8th Grade Health

Chapter 14 Drugs

Drugs• Drug – A substance other than food that changes the

structure or function of the body or mind– All medicines are drugs, but not all drugs are medicines.

• Drug misuse – Taking or using medicine in a way that is not intended– Drug misuse can happen with prescription medicines

and over-the-counter medicines.• Tolerance – A condition in which a person’s body becomes used to

the effect of a medicine and needs greater and greater amounts of it in order for it to be effective

Types of Medicines

• Prescription medicines • Medicines that can be sold only with a written order from a

physician

Categories of Medicines

Prescription medicines Over-the-counter medicines

• Over-the-counter medicines • Medicines that are safe enough to be taken without a

written order from a physician

Drug Misuse

Using a drug without following the instructions on the label

Using a drug not prescribed for you

Allowing someone else to use a drug prescribed for you

Taking more of the drug than the doctor prescribed

Using the drug longer than advised by the doctor

What is drug misuse?

Side Effects

• Side effect – Any effect of a medicine other than the one intended–Even when taken correctly, some medicines will cause a side effect.

Common Side Effects

Stomachupset Drowsiness Sleeplessness Headache

Drug Abuse

Using illegal drugs

Using legal drugs for non-medical reasons

Using a medication for something other than its intended use

What is drug abuse?

•Drug abuse • Intentionally using drugs in a way that is unhealthy or

illegal

Drug Abuse

Drug abuse affects all three sides of your health triangle.

Physical Health

sleepiness, irritability, heart failure, stroke

Mental/Emotional Health Social Health

interference with brain functions,depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating

withdrawing from family and friends,loss of interest in school and other activities

Addiction

Regulardrug use Tolerance

AddictionPhysical or

psychological need for a drug

•. Drug addiction, like alcoholism, is a disease.

• Treatment options exist that can help users overcome their addiction

Assignment 1

1. Compare the differences between drug misuse and drug abuse?

2. Hypothesize what you might you say to persuade a friend not to take medicine that has not been prescribed to him or her?

What Is Marijuana?

• Marijuana – Dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, called cannabis sativa–Marijuana is commonly called pot or weed.

•THC –The main active chemical in marijuana–THC alters the way the brain processes sensory information.

•It is impossible to note that other harmful substances may be mixed in with marijuana.

What Are Marijuana’s Effects?

Short-term Effects

Reduced reaction time

Reduced coordination

Impaired judgment

Increased heart rate

Increased appetite

Anxiety

Panic attacks

What Are Marijuana’s Effects?

Long-term Effects

Lung diseases, including cancer

Changes to the region of the brain that processes information

Depression

Anxiety

Personality disturbances

Loss of motivation, causing the user to fall behind in school

Problems with friends and family members

What Are Marijuana’s Effects?

Safety Risks

Risk of getting arrested

Users may say or do things that could get them into trouble

Impaired reaction time and coordination make driving dangerous

Impaired judgment can lead to risky behaviors• Drinking alcohol• Engaging in sexual activity, leading to a risk of sexually transmitted

diseases and unplanned pregnancy

What Are Marijuana’s Effects?

Frequent users can develop a tolerance

Developing a tolerance often

leads to physical dependency

Each year more than 12,000 people seek treatment for

addiction to marijuana

What Are Club Drugs?

• What Are Club Drugs?– Club drugs take their names from dance clubs or raves where they are often used.– Some people falsely believe that club drugs are safe to use.

• The harmful effects of club drugs include:– Hallucinations– Paranoia– Amnesia

• Partial or total loss of memory

• When club drugs are mixed with alcohol, the effects of both substances are increased.

Effects of Taking Ecstasy

Ecstasy

Increased heart rate

Nausea

Anxiety

Elevated blood pressure

Dizziness

Chills

Sweating

Increased sense of confidence

Feelings of well-being

Loss of appetite

• Ecstasy• The scientific name for ecstasy is MDMA.• Ecstasy speeds up the central nervous system, making a person

feel very alert, or “hyper.”

Date Rape Drugs

• GBH – Is a depressant of the central nervous system.– Until 1992, GBH was available as an over-the-counter drug used by bodybuilders to increase muscle mass and decrease fat.

•Ketamine, sometimes called Special K– Is an anesthetic used in medical procedures for humans and animals.–A small amount of Ketamine produces hallucinations, memory loss, and severe breathing problems–even respiratory failure.

Date Rape Drugs

Rohypnol, commonly called roofie, is a club drug that works by suppressing the central nervous system.

Characteristics of Rohypnol

Odorless

Colorless

Has no taste

Easily slipped into a person’s drink

The unwilling user is unaware of what is happening

Produces amnesia

Anabolic Steroids

• Anabolic steroids – Synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones – Physicians sometimes prescribe anabolic steroids to treat growth problems, lung diseases, and skin conditions.– Steroids are most often abused by people who want to enhance their athletic abilities.

Anabolic Steroids

Major Side Effects

Liver tumors

Cancer

Jaundice

High blood pressure

Kidney tumors

Severe acne

Trembling

Anabolic Steroids

Side Effects in Males Side Effects in Females

Shrinking of the testicles Growth of facial hair

Breast development Menstrual changes

Deepened voice

In NIDA’s 2004 Monitoring the Future study, 3.4% of high school seniors reported using steroids at least once.

Source: NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends.

Teens and Steroid Use

• Steroid use can have a negative effect on your appearance.

• Steroid use can cause a person to become angry or violent.

• Steroid use can cause a hormonal imbalance, which can interfere with the normal development of teens.

Assignment 2

1. Recall: What are 3 negative consequences of using anabolic steroids?

2. Explain two long-term effects of marijuana use?

3. Analyze your thoughts on steroid abuse and how they can/do affect competitive sports?

More Drug Types• Narcotics

– Specific drugs that are obtainable only by prescription and are used to relieve pain

• Opium – A liquid from the poppy plant containing substances that numb the

body• Stimulants

– Drugs that speed up activity in the human brain and spinal cord• Stimulants cause the heart to beat faster and cause blood pressure and

metabolism to rise.

• Amphetamine – A drug that stimulates the central nervous system

• Amphetamines are highly addictive.• Using large amounts of amphetamines can result in aggressive behavior,

extreme weight loss, and loss of physical strength.

More Drug Types Cont.

• CNS depressants – Substances that slow down normal brain function

• CNS depressants are sometimes called sedatives or tranquilizers.

• Hallucinogens – Drugs that distort moods, thoughts, and senses

• Some hallucinogens are made from natural substances, some are manufactured.

• Inhalant – Any substance whose fumes are sniffed and inhaled to

produce mind-altering sensations• Inhalants are not meant to be put into the human body.

Heroin

Characteristics of Heroin

Made of morphine, a narcotic

Most often inhaled or injected intravenously

Users develop a psychological and physical dependence

Tolerance leads to a need for ever-increasing doses

Quitting is very difficult

Quitting results in painful withdrawal symptoms

OxyContin

Characteristics of OxyContin

Available through a doctor’s prescription

Controls severe pain in patients with cancer, back pain, or arthritis

Abuse leads to tolerance, which leads to physical addiction

Withdrawal symptoms are similar to other narcotics

Narcotics and Addiction

Withdrawal symptoms can be unbearable.• Withdrawal symptoms • Symptoms that occur after chronic use of a drug is reduced or

stopped

Withdrawal Symptoms

Pain in muscles Pain in bones Sleeplessness

Diarrhea Agitation Vomiting

Cocaine

Characteristics of Cocaine

Illegal stimulant derived from the coca plant

Sold as a fine white powder

Often mixed with water and injected into the body intravenously

Can also be smoked or snorted up the nose

One of the most addictive drugs on the street today

Crack

Crack is created when cocaine is heated and processed with baking soda and water.

Crack is extremely addictive and dangerous.

Methamphetamine

Characteristics of Methamphetamine

Highly addictive stimulant drug, affects the central nervous system

Becoming an epidemic in the United States

Produced in illegal laboratories

Effects are similar to cocaine

Also known as “meth”

Methamphetamine

Effects of Methamphetamine

Initial feelings of confidence and energy

Tendency on the part of users to binge

Users may go days without food or sleep

Users find it impossible to feel any pleasure without the drug

Unpredictable behavior

Effects of Stimulants

Substance Harmful Effects

Amphetamine Uneven heartbeat, rise in blood pressure, physical collapse, stroke, heart attack, and death

Methamphetamine Memory loss, damage to heart and nervous system, seizures, and death

Cocaine Damage to nose lining and liver; heart attack, seizures, stroke, and death

Crack Damage to lungs if smoked, seizures, heart attack, and death

What Are Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants?

Two Commonly Prescribed CNS Depressants

Barbiturates

Benzodiazepines

Prescribed for the treatment of anxiety or tension, or for people with sleep disorders.

Prescribed for patients with more serious anxiety and panic attacks.

Effects of Depressants

Substance Harmful Effects

TranquilizerAnxiety; reduced coordination and attention span. Withdrawal can cause tremors and lead to coma or death.

Barbiturate Causes mood changes and excessive sleep. Can lead to coma.

Hypnotic Impaired coordination and judgment. High doses may cause internal bleeding, coma, or death.

How Do Hallucinogens Affect the User?

Hallucinogens affect how a user perceives the passage of time, sees colors, senses motion, or hears sound.

Hallucinogens interfere with a person’s thought process and ability to communicate.

Effects of Hallucinogens

Substance Harmful Effects

PCP

Loss of coordination; increase heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature; convulsions; heart and lung failure; broken blood vessels; bizarre or violent behavior; temporary psychosis; false feeling of having super powers.

LSDIncreased blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature; chills, nausea, tremors, and sleeplessness; unpredictable behavior; flash-backs; false feeling of having super powers.

Inhalants

Paint Vegetable cooking sprays

Air fresheners Lighter fluid

Markers and pens Correction fluid

Hair sprays

Inhalants

What Damage Do Inhalants Cause?

Abusing inhalants can damage the protective coating that surrounds brain cells, called myelin.

Permanent effects can include an impaired ability to walk, talk, or think.

Even a first-time experiment with inhalants can result in death from choking, suffocation, or heart attack.

Warning Signs of Inhalant Abuse

Warning Signs of Inhalant

Abuse

Eyes that are red or runny.

Sores or spots near the mouth.

Breath that smells strange or like chemicals.

Holding a marker or pen near the nose.

Assignment 3

1. Evaluate the physical and psychological effects that can cause a person to become addicted to a drug.

2. Analyze: Why do you think inhalant abuse might be a serious problem among 12- to 14-year-olds?

Getting Help

The first step in getting help for drug abuse is for the user to admit that he or she has a problem.

Although some effects of drug abuse are permanent, drug addiction is treatable.

Symptoms of Drug Use

Recognizing When Someone Needs Help

Tolerance

Craving

A person needs increasingly larger amounts of drugs to get high.

A person feels a strong need, desire, or urge to use drugs and uses a drug despite negative consequences.

Symptoms of Drug Use

Recognizing When Someone Needs Help

Loss ofControl

Physical Dependence or

Withdrawal Symptoms

A person takes more drugs than he or she meant to, or uses drugs at a time or place he or she had not planned.

When drug use is stopped, a person may experience withdrawal symptoms from a physical need for the substance.

Getting Help

• Detoxification – The physical process of freeing the body of an

addictive substance• Some hospitals and treatment centers have

detoxification units for people going through withdrawal.

• Counseling– Provides an opportunity to openly share thoughts

and feelings with a trained expert.

Drug Treatment Options

Inpatienttreatment

Residentialprograms

Partialhospitalization

or daytreatment

Outpatientand intensive

outpatientprograms

Intensiveoutpatienttreatment

Support Groups

A support group is a group of people who work together to help one another stay drug free.

Common Support Groups

Narcotics Anonymous

Cocaine Anonymous

Nar-Anon

Choosing to be Drug Free

Choosing to be drug free is one of the most important decisions you can make.

• Drug free • A characteristic of a person not taking illegal drugs or of a place

where no illegal drugs are used

Resisting negative peer pressure is difficult, but it is much harder stopping drug use once it has started.

Refusing Drugs

Use the S.T.O.P. strategy when you are approached by someone pressuring you to use drugs.

S

T

O

P

Say no in a firm voice.

Tell why not.

Offer alternative ideas or activities.

Promptly leave.

Refusal skills help you resist negative peer

pressure without feeling guilty or uncomfortable.

Refusing Drugs

Choose friends who are also drug free.

Avoid places where you know drugs will

be present.

Always look for healthful ways

to deal with problems you

are facing.

The Benefits of Staying Drug Free

You will not be breaking the law.

You will have better concentration and memory.

You will have more natural energy.

You will be able to focus on improving your talents.

You will look better.

You will have better control of your feelings and actions.

You will not regret foolish actions caused by impaired judgment.

You will not waste money on drugs.

You will have better relationships with your family and friends.

You will respect yourself for taking care of your body and mind.

Positive Alternatives to Drug Use

Begin a regular physical fitness routine.

Volunteer to help someone in your school

or community.

Join a school club or organize a new one.

Take part in a drug-free event.

Bring a friend.

Write down your thoughts, or express yourself through art.

Balance enough physical activity with enough rest.

Form friendshipswith people who

are drug free.

Assignment 4

1. Analyze Why do you think there are so many different drug treatment options available?

2. Hypothesize what you might say if you were talking with a friend who is thinking about experimenting with drugs. What might you say to encourage him or her to stay drug free?