Basic Categories of Drugs

Categories There are many categories that drugs can be sorted into… the four we are going to focus on are Depressants Stimulants Hallucinogens Cannabinoids

Depressants Examples Impact on Body Alcohol Barbiturates (sedatives) Opiates (Heroine) Benzodiazepines (Ex: Valium) “Downers” Sometimes referred to as sedatives and tranquilizers, are substances that can slow brain activity Slows body functions by decreasing heart and breathing rates and lowering blood pressure Medial use: treating anxiety and sleep disorders

Depressants

Stimulants Examples Impact on Body Amphetamines “Uppers” Methamphetamine Cocaine Nicotine “Uppers” Increases heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and alertness Medical use: prescribed to treat only a few health conditions (ADHD, narcolepsy, and occasionally depression) in those who have not responded to other treatments.

Stimulants

Hallucinogens Examples Impact on Body LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) PCP (phencyclidine) Peyote Shrooms Overloads the brain with sensory information, causing a distorted sense of reality Under the influence, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but are not. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings. Medical use: Hallucinogens have been studied for possible medical uses, they have been given to dying patients… however most of these uses have been abandoned.

Cannabinoids Examples Impact on Body Marijuana Hashish Spice Psychoactive drugs that change the way information reaches and is acted upon by the brain Affects limbic system (the part of the brain that affects memory, cognition and psychomotor performance) and mesolimbic pathway (activity in this region is associated with feelings of reward) and are also widely distributed in areas of pain perception. Medical Use: could provide relief to symptoms including pain, nausea, and inflammation

Other Categories Anabolic Steroids Steroids are taken to improve physical performance as well as to enlarge muscles and increase strength. Negative effects of steroids include baldness, cysts, oily hair and skin, acne, heart attack, stroke and change in voice. Hostility is also a frequent side effect of anabolic steroids.

Other Categories Club Drugs Ecstasy, Ketamine, Rohypnol Club drugs are group of psychoactive drugs. They act on the central nervous system and can cause changes in mood, awareness, and how you act. Club drugs are also sometimes used as "date rape" drugs, to make someone unable to say no to or fight back against sexual assault.

They Said, They Lied http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/the-truth-about-drugs.html

The Impact You probably know someone (directly or indirectly) that has been impacted by drugs. An estimated 208 million people internationally consume illegal drugs. Young people today are exposed earlier than ever to drugs. Based on a survey by the Centers for Disease Control in 2007, 45% of high school students nationwide drank alcohol and 19.7% smoked pot during a one- month period.

So why Do it? People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives. To fit in To escape or relax To relieve boredom To seem grown up To rebel To experiment They think drugs are a solution. But eventually, the drugs become the problem. A difficult as it may be to face your problems, the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem you are trying to solve with them.

The Social Impact According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40,393 people died of drug-induced causes in 2010, the latest year for which data are available. There is a drug-induced death in the U.S. every 13 minutes. In 2012, more than one in three drivers (38%) killed in motor vehicle crashes who were tested for drugs and the results known, tested positive for at least one medication or illicit drug.

The Social Impact The economic cost of drug abuse in the US was estimated at $193 billion in 2007, the last available estimate. This value represents both the use of resources to address health and crime consequences as well as the loss of potential productivity from disability, premature death, and withdrawal from the legitimate workforce

Social to Family Between 2002 and 2007 over 8.3 million youth under 18 years of age (almost one in eight youth) lived with at least one parent who was dependent on alcohol or an illicit drug in the past year.

Family Impact When a person has a drug problem, they have a disease that can hurt the family. Drug abuse puts a lot of stress on parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents—anyone who is part of the home. When family members take drugs: You can't count on them to do what they say they will do. They may forget or get distracted because their focus is on getting and taking drugs. They might lie or steal money to buy drugs. They might get fired from their jobs. They might not come home at night. They may do bad things they would never do if they weren't abusing drugs.

Family Impact When even one parent in the home is abusing alcohol or drugs, the home is more likely to exist in a state of uncertainty or chaos. The order and predictability that make a home a safe environment are sacrificed to the parent’s addiction. Parents who abuse substances often experience severe mood swings leaving children to be unsure as to how mom or dad will be feeling/reacting on any given day. Household rules may be non-existent because the parent(s) simply is not dependable enough to set them up and uphold them. This state of uncertainty creates a deep sense of insecurity for children.

Family Impact Not only are expectations unclear and inconsistent, the lack of structure often means that children are left to take on greater self-reliance. Children may be responsible for keeping the house picked up, preparing their own meals and caring for their younger brothers and sisters.

Family Impact On top of all the rest, children of substance abusing parents are often left alone for extended periods of time leading children to feel rejected and unimportant. Not surprisingly, children who grow up in such homes are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and difficulty in forming adult relationships.

Drug Free America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjw1NxFxOwA