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Drugs: Uses and Abuses—
Stimulants
Teacher’s Guide
31348
A DIVISION OF
FILMS MEDIA GROUP
INTRODUCTION
This Teacher’s Guide provides information to help you get the most out of Drugs: Uses and Abuses—Stimulants.
The contents in this guide will allow you to prepare your students before using the program and present
follow-up activities to reinforce the program’s key learning points.
Beginning with an overview of stimulants as a class of drugs, this program examines caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and cocaine (in both powder and crack form). A doctor of pharmacology, police
officers, an addiction specialist, a historian, recovering addicts, and others profile the history and biological
effects of stimulants, employing case studies and personal experience to analyze their use, abuse, and hazards—
including their instantly addictive nature.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After viewing the program, students will be able to:
● Convey the history and use of some common forms of stimulants.
● Identify some common legal and illegal stimulants.
● Realize the short-and long-term social consequences associated with the use of stimulants.
● Examine the cycle of addiction and know how to get help.
EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
National Standards
This program correlates with National Standards for Family & Consumer Sciences Education by the Family and
Consumer Sciences Education Association, Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Health Education Standards: Achieving Health
Literacy by the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. The content has been aligned with
the following educational standards and benchmarks from these organizations.
● Evaluate the significance of family and its impact on the well-being of individuals and society.
● Analyze factors that impact human growth and development.
● Analyze conditions that influence human growth and development.
● Demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
● Identify responsible and harmful behaviors, develop health-enhancing strategies, and manage stress.
● Comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.
● Identify what good health is, recognize health problems, and ways in which lifestyle, the environment, and
public policies can promote health.
● Understand that the immune system is designed to protect against microscopic organisms and foreign
substances that enter from outside the body and against some cancer cells that arise within.
● Understand that the nervous system works by electrochemical signals in the nerves and from one nerve to the
next. The hormonal system exerts its influences by chemicals that circulate in the blood. These two systems
also affect each other in coordinating body systems.
● Understand that communication between cells is required to coordinate their diverse activities. Some cells
secrete substances that spread only to nearby cells. Others secrete hormones, molecules that are carried in
the bloodstream to widely distributed cells that have special receptor sites to which they attach. Along nerve
cells, electrical impulses carry information much more rapidly than is possible by diffusion or blood flow.
Some drugs mimic or block the molecules involved in transmitting nerve or hormone signals and therefore
disturb normal operations of the brain and body.
● Understand that various body changes occur as adults age. Muscles and joints become less flexible, bones
and muscles lose mass, energy levels diminish, and the senses become less acute. Women stop releasing
eggs and hence can no longer reproduce. The length and quality of human life are influenced by many
factors, including sanitation, diet, medical care, sex, genes, environmental conditions, and personal health
behaviors.
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● Understand that toxic substances, some dietary habits, and personal behavior may be bad for one’s health.
Some effects show up right away, others may not show up for many years. Avoiding toxic substances, such
as tobacco, and changing dietary habits to reduce the intake of such things as animal fat increases the
chances of living longer.
● Understand that benefits and costs of proposed choices include consequences that are long-term as well
as short-term, and indirect as well as direct. The more remote the consequences of a personal or social
decision, the harder it usually is to take them into account in considering alternatives. But benefits and
costs may be difficult to estimate.
From BENCHMARKS FOR SCIENCE LITERACY by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, copyright 1993 by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. Used by permission of Oxford University Press, Inc. Please note: judgments about the alignment
of content presented here with the learning goals in BENCHMARKS FOR SCIENCE LITERACY are those of the author and do not represent the
opinion or endorsement of the AAAS or Oxford University Press, Inc.
This represents the work of the Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. Copies of National Health Education Standards:
Achieving Health Literacy can be obtained through the American School Health Association, Association for the Advancement of Health
Education or the American Cancer Society. Reprinted with permission.
National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education reprinted with permission.
English Language Arts Standards
The activities in this Teacher’s Guide were created in compliance with the following National Standards for the
English Language Arts from the National Council of Teachers of English.
● Use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment,
persuasion, and the exchange of information).
● Adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate
effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
● Use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video)
to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
● Conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They
gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people)
to communicate their discoveries.
Standards for the English Language Arts, by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, copyright
1996 by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with permission.
Technology Standards
The activities in this Teacher’s Guide were created in compliance with the following National Education
Technology Standards from the National Education Technology Standards Project.
● Demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
● Develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal
pursuits, and productivity.
● Practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
● Use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
● Use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
● Use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
The ISTE National Education Technology Standards Project standards are reprinted with permission.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Many forms of stimulants are legally available to the general public today, making stimulants one of the most
commonly used drugs. This program describes the history and use of some common legal and illegal stimulants.
MAIN TOPICS
Topic 1: Types of Stimulants
The program begins with an introduction to the many different forms of stimulants, both legal and illegal.
Topic 2: History and Culture
This segment describes the history and evolution of stimulants such as herbal ecstasy, “mother’s little helper,”
and Ritalin.
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Topic 3: Cigarettes
The history and popular use of cigarettes is explored in this section. Common additives and the widespread use
of this legal stimulant are described.
Topic 4: Caffeine
The most commonly used mind-altering drug in the world—the legal stimulant caffeine—is discussed in this
section.
Topic 5: Cocaine
The highly addictive nature of the illegal stimulant cocaine is described here.
FAST FACTS
● Users who inject cocaine are at risk of acquiring HIV, hepatitis, and other intravenous transmitted diseases if
needles or other injection equipment is shared.
● A cocaine high only lasts about 5 to 20 minutes.
● The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is heated or smoked.
● The intensity of euphoria depends on the way the drug is ingested. The faster the absorption, the more intense
the high.
● There are more hospitalizations per year resulting from crack and cocaine use than from any other substance.
● When cocaine or crack is mixed with alcohol or any other drug, the risk of sudden death increases.
● Serious respiratory problems often seen in crack users include lung damage, chest congestion, wheezing,
spitting up black phlegm, extreme hoarseness, and burning of the lips, tongue, and throat.
● Smoking crack cocaine can produce aggressive paranoid behavior because smoking allows extremely high
doses of the drug to reach the brain very quickly, often triggering intense reactions.
● Cocaine damage in the nose can be so severe that the nasal septum collapses.
● The average individual with a drug addiction needs $200 per day to support his/her drug habit.
● In 2000, an estimated 14.5 million Americans aged 12 or older either abused or were dependent on alcohol or
illicit drugs.
● In 2001, over 8 million persons aged 12 or older reported driving under the influence of illegal drugs during
the past year. This type of “drugged driving” is extremely dangerous, and illegal.
● In 2000, approximately 3 million youths were at risk for suicide. Youths who were likely to be at risk for
suicide also reported using alcohol or drugs in the past year.
● Youths who received grades of D or below were more likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs
within the past month.
● Methamphetamine is extremely addictive—users can get hooked after just one dose.
● Methamphetamine produces a jittery high.
● Among club drugs, methamphetamine accounts for the largest number of emergency room visits by teens.
● Over time, methamphetamine users can develop symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, a severe movement disorder.
● Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. In 2002, 30% of the U.S.
population ages 12 and older—71.5 million people—used tobacco at least once a month.
● Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since the beginning of the 20th
century. In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes and other forms of
tobacco, such as cigars, pipe, and chewing tobacco, are addictive, and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that
causes addiction.
● Nicotine also is absorbed readily when tobacco is chewed. With regular use of tobacco, levels of nicotine
accumulate in the body during the day and persist overnight. Thus, daily smokers or chewers are exposed to
the effects of nicotine for 24 hours each day.
● Women who smoke generally have earlier menopause. If women smoke cigarettes and also take oral contraceptives, they are more prone to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases than are other smokers; this is
especially true for women over 30.
● The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults
and greatly increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children, and of sudden infant death.
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VOCABULARY TERMS
abuse: To use wrongly or improperly.
amphetamine: Stimulant drugs whose effects are very similar to cocaine.
caffeine: The stimulant drug found in coffee.
cocaine: A colorless or white crystalline alkaloid, extracted from coca leaves, sometimes used in medicine as
a local anesthetic especially for the eyes, nose, or throat, and widely used as an illicit drug for its euphoric and
stimulating effects.
crack cocaine: The chemical cocaine is found in the oil of the coca plant leaf; when processed, cocaine is
chemically turned into a water- soluble powder form called “cocaine hydrochloride”; “crack” cocaine, much
like “freebase” cocaine, is cocaine powder that has been turned back into an oil form of smokable cocaine.
craving: A powerful, often uncontrollable desire.
cutting agents: Various powders that are used to dilute cocaine, heroin, and other drugs that are used in
powder form. Lactose (“milk sugar”) is an example; another is mannitol.
dopamine: A brain chemical, classified as a neurotransmitter, found in regions of the brain that regulate
movement, emotion, motivation, and pleasure.
drug: A chemical compound or substance that can alter the structure and function of the body. Psychoactive
drugs affect the function of the brain, and some of these may be illegal to use and possess.
ecstasy (MDMA): A chemically modified amphetamine that has hallucinogenic as well as stimulant properties.
euphoria: A feeling of great happiness or well-being.
ice: A smokeable form of methamphetamine. By smoking the drug the effect on the body occurs quicker.
illicit: Not sanctioned by custom or law; unlawful.
injection: Something that is injected, especially a dose of liquid medicine injected into the body.
intervention: To involve oneself in a situation to alter or hinder an action of another.
methamphetamine: A commonly abused, potent stimulant drug that is part of a larger family of
amphetamines.
nicotine: The addictive drug in tobacco. Nicotine activates a specific type of acetylcholine receptor.
physical dependence: An adaptive physiological state that occurs with regular drug use and results in a
withdrawal syndrome when drug use is stopped.
route of administration: The way a drug is put into the body—can be by eating, drinking, inhaling, injecting,
snorting, smoking, or absorbing them through mucous membranes.
rush: A surge of pleasure that rapidly follows administration of some drugs.
seizure: A sudden attack, spasm, or convulsion, as in epilepsy or another disorder.
stimulants: A class of drugs that elevates mood, increases feelings of well-being, and increases energy and
alertness. These drugs produce euphoria and are powerfully rewarding. Stimulants include cocaine, methamphetamine, and methylphenidate (Ritalin).
withdrawal: Symptoms that occur after chronic use of a drug is reduced or stopped.
PRE-PROGRAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What types of behaviors make a person fit in with a group of friends?
2. What are “club drugs”?
3. Why do you think teenagers use drugs?
4. What is your perception of someone who uses drugs?
5. What are some examples of stimulants you might find in a drugstore?
POST-PROGRAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What factors might influence someone to resist using drugs?
2. If you or a friend is trying to overcome an addiction, where could you go for help?
3. How does drug abuse affect communities and the general public?
4. Do you drink coffee, smoke, or eat chocolate? Discuss how you feel afterwards.
5. Why is drug use an accepted part of some rituals, cultures, and traditions?
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GROUP ACTIVITIES
Everyday Drugs
Over the course of a month, ask each student in the class to keep track of their own or a family member’s
consumption of caffeine, nicotine, or other legal stimulants. Compile the data in a chart at the end of the month.
What was the average intake of caffeine? Nicotine? What other stimulants were commonly ingested?
Public Service Announcement
Have groups develop a storyboard and script for a radio or TV public service announcement that highlights
one or many of the negative physical side effects of smoking. The groups may choose the tone and style of the
public service announcement, and consider the creative use of a celebrity or famous athlete.
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PROJECTS
Affecting Your Brain
Explore how cocaine affects neurotransmission in the mesolimbic dopamine system, sometimes referred to
as the pleasure center. Remind students that cocaine activates the brain’s pleasure center, which involves the
brainstem, limbic system, and frontal cortex. Students should then produce colorful diagrams of the system,
labeling important parts, and provide a brief written description of its different structures.
INTERNET ACTIVITIES
Did You Know?
Use the Internet to research a type of stimulant (cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines, or caffeine) in order to
develop a “Did You Know?” poster for a specific drug. Try to find some surprising information to include on
your poster. Each poster should contain a minimum of ten new and/or unusual facts.
Brain-imaging
Use the Internet to research how brain-imaging techniques (such as positron emission tomography, or PET) help
researchers to examine how drugs act in the brains of living human subjects.
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1. Which body system do stimulants have the most effect on?
a) Central nervous system
b) Digestive system
c) Endocrine system
d) Reproductive system
2. Which of the following drugs are categorized as stimulants?
a) Caffeine
b) Nicotine
c) Sudafed
d) Cocaine
e) All of the above
3. What is the most commonly used mind-altering drug in the world?
a) Cocaine
b) Caffeine
c) Crack
d) Nicotine
4. What is the naturally occurring ingredient found in tobacco?
5. Smoking one cigarette increases a person’s heart rate and constricts blood vessels.
(True or False)
6. How long does it take for nicotine to reach the brain?
a) Six minutes
b) One minute
c) 30 seconds
d) Six seconds
7. Methamphetamine is used for medical purposes and is available by prescription. (True or False)
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8. A cocaine high lasts for less than _________.
a) 30 minutes
b) 12 hours
c) 1 day
d) 1 week
9. Taking an over-the-counter cold medicine will most likely make you feel _____________.
a) drowsy
b) excited
c) congested
d) depressed
10. Prescription stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, are often used in the treatment of the behavioral disorder
known as __________.
a) depression
b) anxiety
c) ADHD
d) insomnia
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY
1. Which body system do stimulants have the most effect on?
a) Central nervous system
b) Digestive system
c) Endocrine system
d) Reproductive system
A: (a)
Feedback: Stimulants are drugs that excite the nerves of the central nervous system. Psychic stimulants include
caffeine, cocaine, and various amphetamines. Stimulants affect the release and absorption of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, dopamine, and sometimes serotonin, which may increase the sense of alertness and
well-being, but can also produce excitement and erratic behavior.
2. Which of the following drugs are categorized as stimulants?
a) Caffeine
b) Nicotine
c) Sudafed
d) Cocaine
e) All of the above
A: (e)
Feedback: Stimulants are any medications that increase heart rate, breathing rate, and brain function by directly
affecting the central nervous system. Stimulants are found in many common foods such as caffeine and chocolate; in medications such as Sudafed, cough medicine, and other prescription drugs; and as illegal drugs such
as cocaine, crack, and ecstasy.
3. What is the most commonly used mind-altering drug in the world?
a) Cocaine
b) Caffeine
c) Crack
d) Nicotine
A: (b)
Feedback: Caffeine can be found in food and drink items such as chocolate, soda, tea, and coffee, and acts as
a mild stimulate if consumed in moderation. However, caffeine is addictive, and excessive intake can result in
restlessness and heart irregularities.
4. What is the naturally occurring ingredient found in tobacco?
A: Nicotine
Feedback: Nicotine, a naturally occurring component of tobacco, is the active ingredient in tobacco smoke.
The amount of nicotine in tobacco leaves ranges from approximately 2% to 7%.
5. Smoking one cigarette increases a person’s heart rate and constricts blood vessels.
(True or False)
A: True
Feedback: A person who smokes one cigarette will inhale approximately 3 mg of nicotine, which will increase
the heart rate, constrict the blood vessels, and affect the central nervous system.
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6. How long does it take for nicotine to reach the brain?
a) Six minutes
b) One minute
c) 30 seconds
d) Six seconds
A: (d)
Feedback: Smoking a cigarette delivers nicotine to the brain in about six seconds, and the effects are felt soon.
The fast-acting physiological effects of nicotine and all stimulants is one of the factors that make them so
addictive.
7. Methamphetamine is used for medical purposes and is available by prescription. (True or False)
A: True
Feedback: Methamphetamines may be prescribed for narcolepsy, attention deficit disorders, and obesity.
However, prescriptions for this drug are rare because it is highly addictive and the side effects are severe.
8. A cocaine high lasts for less than ________.
a) 30 minutes
b) 12 hours
c) 1 day
d) 1 week
A: (a)
Feedback: A cocaine high lasts between 5 and 20 minutes, and continual use of cocaine requires a higher dose
of the drug to feel the same effect.
9. Taking an over-the-counter cold medicine will most likely make you feel _____________.
a) drowsy
b) excited
c) congested
d) depressed
A: (b)
Feedback: Antihistamines found in most allergy medicines may have a sedating effect, but other cough, cold,
and decongestant medications can work like stimulants or hallucinogens and make you feel excited or nervous.
10. Prescription stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, are often used in the treatment of the behavioral
disorder known as __________.
a) depression
b) anxiety
c) ADHD
d) insomnia
A: (c)
Feedback: Ritalin is the most widely prescribed and most commonly used prescription medication for the treatment of ADHD. Ritalin is believed to work by stimulating areas of the brain that are underperforming in their
intended function, but it has recently become a topic of controversy in the treatment of ADHD in children.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
National Institute on Drug Abuse: Club Drugs
www.clubdrugs.org
Cocaine Anonymous
www.ca.org
Life or Meth
www.lifeormeth.org
Prescription-Drug-Rehab.com
www.prescription-drug-rehab.com
Anti-Smoking Teen Websites and Teen Anti-Tobacco Resources
www.notobacco.org
www.streetdrugs.org
www.streetdrugs.org
The Official D.A.R.E. Web Site
www.dare.com
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Teen Drug Abuse
www.teendrugabuse.us
National Organization of Student Assistance Programs and Partners
1-800-972-4636
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
1-800-ALCOHOL (252-6465)
FROM FILMS MEDIA GROUP www.films.com • 1-800-257-5126
Stimulants: The Mechanics of Pleasure
• DVD/VHS # 36365
• Closed captioned
• Preview clip online
• Correlates to educational standards
This program explores the workings of the human nerve center under the influence of cocaine, amphetamines,
and other stimulants, and shows how our understanding of brain disorders and drug addiction has increased by
studying these drugs. Profiling the pioneering work of Bruno Giros, Gaetano Di Chiara, Nora Volkow, Wolfram
Schultz, Barry Everitt, Trevor Robbins, and others, the program provides viewers with a detailed history of the
discovery and development of euphoria-inducing substances. (52 minutes) © 2005
Crackhead University
• DVD/VHS #36007
• Preview clip online
• Correlates to educational standards
The experts in this eye-opening program don’t have PhDs or high-paid teaching positions, but they know firsthand—and express in vivid language—the overpowering highs and punishing lows of crack cocaine addiction.
Exploring the crumbling streets of inner-city Newburgh, NY, the program lets streetwise experience speak for
itself, compiling a collection of tragic yet faintly hopeful personal stories, and describing in detail what happened
to this once-prosperous community when crack appeared on the scene. The result is a visual textbook, brimming
with the cold, hard facts of addiction, that viewers will find hard to forget. Contains harsh language and mature
themes. (70 minutes) © 1999
Hooked: America on Meth
• DVD/VHS #36235
• Preview clip online
• Closed captioned
• Correlates to educational standards
This ABC News program reports on the Montana Meth Project, an organization undertaking an aggressive
plan to “unsell” meth—with an ad campaign designed to frighten Montana’s youth into avoiding the drug.
Highlighting the campaign’s gritty imagery and language involving prison, rape, and prostitution, the report
includes information on the project’s financing, how the ads play out in Montana’s teen demographic, and the
need for long-term antidrug programs. (11 minutes) © 2006
Addicted to OxyContin: A 48 Hours/MTV News Report
• DVD/ VHS #33082
• Preview clip online
• Correlates to educational standards
• “Excellent reporting and educational approach ....a great discussion starter.”
—Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling
In a joint investigation with MTV, this 48 Hours broadcast focuses on Troy Swett, a young man who, ashamed
of his $300-a-day habit, confessed his addiction and underwent rapid detox at the Waismann Institute. The
program also reports on 13-year-old Shauna Ulman, who, after taking what she thought was ecstasy, died of an
overdose; it debates whether OxyContin is addictive when used as prescribed. Some content may be objectionable. Produced by CBS NEWS. (42 minutes) © 2001
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