarcerating thousands of people for drug- related crimes, medical costs for drug-related illnesses and injuries (including many of the nation’s cases of HIV/AIDS), premature deaths from drug-related homicides and motor vehicle crashes, and lost work productivity because of drug dependency

Factors Affecting Drug Abuse Risk Factors Family Factors –when family relationships are not close and supportive, teens may not get needed guidance –teens may feel alienated from their family and this alienation makes them more vulnerable to the influence of peers who abuse drugs –if family members abuse drugs, a teen is at higher risk of using drugs, too

Risk Factors-Continued Social Factors –Peer Group- introduced to drugs by friends or by peers whose acceptance they wanted, continue to abuse drugs because they want to be “part of the crowd” –Role Models- see role models using drugs in their real life or movie roles (do not see the negative effects), “glamorization” of drugs influence their decision to try drugs

Risk Factors-Continued Social Factors –Competitive Pressure- strong desire to excel at athletics, use of painkillers to play through injury (athletes that use painkillers are more likely to sustain a serious injury), use steroids to bulk up (steroid abuse can lead to lifelong or life-threatening disorders)

Risk Factors-Continued Personal Factors –teens may turn to drugs to temporarily escape negative feelings associated with stress, drug use does not address underlying causes of stress –teenagers with low self-esteem are more likely to ignore the serious risks of drug abuse

Protective Factors Protective factor- a factor that reduces a person’s potential for harmful behavior Having strong protective factors in your life will help you stay drug free, three protective factors are: –Family –Social –Personal

Protective Factors-Continued Family Factors include: –Strong and positive family bonds –Parental awareness of a teen’s social activities and peer group –Clear rules that are consistently enforced

Protective Factors-Continued Social Factors include: –Having strong bonds to school and other community institutions –Associating with peers who are drug free –Having friends who are supportive and accepting Personal Factors: –Healthy techniques to deal with stress –A commitment to success in academics and extracurricular activities –A personal belief that drug abuse is unacceptable

STOP

Commonly Used Drugs Depressants Depressant- a psychoactive drug that slows brain and body reactions (decreases heart rate, breathing rate, and lowers blood pressure Classes of depressants: –Barbiturates –CNS Depressants –Opiates

Barbiturates Depressant Also called sedative-hypnotics In small doses, barbiturates are sedatives that relax a person In high doses, they are hypnotics that induce sleep Barbiturates users walk slowly, slur their speech, and react more slowly to their environment Withdrawal from barbiturates can be fatal

CNS Depressant Sedative that slows the activity of the central nervous system Used to be called tranquilizers Have greatly replaced barbiturates for medical use Prescribed to treat anxiety, sleep disorders, muscle spasms, and convulsions Abuse can cause tolerance and dependence

Opiates Opiate- any drug made from psychoactive compounds contained in the seed pods of poppy plants In small doses act to dull senses, relieve pain, and induce sleep (morphine, codeine) Abusing opiates in high doses can have dangerous or even life-threatening side effects Heroin is an illegal opiate made from morphine in a laboratory, abusers of heroin appear dazed and disoriented, heroin is highly addictive

Depressants DrugSide EffectsLong-Term Effects Barbiturates Poor coordination, slurred speech, decreased alertness Sleepiness, irritability, confusion CNS Depressant Blurred vision, dizziness, slurred speech, drowsiness, headache, skin rash Blood and liver disease Opiates Nausea, vomiting, decreased alertness, drowsiness, depressed respiration Constipation, infections associated with injecting Alcohol Impaired judgment, decreased alertness, lack or coordination, memory problems, vomiting Liver damage, brain damage, anxiety and depression, malnutrition, memory loss