Drug Use

1. Drug Use A High Risk Behavior

2. What is Substance Abuse? • Unnecessary or improper use of chemical substances for nonmedical purposes. • Illegal Drugs: chemical substances that people of any age may not lawfully manufacture, possess, buy, or sell • Illicit Drug Use: the use or sale of any substance that is illegal or otherwise not permitted.

3. What factors influence decisions about drugs? • Peer Pressure: control or urging of friends, social groups. • Family Members: Parents and other adults • Role Models: People you admire and look up to • Media: T.V., digital media, music, internet • Perceptions • Misleading Information: believe it can be beneficial

4. Health Risks of Drug Use • Physical Health • Heart, lungs, brain, other vital organs • Overdosing: strong, sometimes fatal reaction to taking a large amount of a drug • Risk of contracting Hepatitis B and HIV greatly increases

5. Health Risks • Mental Health • Drugs cloud reasoning and thinking • Users lose control of their behavior • People often lose sight of their values • Drugs alter the brains structure and function

6. Health Risks • Social Health • Users do and say things they will later regret • Can have a negative effect on relationships • Drug use can cause teens to be expelled or drop out of school • Legal consequences • Major factor in many crimes, suicides and unintentional injuries

7. Other Effects of Drug Use • Tolerance: body becomes accustomed to the drug and causes them to need more to get the desired effect • Psychological Dependence: believe the drug is needed in order to feel good or function normally • Physiological Dependence: develop a chemical need for the drug • Addiction: a psychological or physiological dependence on the drug

8. Signs of Drug Use“Personality” Becomes Disrespectful-verbally abusive Is angry a lot- extreme mood swings Seems depressed and less out-going Is secretive and lies about what they are doing Is stealing or “losing” possessions Seems to have a lot of money or always needs Withdraws from family and family activities

9. Signs of Drug Use“Physical Apperance” • Not taking care of hygiene and grooming • Not sleeping or sleeping too much • Loss of appetite • Weight loss or weight gain • Too hyperactive or too little energy

10. Signs of Drug Use“Social Activity/School Performance” • Drops old friends and activities • Is skipping school • Loses interest in school work • Is getting low grades • Is sleeping in class • Loses concentration and is having trouble remembering things

11. Current Stats • 19.1 Million Americans or 7.9% of the population aged 12 and older are current illicit drug users. (current drug use means use of an illicit drug within one month of survey)

12. General Categories of Drugs that teens are using • Over the counter cough and cold • Prescription painkillers or opiates • Sedatives • Steroids • Stimulants

13. Over the Counter • DXM (cough suppressant found in cough and cold medications) • When used as recommended it is safe • Teens use sometimes as much as 30 times the recommended dose which produces hallucinations and the sensation of having out of body experiences • Examples: Pertussin, Robitussin, Sudafed, Triaminic

14. Prescription Painkillers (opiates) • Medically used to relieve pain • Most commonly abused: OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, Percodan • Opium and heroin are illegal forms of opiates • Work by changing how the brain perceives pain • Slow down the body processes: Breathing, heart rate, digestion • Produce a sense of well-being and calm drowsiness • Extremely addicting

15. Sedatives and GHB • Also known as “downers” • Slow normal brain function • Medically used to treat anxiety, stress and panic disorders • Also used as sleeping pills • Most common: Xanax, Valium • Induce drowsiness and intense relaxation • Very addicting

16. Steroids (Anabolic-Androgenic) • Man Made substances related to male sex hormone • Used medically to treat: delayed puberty, impotence, aids • Illegally used to improve physical performance and body image

17. Pictures of Steroid Users

18. Stimulants • Also known as “uppers” • Prescription stimulants used to treat depression, obesity, ADHD • Commonly abused prescription stimulants: dexedrine, ritalin and adderall

19. Pot Herb Grass Weed Mary Jane Chronic Marijuana

20. What is Marijuana? • Green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant • Mind Altering: It changes how the brain works • Contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical • Also contain over 400 other chemicals

21. Facts about Marijuana • Usually smoked as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe or bong • THC is absorbed by fatty tissue. Can be detected in the body for weeks • Contrary to popular belief, most teens do not use marijuana. (1 in 6 tenth graders) • Most start using because of peer pressure • Some use because they think they can escape problems at school, home or with friends • Most teenagers do not use

22. What happens if you smoke marijuana? • The way the drug affects each person depends on many factors: • User’s previous experience with the drug • How strong the marijuana is (how much THC) • What the user expects to happen • How the drug is taken • Whether the user is drinking alcohol or using other drugs • Some may feel little effect, while others feel relaxed or high • Makes users feel thirsty and very hungry “the munchies”

23. Short term effects • Problems with memory and learning • Distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch) • Trouble with thinking and problem solving • Loss of motor coordination • Increased heart rate

24. Long Term effects • Cancer: many of the chemicals found in marijuana are known carcinogens • Lungs and Airways: often develop same type of breathing problems as cigarette smokers. • Immune system: THC can damage cells and tissues in the body that help protect against disease

25. Gateway Drug • Very few young people use other illegal drugs without first using marijuana • Puts people in contact with other users and dealers • Marijuana may cause changes in the brain that make a person more at risk for becoming addicted to other drugs

26. How can you tell is someone has been using marijuana? • Dizzy and trouble walking • Silly and giggly for no reason • Very red, bloodshot eyes • Have a hard time remembering things that just happened

27. Is marijuana used as a medicine • Since 1970 marijuana has been listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance • Drug in its smoked form has no commonly accepted medical use • THC is manufactured into a pill available by prescription to treat nausea and vomiting with certain cancer treatments and also to help AIDS victims eat more

28. Other facts • Heavy or daily use affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention and learning • Long term use can lead to addiction • In 2001, over 255,000 people entered drug rehab centers stating that marijuana was their drug of choice • Counseling, Support groups

29. Inhalants • In its broadest sense, it is any substance that a person can inhale. • More specifically, inhalants are substances that can cause a person to become “high” • Examples: gasoline, paint thinner, felt-tip markers, lighter fluid, whipping cream, hair spray

30. Effects of Short-Term Inhalant Abuse • Nosebleeds • Rapid Heart Beat • Visual Hallucinations • Death • Nausea • Headache • Severe Mood Swings • Ringing in the Ears

31. Effects of Long-Term Inhalant Abuse • Chronic Headaches • Brain Damage • Muscle Weakness • Loss or decrease in the sense of smell • Liver Damage • Bone Marrow Damage • Violent Behavior • Death

32. Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome • Instant death from abusing inhalants • Death results from Heart Failure or Heart Arrest • There is no way to predict who will die • Inhalants can kill the first time someone uses

33. Fetal Solvent Syndrome • Inhalants have a negative effect on a developing fetus • “Toluene” is chemical thought to be responsible for defects • Birth Defects include: • Small head • Deep-set eyes • Disfigured nose and ears • Stubby fingertips • Developmental delay • Mental impairment

34. Signs of Inhalant Use • Problems in school (poor grades, poor attendance, and indifference) • Paint or stains on body • Spots or sores around the mouth • Red or runny eyes • Red or runny nose • Odor of chemicals on the breath • Drunken, dizzy, or dazed appearance • Nausea or vomiting • Loss of appetite • Anxiety, excitability • Short-term memory loss • Slurred speech • Staggering • Hearing loss

35. Cocaine • Also known as: Coke, Blow, Snow, Crank, “C”, Toot, White Girl, Cadillac and Nose Candy • Made from the leaf of the coca bush • Grown mainly in south America • Coca leaves are cut and soaked in kerosene, paint thinner or other solvents to make a thick paste. This turns into the white powder known as cocaine

36. Crack- The Cheap Killer • Form of cocaine that is sold as small, white or cream-colored chunks. • Looks like rock salt • Inexpensive so easy for kids to buy • Effect is felt almost immediately and is much more powerful than that which is snorted • Most powerful form of cocaine

37. How is Cocaine Used? • Powder: • Inhaled through the nose. Called “snorting” • Can also be put on the mucous membranes of the mouth, anus, or vagina • Takes effect within 1-3 minutes • Reaches peak effect in 15-20 minutes • Subsides in 1 hour

38. How is Cocaine Used? • Injection: • Stronger and Faster reaction • Acts in 30-120 seconds • Reaches full effect in 5-10 minutes • Puts user at risk for diseases like AIDS, hepatitis, and meningitis • Goes right to the heart and brain

39. How is Cocaine Used? • Freebase and Crack • “Freebase” made by heating cocaine powder in the presence of ether (gas). The resulting vapor or smoke is inhaled • Effects are felt in 5-10 seconds • Effects disappear in 10-30 minutes • Most powerful form of cocaine • Most addictive form of the drug

40. How Cocaine works in the brain • Affects 3 types of chemicals in nerve cells • Dopamine nerve cells seem to control the cocaine “high” and are believed to be responsible for addiction • Norepinephrine nerve cells are responsible for rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, pupil dilation, heavy sweating, and shaking • Serotonin nerve cells are involved in bringing sleep

41. How does it harm your body • Brain Damage: causes the blood pressure to rise quickly over a short period of time. Can lead to blood vessels bursting in the brain as well as seizures • Heart: Causes the heart to beat very quickly which can lead to chest pain or heart attack • Lungs: Can cause blood clots to form in the lungs. Too large of dose can cause person to stop breathing

42. Ecstasy • Classified as a stimulant • Has hallucinogenic properties • Comes in tablet form that is often branded • Usually taken as a mood enhancer • Street Names: • Adam • E • X

43. Short Term Effects of Ecstasy • Enhanced sense of self-confidence and energy • Need to touch each other “Hug Drug” • Involuntary Teeth Clenching • Blurred vision, transfixed on sights and sounds • Increased heart rate and blood pressure • Dehydration

44. Long Term effects of Ecstasy Use • Memory Loss • Mood • Appetite • Addiction

45. Meth • Addictive Stimulant • Street Names • Speed • Crank • Chalk • Go Fast • Zip • Ice

46. How is Meth made? • Make shift labs in the basement of homes, trunks of cars, vacant buildings etc. • Over the counter medicines, drain cleaner, battery acid, antifreeze etc. • Cost on the street • $25 per ¼ gram • $100 per gram • $1700 per ounce

47. Effects of Meth • Euphoria, Paranoia • Decreased appetite increased physical activity • Jerky or flailing movements • Insomnia • Tremors • Aggression • Hyperthermia

48. Pictures of Meth