1. Drugs & Consciousness Chapter 7-3

2. From “Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know” by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1998 Marijuana is the illegal drug most often used in this country. Since 1991, lifetime marijuana use has doubled among 8 th and 10 th grade students, and increased by a third among high school seniors. Our research shows that accompanying this upward pattern of use is a significant erosion in antidrug perceptions and knowledge among young people today. As the number of young people who use marijuana has increased, the number who view the drug as harmful has decreased. Among high school seniors surveyed in 1997, current marijuana use has increased by about 72 percent since 1991. The proportion of those seniors who believe regular use of marijuana is harmful has dropped by about 26 percent since 1991.

3. How Drugs Work Drugs come into contact with capillaries Absorbed into the blood stream Carried through the blood Hook onto the ends of nerve cells Act like neurotransmitters sending out their own chemical messages

4. Psychoactive Drugs Chemicals that affect the nervous system and result in altered states of consciousness Interact with the central nervous system to alter a person’s mood, perception, and behavior

5. Psychoactive Drugs Examples: – Caffeine – Alcohol – Marijuana – LSD

6. Psychoactive Drug Types Stimulants (caffeine, amphetamines, cocaine) Depressants (alcohol) Mixed stimulants & depressants (nicotine) Hallucinogens (LSD, mescaline) Tranquilizers (barbiturates, benzodiazepines, Valium, Xanax) Opiates (morphine, heroin) Distortion of experience (marijuana [THC])

7. marijuana Dried leaves and flowers of Indian hemp that produce an altered state of consciousness when smoked or ingested Cannabis sativa

8. Marijuana facts Active ingredient: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Made by drying the plant Can be smoked or cooked with food and eaten Can be psychologically addictive

9. Marijuana Effects - mental Can vary Can be both pleasant & unpleasant Sensory experiences increased – Music sounds richer – Colors look brighter – Smells are stronger – Foods taste stronger – Etc… May feel elated World seems to have more meaning Ordinary events become special

10. Marijuana Effects - mental Can amplify negative moods – Become more frightened – Become more unhappy – Become more depressed – Can become more paranoid – Etc…

11. Marijuana Effects - physical Pain management Reduction in seizures? Reduction in nausea for chemo patients

12. Marijuana Effects - physical decrease in short-term/working memory dry mouth impaired motor skills reddening of the eyes increased heart rate increased appetite and eating lowered blood pressure Impairment of coordination Impairment of concentration Decrease in IQ Heart/liver/lung disease

13. hallucinations Perceptions that have no direct external cause Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or feeling things that do not exist Created when different areas of the brain start firing together instead of separately

14. Causes of Hallucinations Hypnosis Meditation Certain drugs Drug withdrawal Psychological breakdown Dreaming Lack of sleep Periods of high emotion/concentration/fatigue daydreams

15. hallucinogens Drugs that produce hallucinations Also called “psychedelic” Create a loss of contact with reality Can change a false body image and cause loss of self & dreamlike fantasies

16. Effects on People Hallucinogens produce similar results in individuals Parts of the brain respond to stimuli by becoming disorganized, while the entire central nervous system is aroused Typically hallucinations are in color

17. LSD Lysergic acid Diethylamide acid Strong psychedelic drug that produces distortions of perception and thought One of the most powerful drugs known Synthetic substance Considered to be non-addictive

18. LSD Effects - mental “trip” “trippin” Small doses can lead to 6-14 hour trip Go through many moods, all intense and changing very quickly Objects change/morph and can become unrecognizable Sense intermingle – sounds become seen, etc… Distortion of time Split self

19. LSD Effects - mental Impairs thinking Panic Paranoia Anxiety impair the ability to make sensible judgments Difficult to understand common dangers temporary confusion difficulty with abstract thinking impaired memory and attention span

20. LSD Effects - physical Pupil dilation reduced or increased appetite wakefulness. Other reported symptoms: – Numbness – Weakness – Nausea – Hypothermia/hyperthermia – Elevated blood sugar – Goose bumps – Increased heart rate – Jaw clenching – Perspiration – Silva production – Tremors

21. LSD Uses Through History Psychotherapy (1950s/1960s) End of life anxiety Pain Alcoholism Cluster headaches Creativity Spirituality CIA

22. Opiates Narcotics Include: – Opium – Morphine – Heroin Can become physically addicted

23. Opiate Effects Pain reduction Euphoria Constipation Overdose – loss of control of breathing resulting in death

24. Alcohol A depressant that inhibits the brain’s normal functions

25. Alcohol Effects Loosening of inhibitions Ability to function go down Slurred speech Blurred vision Impairment in judgment Impairment in memory Permanent damage to the brain/liver Change in personality

26. Drug Abuse Abusers: people who regularly use illegal drugs or excessively use legal drugs Reasons for abuse: – Boredom – Fit in with peers – Gain more self-confidence – Forget problems – Relax – Feel good

27. Risks with Drug Abuse Death Injury Damage to health Legal consequences Destructive behavior – Personal relationships – career Loss of control Addiction

28. Treatment Abuser must admit he/she has a problem Enter a treatment program/get therapy Must remain drug free