Chapter One Activity 1A: Did You Know?

TobaccoAlcoholMarijuana & Inhalants Prescription & Over-the-Counter Medicines Other Drugs Other Drug Information

Name three different types of tobacco products. QUESTION

ANSWER Different tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco.

QUESTION Although tobacco products can cause many different cancers, what cancer is most often associated with the use of tobacco products?

ANSWER Lung cancer is most often associated with tobacco, but esophagus, mouth, kidney, pancreas, and stomach cancer might also be caused by tobacco.

What is the main active chemical ingredient found in tobacco products? QUESTION

Nicotine. It is one of over 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Over 250 of the chemicals are toxic and may cause cancer. ANSWER

Name at least two things that smoking does to a person besides health-related problems. QUESTION

Smoking makes your teeth and fingers yellow, makes your clothes and hair smell bad, and makes your breath really bad. ANSWER

QUESTION How does someone who is smoking affect those around them?

Second-hand smoke can cause severe health problems for nonsmokers: lung cancer, asthma, respiratory problems, heart disease, and more. It causes smelly clothes and hair, plus eye and nasal irritation. ANSWER

QUESTION True or False. 4 out of 10 middle school youth are currently smoking.

False. Less than 1 out of every 10 eighth graders currently use tobacco products. ANSWER

What is the legal drinking age? QUESTION

The legal drinking age in the United States is 21 years of age. ANSWER

Name two things that might happen to you if you drink too much. QUESTION

You may get sick, lose friends, get in trouble with parents and possibly the law, and/or get in trouble at school. ANSWER

What does binge drinking mean? QUESTION

Binge drinking means heavy use of alcohol over a short period of time. Some researchers say it is having five or more drinks in a row by men OR four or more drinks in a row by women in a short time period. ANSWER

True or False. It is okay for parents to let youth drink alcohol when they are at home. QUESTION

False. The legal drinking age is 21, so it is illegal – plus it is bad for your health, can cause permanent brain damage, and many other things. ANSWER

True or False. At least 4 out of 10 eighth graders have tried alcohol at least once in their lifetime. QUESTION

True. 4 out of every 10 eighth graders have used alcohol at least once in their lifetime. ANSWER

Which of these is not caused by drinking alcohol? A. Lowered heart rate B. Impaired coordination/motor skills C. Lung cancer D. Impaired memory E. Liver cancer QUESTION

C. Lung cancer is not caused by alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant and lowers your heart rate. It causes loss of coordination and muscle control. Alcohol abuse can cause liver disease and/or cancer. Memory is affected by alcohol use. ANSWER

When someone says they are sniffing, snorting, bagging, or huffing, what are they doing? QUESTION

They are using inhalants to get high by sniffing or snorting fumes from containers; spraying aerosols directly into the mouth or nose; bagging by inhaling a substance inside a paper or plastic bag; or huffing from an inhalant-soaked rag. ANSWER

True or False. Marijuana can mess up your performance in school, sports, and other parts of your life. QUESTION

True. Marijuana affects memory, causes learning problems, distorts perception, and makes it difficult to think and solve problems. ANSWER

What are two street names for marijuana? QUESTION

Common street names for marijuana include pot, weed, and grass. ANSWER

True or False. Sniffing common household products can starve the body of oxygen, cause breathing to stop, and even cause death. QUESTION

True. Most inhalants cause a rapid high similar to alcohol intoxication. In highly concentrated amounts, inhalants cause oxygen to be displaced in the lungs, and then in the central nervous system which stops breathing. ANSWER

Which of these common household products might be used as an inhalant? A. Nail polish remover B. Hair spray C. Deodorant D. All of the above QUESTION

ANSWER D. All of the above. Nail polish remover, hair spray, aerosol deodorant - all can be used as inhalants. Other products might include rubber cement, spray paint, gasoline, paint thinner, air freshener, and more – all can be very dangerous.

QUESTION What is the main active chemical in marijuana?

ANSWER THC is the main active chemical in marijuana. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among youth. Its strength is 10 times stronger than in the 1970s, making it more dangerous.

True or False. Using someone else’s prescription medications for reasons other than which they were purchased is illegal. QUESTION

True. Doctors prescribe medications for specific persons and their specific conditions. Use of medications for purposes other than intended can be very serious. ANSWER

QUESTION Which of these over-the-counter medicines are used to get high? A. Cold & cough medicines with a cough suppressant B. Antacids C. Aspirin D. Calcium supplement

A. Over-the-counter cold and cough medications contain DXM (dextromethorphan). At recommended doses, these drugs are safe and effective. At much higher doses, they become dangerous. ANSWER

True or False. Taking a big dose of an over-the-counter (OTC) cold or cough medication won’t hurt you. QUESTION

False. Using OTC cold or cough medications containing DXM incorrectly can cause vomiting, brain damage, seizures, strokes, and even death. ANSWER

QUESTION How many eighth graders are using over-the-counter medications to get high? A. 1 in 100 B. 1 in 50 C. 1 in 25 D. 1 in 10

C. About 1 out of every 25 eighth graders are using over-the-counter cold and cough medications containing DXM to get high. Not all eighth graders are using drugs as a way to have what they call fun. ANSWER

True or False. Oxycontin ® and Ibuprofen are prescription drugs that are often abused. QUESTION

False. Oxycontin ® and Vicodin ® are the two most abused prescription pain relievers. When abused, Oxycontin ® is used as a heroin substitute, while Vicodin ® has a pain-relieving effect similar to morphine. ANSWER

Why is mixing medications with alcohol or taking a drug that you don’t know anything about dangerous? QUESTION

Many medications say do not take with certain foods, etc. If you mix cement mix into a cake, you have a disaster. The same goes with mixing medications and/or alcohol, which can cause very serious drug interactions. ANSWER

True or False. Taking methamphetamine just one time won’t hurt you. QUESTION

False. Methamphetamine (meth) is highly addictive and even just one use may cause you to be addicted. Meth is deadly, dangerous, and unpredictable. ANSWER

What are two street names you might hear someone call illegal drugs? QUESTION

Any name given may be correct. Coke, snow, Special K, roofies, junk, H, acid, X, speed, chalk, ice – are just a very few of some common names. ANSWER

What drug claims to enhance or improve an athlete’s performance? QUESTION

Steroids. Abuse of steroids can cause liver tumors, high blood pressure, severe acne, and some permanent serious health problems. Teenagers growth may be permanently stopped before reaching maturity. ANSWER

True or False. MDMA (also known as Ecstasy) has a chemical structure similar to meth, which is known to cause brain damage. QUESTION

True. Ecstasy is a “designer drug” – a man-made compound with a chemical structure similar to methamphetamine and mescaline. Both drugs are known to cause brain damage. ANSWER

Which drug is made in labs in homes, in car trunks, or in super labs? A. Heroin B. Cocaine C. Methamphetamine D. Mescaline QUESTION

C. Methamphetamine is made from fairly common, easily obtained ingredients. It can be made in home labs, car trunks, motel rooms, but more often in super labs. Most of the ingredients are very harmful to the human body. ANSWER

What drugs are often referred to as the “date rape” drugs? A. Heroin and cocaine B. GHB and Rohypnol C. PCP and LSD QUESTION

B. GHB and Rohypnol. Both drugs can be mixed with liquids (even water). The person drinking the liquid can’t tell it is there. The drugs act quickly in the body, cause confusion, memory loss, dizziness, breathing difficulty, unconsciousness. ANSWER

True or False. Using any drug just one time won’t hurt you. QUESTION

False. Using any drug just one time can lead to very bad consequences. A one-time use may lead to occasional use, then to regular use, and then to abusing a drug or uncontrollable use. ANSWER

Once you are addicted to a substance, is it easy or hard to get over the addiction? QUESTION

Hard. Addiction occurs as a progression of different steps. These steps go from experimenting, to using socially, to using on a more regular basis, to being unable to control use of the substance. ANSWER

Which illegal drug is the most commonly abused substance in the world? QUESTION

Marijuana. In 2006, 15.7% (1.5 of about every 10) of eighth graders reported having used marijuana in their lifetime. 40.1% (4 out of 10) of the U.S. population age 12 and older have tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime. ANSWER

What is the single most avoidable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States? QUESTION

Tobacco use. It causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other diseases. Second-hand smoke can cause disease in nonsmokers. It increases medical costs, insurance rates, death. ANSWER

Name two drugs that can permanently damage your brain. QUESTION

Alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy, meth, cold and cough medications containing DXM, inhalants. ANSWER

What is a “gateway” drug? QUESTION

Gateway drugs are those that provide entry into substance use. These are tobacco and alcohol, but marijuana can also be a gateway drug. Youth using these drugs are likelier to use another drug. ANSWER