effects of violence

Chapter 7

Drug Use and Abuse

• Drugs -Nonfood chemicals that alter the way a

person thinks, feels, functions, or behaves.

• Drugs are commonly taken for medicinal

purposes.

• Psychoactive drugs - taken for their mind-

altering and mood-altering effects.

• Inappropriate drug use contributes to crime,

unemployment, and family violence and

dissolution.

Drug Use and Abuse

• Medications have beneficial uses, such as for

treating diseases or correcting physiological

abnormalities.

– Medicinal drugs are frequently misused.

• Drug misuse is the temporary and improper

use of a legal drug.

• Drug abuse is the intentional improper or

nonmedical use of a drug.

• Table 7.1

Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse

Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse

• The government classifies many commonly

abused psychoactive drugs into five drug

schedules according to their potential for abuse,

medical usefulness, and safety.

• Schedule I drugs—heroin and LSD, for

example— have the most stringent control

status. They are commonly abused, have little

medicinal value and lack accepted safety for

use. Schedule II, III, IV, and V drugs are

available by prescription.

Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse

http://www.uspharmacist.com/continuing_education/ceviewtest/lessonid/109441/

• How Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Brain?

– Interact with nerve cells in the brain,

altering the activity of chemical

transmitters

– Many commonly abused drugs affect

specific brain regions called reward

centers.

– As a result, they produce euphoria, an intense

feeling of well-being (a “high”).

Psychoactive Drugs: Effects on the

Mind and Body

• What Happens to Drugs in the Body?

– enter the bloodstream, (psychoactive

drugs goes to the brain)

– undergo detoxification in the liver (slowly

over time)

– excreted through urine, feces or exhaled

breath.

– stored in body fat for weeks

Psychoactive Drugs: Effects on the

Mind and Body

• What Happens to Drugs in the Body?

– Overdose: when the body is unable to eliminate

excessive amounts of a drug rapidly.

– Intoxication: the state of being poisoned by a

drug or other toxic substance.

SIDENOTE:

Can happen with OTC, prescription, and illegal drugs.

Psychoactive Drugs: Effects on the

Mind and Body

• What Happens to Drugs in the Body?

– Polyabuse: abusing more than one drug at a

time.

– Synergism: when different drugs that have

similar effects are combined, the effects of

each drug can be amplified. (deadly?

Psychoactive Drugs: Effects on the

Mind and Body

– Illegal drugs, {such as heroin, lysergic acid

diethylamide (LSD), and marijuana,} are those

having no currently accepted medical use in

the United States, although some states allow

“medical marijuana” use.

Sidenote:

– 8.7% of population are current illicit drug users.

– 36% of full-time college students took one or

more illicit drugs during 2009, Figure 7.3.

Illicit Drug Use in the United States

• Why do People Use Psychoactive Drugs?

– Why do you think?

– Relieve boredom, satisfy curiosity, escape

problems and stress release.

– Are these valid reasons?

• Patterns of Psychoactive Drug Use

– Drug experimentation and illicit use peaks

between the ages of 18 and 20.

– Cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana – Gateway

Drugs

Illicit Drug Use in the United States

• Recreational drug use is when drugs or alcohol

are taken for pleasure, to relax or to feel

comfortable in social settings.

• Drug dependence or addiction occurs when the

user develops a habitual pattern of taking the

drug that results in a compulsive need that is

physical and psychological.

• Dependent persons are unable to avoid using

drugs, and their preoccupation with them

interferes with their managing the responsibilities

of family and work.

Drug Dependence

• Physiological and Psychological Dependence

– When people take certain psychoactive drugs

repeatedly over an extended period, their

bodies make various physiological adjustments

to function as normally as possible.

– As a result, these people display characteristic

signs and symptoms of physical dependence

or physical addiction.

– Tolerance - ability to endure larger amounts of

certain psychoactive drugs while the adverse

effects decrease.

Drug Dependence

• Physiological and Psychological Dependence

– Withdrawal: temporary physical and

psychological state that occurs when certain

drugs are discontinued.

– Psychological dependence: occurs when a

person needs to use a drug regularly to relieve

boredom, anxiety, or stress. (result in powerful

cravings for drugs, and motivates drug-seeking

behavior.)

– Not everyone who uses drugs becomes

dependent on them.

Drug Dependence

• Risk Factors for Drug Dependency

– the result of complex interactions among

biological, personal, social, and environmental

factors.

– Protective factors, such as strong family and

school ties, parental monitoring of behavior

with clear rules of conduct, and academic

success, reduce the potential for drug use

among youth.

Drug Dependence

• Stimulants relieve fatigue,

suppress appetite, and improve

mood. – Enhance chemical activity in parts of the

brain that influence emotions, attention,

sleep, and learning.

– Increase blood pressure levels and heart

rates.

A) Stimulants

1) Amphetamines and Methamphetamines

– Synthetic stimulants (Table 7-7).

– Amphetamines increase energy and

alertness, lessen the need for sleep, produce

euphoria, and suppress appetite.

– Methamphetamines (speed) are more potent

forms of amphetamines that have few

medically approved uses.

– Overdoses of methamphetamines can be

deadly by resulting in cardiovascular collapse

or strokes.

Stimulants

(examples)

2) Party Drugs

– Includes: amphetamines, methamphetamines,

alcohol, GHB, GBL, Rohypnol, LSD, ketamine,

and Ecstasy.

– Reduce anxiety, induce euphoria, or build

energy.

– However, these drugs can have long-lasting

negative effects on the brain.

Stimulants

3) Ritalin and Other Medically Useful Stimulants

– Ritalin is prescribed for people with ADHD,

(sidenote: abused among high school and

college students.)

– Adderall is more recently used for the

treatment of ADHD (sidenote: is also abused)

– Stimulants also are prescribed to treat

narcolepsy, but their use to suppress appetite

is controversial.

Stimulants

4)Cocaine

– Cocaine is a powerful stimulant derived from

the leaves of the coca bush.

– Crack is a rock crystal form of cocaine.

– Anesthetic uses.

– Cocaine is highly addictive and can cause

serious health problems including damage to

the nasal passages, lungs and respiratory

tract, cardiovascular problems, and water.

Stimulants

5) Caffeine

– Most commonly used psychoactive

substance, causes limited dependence.

– Improves alertness and reaction time, lifts the

mood, helps the body burn fat, blunts pain, and

helps relive headache pain.

– Withdrawal from caffeine causes headaches,

tiredness, irritability, and depression.

– caffeine can disturb sleep and provoke

migraine headaches in those prone to them.

Stimulants

• Caffeine (sidenote)

– Consuming 200mg or more per day may

increase the risk of miscarriage.

– Caffeinism occurs on high doses more than

600ml/day. Symptoms include nervousness,

trembling, irritation of the stomach lining,

insomnia, increased urine production, diarrhea,

sweating, and rapid heart rate.

– Typical patterns of moderate caffeine

consumption are not harmful to healthy people.

Stimulants

• Depressants- Slow the activity of the central

nervous system, producing sedative (calming)

and hypnotic (trance-like) effects as well as

drowsiness.

– Alcohol, barbiturates, and minor tranquilizers

– Some depressants have medical value, they are often

misused and abused.

– Depressants slow heart and respiratory rates,

increasing the risk of death when overdoses are taken.

– Tolerance and dependency occur with regular use.

– Withdrawal can be deadly and can cause delirium

(mental confusion and disorientation) or seizures.

B) Depressants

1) Sedatives and Tranquilizers

– prescribed to treat insomnia or mild anxiety.

2) Rohypnol

– It often is referred to as a “date-rape drug”

(roofies) because it produces sedation as well

as memory loss concerning the events that

occurred while one is under the drug’s

influence.

Depressants

3) GHB and GBL

– GHB: formerly sold in health food stores as a

dietary supplement to induce sleep and build

muscle.

• Banned by the FDA in 1990

• Became a Schedule I drug in 2000 because

of its dangerous side effects including

seizures and coma.

– GBL: body converts to GHB; associated with

reports of at least 55 adverse health effects,

including one death.

Depressants

• Opiates include opium, the dried sap of the

opium poppy, and drugs such as codeine,

morphine, heroin, and Percodan, which are

derived from opium.

– Medically used as sedatives, analgesics (which

alleviate pain), and narcotics (alter the

perception of pain and induce euphoria and

sleep) to treat severe diarrhea and severe

coughing.

– Opiates are highly addictive. Excessive doses

depress the CNS, slowing respiration and

reducing mental functioning.

C. Opiates

1. Opium and Heroin

– Drugs dealers chemically convert opium to heroin

after it enters this country.

– Heroin is often adulterated before it is sold

illegally, which increases the risk of people taking

overdoses.

– Worldwide, heroin is one of the most widely

abused illegal drugs.

C. Opiates

2. OxyContin

– Prescribed for moderate to severe chronic

pain.

– Abuse of the drug is popular among high school

students.

– It is very dangerous when combined with other

drugs, such as alcohol.

3. Vicodin

– Is also prescribed to reduce pain.

– Its abuse is higher than OxyContin, especially

among high school students and young adults.

C. Opiates

• The most widely used illicit drug in the United

States.

– THC is the psychoactive substance in

marijuana.

– Alters muscular coordination and normal thought

processes such as mental concentration, problem

solving, time perception, and short-term memory.

– Damages respiratory tract and reproductive

functioning.

– Rarely causes physical dependence.

– Psychological Dependence.

D. Marijuana

– Approved for medical use in 15 states & DC

– Federal authorities may prosecute patients whose

physicians prescribe marijuana for their medical

use, and that state laws do not protect users from

the federal ban on the drug.

– How do you decipher the discrepancy?

D.Marijuana

• Produce abnormal and unreal sensations,

anxiety and depression and the feeling of

losing control over your mind.

– Physical side effects: elevated blood pressure,

dilated pupils, and increased body temperature.

– Psychological but not physical dependence

E. Hallucinogens

1. LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

– “Acid”

– Psychotic reactions, paranoid delusions and

flashbacks are possible.

2. Mescaline

– derived from a small cactus

– Street sources are often adulterated with LSD

E. Hallucinogens

3. Psilocybin

– Mushrooms

4. PCP

– Angel Dust, Rocket Fuel

5. Ketamine

– Analog to PCP

E. Hallucinogens

• Inhalants:- Gases that are breathed in

and produce euphoria, dizziness,

confusion, and drowsiness.

• Sniffed, inhaled from a bag or soaked rag

• Negative health effects include brain damage,

irregular heartbeat, anemia, liver damage,

kidney failure, coma, and death.

F. Inhalants

• By making chemical alterations to an

existing controlled drug, one can make a

new drug that is not classified as a

controlled substance.

• More toxic than the drugs from which they are

derived, Table 7.5

– 1. Ecstacy

– 2. K2

– 3. Bath Salts

G. Designer Drugs: Drugs with

Mixed Effects

• To be sold in this country, an over-the-counter

(OTC) drug must be safe and effective when

people follow the product information that

comes with it.

• Herbal products- that are sold as food supplements

in health food stores are not regulated by the FDA.

• Misuse and abuse of OTC medicines is common.

• Look-Alike Drugs

• Weight Loss Aids

• Ephendrine

Over-the-Counter Drugs

• Treating Drug Dependency

– Medical supervision may be necessary

– 3 Long-Term Programs

• Methadone maintenance programs

• Outpatient drug-free programs

• Residential Therapeutic Communities

– Limited effectiveness if <90 days

Drug Treatment and Prevention

• Anti-Drug Vaccines

– Stimulate the immune system to develop

antibodies against a particular drug

– The user does not feel the effects of the drug and

therefore has no reason to use it.

Drug Treatment and Prevention

• Preventing Drug Misuse and Abuse

– Educational programs that promote drug-free

lifestyles, especially among children and young

adults, may help reduce the prevalence of drug

abuse.

– Drug education programs that involve parents,

media, and the community are more successful

than programs that limit educational activities to

classrooms.

Drug Treatment and Prevention

• Pregnant drug users are at risk of

miscarriage, ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, and

stillbirth.

– Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds

are at risk of having developmental problems

for a variety of reasons, including their mothers’

lack of prenatal care.

Across the Life Span: Drugs

• High-risk characteristics for drug use among

teenagers include: gender, family income,

parents’ drug use, latchkey status, and peer

drug use, Table 7.6.

• Teens who stay in school, attend classes

regularly, make good grades, and get along

well with their peers generally avoid using

drugs.

Across the Life Span: Drugs

• Resilient children accept responsibility, adapt

to change, manage stress, solve problems,

and are achievement- and success-oriented.

Resilient young people have the ability to

remain psychologically, socially, and

spiritually healthy even though their families

are dysfunctional or not supportive.

Across the Life Span: Drugs

Summary of Psychoactive Drugs:

Effects on the Body

• Review Table 7.7