Download Under the Influence

Under the Influence
Unit 3
Lesson 6
Objective
• Explore the effects of drugs and alcohol
on consciousness.
• Differentiate between substance abuse
and dependence.
Warm Up
• Identify one common
characteristic of a
hypnotic state.
Just Say No!
• Psychoactive Drugs
– Affect our N.S. and alter
states of consciousness,
sensation & perception,
emotions & motivation,
and thoughts.
• Licit (legal)
• Illicit (illegal)
Psychopharmacology
• Study of psychoactive drugs and their
effects on behavior & mental processes.
How Drugs “Work”
• Alter interaction b/t neurotransmitters &
receptors
– Agonists bind to receptors, mimic effects of normal
neurotransmitters
– Antagonists bind to receptors, prevent normal neurotransmitters
from binding.
• Others increase or decrease release of specific
•
neurotransmitters
Cross the blood-brain barrier & enter brain
tissues.
Faces of Addiction
• 20 cigars a day
• Age 38, irregular
•
•
•
heartbeat
Age 67, mouth cancer
Age 79, 33 operations
took away most of his
jaw, barely able to
swallow and talk.
Age 83, death
Important Terms
• Abuse
– Continued use even
though it’s causing or
compounding
problems in daily life.
• Addiction
– Overwhelming and
compulsive desire to
obtain and use the
drug
Important Terms
• Tolerance
– Increasingly larger
doses needed to
achieve the desired
effect.
Important Terms
• Dependency
– Change in the nervous
system so person
physically needs to
take the drug or else…
• Withdrawal
– Painful physical
symptoms that occur
when a drugdependent person
stops using the drug
Risking Addiction
Why risk it?
• Curiosity
• Peer Pressure
• Parental Use
• Rebelliousness
• Escape
• Self-Handicapping
• Scapegoat
Risking Addiction
Your risk for addiction depends on lots of things:
• Personality
• Genetic makeup
• Family history
• Coping skills
• Drug of choice
Major Mood Changers (Handout)
• Stimulants
• Depressants
• Narcotics
• Hallucinogens
• Marijuana
• Inhalents
Alcohol & The Brain
• 1-2 Drinks:
– frontal cortex = relaxed, outgoing, happy
• 3-4 Drinks:
– motor cortex = slowed speech, tipsy body movement
• 5-6 Drinks:
– occipital lobe = blurred vision
• 7+ Drinks:
– Brainstem = vital functions slow
• Binge Drinking = vital functions stop…
Activity
• Alcohol & The Teen
Brain
– A Webquest providing
you the info to “make
informed decisions”
http://fuspsych.wikispaces.com/States+of+Consciousness
Alcohol Affects Teens
Differently Than Adults
• Adolescents are more vulnerable than adults to
many effects of alcohol
– Memory, brain damage, altered brain
development, driving skills, long-term
cognitive deficits
• Less vulnerable to others
– Sedation (sleepiness), loss of balance,
hangovers
Alcohol Affects Teens
Differently Than Adults
• What This Means…
– First, since they're not as sleepy, they may
consume more alcohol, resulting in greater
mental impairment.
– Second, they may be more likely to engage in
activities that put them at risk, such as driving
a car (dvp frontal lobe)
Alcohol & Memory
• Alcohol has a powerful impact on the ability to form new memories,
particularly for facts and events (hippocampus)
• Drinking too much, too fast can cause blackouts – missing
memories for events that occur while drunk
– Different from passing out: falling asleep from drinking too much, drinking
oneself unconscious
• Blackouts are frighteningly common among adolescents and can
encompass events ranging from driving a car to engaging in
unprotected intercourse
– Females seem particularly vulnerable to blackouts and are more likely
to be harmed by the experiences!
Alcohol & Memory
• As seen in the
following ad, the
industry is well
aware that its
products can shut
down memory
function!
Closure
• Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?