PSYB3: child development and applied options

1. PSYB3: child development and applied options Substance abuse

2. Drugs – I never touch them!

3. Write a list of all the ‘substances’ you can think of.

4. What did you include? Split these drugs into legal and illegal drugs.

5. What are substances? • Did you include: • Tobacco/nicotine • Alcohol • Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy etc) • Depressants (opiates -heroin, morphine codeine. Tranquillisers and barbiturates)

6. What do each of these substances do? • Tobacco • 35% of men and 22% of women worldwide smoken • In the UK it is in decline, especially in men • The highest rate of smoking is in the 20-34 yr age group. • Nicotine is the addictive drug, which is a mild stimulant. Nicotine levels in the blood stream drop quickly, and is halved within 30 minutes.

7. Alcohol • One of the most common forms of substances: • Men drink on average 16 units of alcohol a week and women 5.5 units. • It is absorbed quickly into the blood stream • It is highly addictive, creating both psychological and physiological dependence. • Binge drinking is common, where men drink8 units of alcohol and women 5 units on at least one day. • Recommended weekly safe levels are 21 units for a man and 14 units for women.

8. Stimulants • These stimulate the central nervous system, giving a feeling of happiness, euphoria and energy • Often referred to as recreational drugs • Amphetamines increase heart rate, increased blood supply to the muscles and greater levels of dopamine in the brain. Tolerance develops quickly so more and more needs to be taken, and if stopped symptoms include exhaustion, depression and sleeplessness. • Cocaine is usually sniffed through the nose. The effects are quick but short lived. It produces feelings of well being and self confidence. Tolerance is not built up and withdrawal is not as severe as alcohol and heroin. • Other stimulants include ecstasy and alkyl nitrites.

9. Depressants • These slow down the activity of the CNS. • Low doses make a person feel calm and relaxed, but high doses are dangerous and could lead to unconsciousness. • Depressants include: • Opiates or narcotics such as heroin • Tranquillisers such as diazepam and barbiturates such as sleeping tablets. • Heroin is smoked or injected and very quickly results in dependence. It produces feelings of euphoria but as tolerance builds quickly more needs to be taken to achieve these feelings.

10. Which drugs are most used • Looking at the list of substances in your notes, put them in order of those that are the most harmful. • Which ones are most likely to kill you?

11. Read the hand out on deadliest drugs and answer the questions

12. Use and abuse • This topic is about substance ABuse. What do I mean by that? Use MisuseAbuse

13. Substance Use • People do not experience harm from taking a substance. For example, drinking coffee in the morning is not harmful. When could it become harmful?

14. Substance Misuse • People begin to experience some kind of problem related to substance use. What problems would you associate with excessive caffeine use?

15. Substance abuse • This is where the person and those around them are harmed in some way from taking the drug. The harm may be physical, mental or social. • What do we mean by physical, mental or social?

16. Addiction vs. Dependence • Addiction is where a substance, which can be natural or synthetic, has been used repeatedly and results in the user being preoccupied with the substance, maintaining a supply and suffering unpleasant consequences if they try to stop taking it. • Physical Dependence is where the body has got used to the substance and continued usage is needed to maintain the body in its normal state.

17. Big picture: Addiction p4 • We only focus on substance abuse in this topic. Have a look at the Big Picture hand out. Read page 4-5 about some of the other forms of addiction that can occur. • What did you find out?

18. What are you dependent on? • Think honestly, do you ‘need’ a cup of coffee or tea to get you out of bed in the morning? • Do you check your facebook page before you even have that cup of coffee? • Could you leave your mobile at home for a whole day?

19. Physical vs. Psychological dependence • As we know already, physical dependence is when the body needs the substance to maintain the status quo • Psychological dependence is the emotional and cognitive compulsion to use a drug. • Think about that word ‘compulsion’; it’s an uncontrollable urge, a desire to repeat a behaviour or action.

20. How does Psychological dependence impact on our lives? • The drug becomes the centre of a person’s life • They make sure they have supplies of their drug available to them • They crave the drug if they go without it for a long time. This is an emotional state involving wanting and longing.

21. Psychological dependence of different drugs • Different drugs cause different psychological dependence: Slower dependence Rapid dependence Heroin Cannabis LSD cocaine

22. How might psychological dependence impact on others? • Think about the consequences of psychological dependence on those around a substance abuser. What short and long term effects might there be?

23. Pause for a quick key word check • Answer the questions about what we have covered today. • Name as many substances as you can • Explain what is meant by substance use, misuse and abuse • Define addiction, physiological dependence and psychological dependence. • How does psychological dependence impact on our lives?

24. What happens to your brain when you take an abused substance • Many drugs that cause addiction and physical dependence act at the level of the neuron. • Dopamine is released into the brain • This results in a pleasant experience and one that we desire to experience again.

25. Like a rat in a cage • Olds and Milner (1954) investigated the role of the septal area of the brain in addictive behaviour by placing electrodes into rats brains. • The rats pushed a lever and received an electrical impulse. • Some rats continued to press the lever until exhausted and unable to press the lever anymore. • Olds and Milner concluded that stimulation of the septal area of the brain was highly rewarding for the rats. Rat pressing the lever to stimulate the pleasure centre of the brain

26. The brain’s reward system Main cognitive functions Regulates drives such as hunger and thirst. Affected by drugs Produces dopamine and affected by drugs

27. Big Picture: p7 • Brain and addiction • Read this page and highlight interesting and useful facts. • Discuss these with the person next to you. • Together answer the following: • What role does the brain’s reward system play in substance abuse?