Download The Use and Abuse of Psychoactive Drugs

Drug Use and Abuse
Chapter 7
Psychoactive Drugs
• Drug: A chemical substance that alters the body physically or mentally
for a non-nutritional purpose.
– Includes caffeine, pain relievers, and sleeping and allergy
medications.
• Psychoactive: Capable of altering feelings, mood, perceptions, or
psychological functioning.
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Nonmedical Drug Use among Americans,
2012 (Percent Using in Past Month)
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Addictive Behavior
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Addiction: A chronic, progressive disease of brain reward, motivation, memory, and related
circuitry characterized by uncontrollable craving for a substance or behavior despite both
negative consequences and diminished or loss of pleasure associated with the activity.
Without treatment, addiction is progressive.
Addiction is a chronic disease that disrupts the brain systems that regulate motivation and
reward
Behavioral Addiction: A form of addiction involving a compulsion to engage in an
activity such as gambling, sex, or shopping, rather than a compulsion to use a
substance (hypersexual disorder, compulsive spending, addiction to technology).
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The Development of Addiction
• Often starts as a way to bring pleasure or avoid pain
• Reinforcement; tolerance; withdrawal
• A combination of factors is involved in the development of
addiction
– Personality (risk-takers, excitement, curiosity, escape)
– Lifestyle
– Heredity
– Social and physical environment (peer pressure)
– Nature of the substance or behavior in question
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Who Misuses Drugs Today
• Characteristics of youth at
highest risk of trying drugs
– Male
– A troubled adolescent
– A thrill-seeker
– In a dysfunctional family
– In a peer group that
accepts drug use
– Poor
– A girl dating an older boy
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 Characteristics of people who
don’t use drugs
 Perceive drug use as risky,
disapprove of use
 Positive self-esteem
 Self-control
 Social competence
 Optimism
 Academic achievement
 Regular church attendance
 Strong family
Risk Factors for Misuse and Addiction
• Physical factors
– Brain chemistry; metabolism
• Psychological factors
– Mental disorders
• Social factors
– Family; peers; poverty
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How Drugs Affect the Body
• Changes in brain chemistry
• Physical factors
– Effect on neurotransmitters
– Body mass
• Factors that influence a drug’s
– General health and genetics
effect
– Interactions between drugs
– Pharmacological properties • Psychological factors
– Dose-response function
– Expectations
– Time-action function
• Placebo effect
– Person’s drug use history
• Social factors
– Method of drug use
– Setting
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Commonly Misused Drugs and Their Effects
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Opioids
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More than 1.8 million Americans report abusing prescription pain medications
each year.
Examples of these opioids include Heroin, Methadone, Codeine, Vicodin,
Percodan, and OxyContin.
Natural or synthetic drugs that relieve pain, cause drowsiness, and induce
euphoria.
At prescribed doses, beneficial
medical uses
– Can still lead to misuse and addiction.
Tolerance can develop rapidly.
Withdrawal symptoms include
cramps, sweating, nausea, tremors,
irritability, and feelings of panic.
Central Nervous System Depressants
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Types: alcohol, barbiturates, sedatives, tranquilizers
Effects: reduced anxiety, change in mood, impaired muscular coordination, slurring
of speech, drowsiness, sleep, impaired mental functioning, coma, and death.
Medical uses: to treat insomnia and anxiety disorders, and to control seizures
From use to misuse
– Tolerance and withdrawal
Overdose: slowing and stopping of respiration
• Commonly known benzodiazepines include Ativan, Xanax, and Valium.
Club Drugs
• GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid): A central nervous system
depressant known as a “date rape drug.”
– It used to be an OTC drug used by bodybuilders to reduce fat
and build muscle, but is now a controlled substance.
• Rohypnol (roofies): A powerful sedative known as a “date rape
drug” because of its use to impair potential victims of sexual
assault.
– One side effect can be partial amnesia.
– It has never been approved for medical use in the U.S.
Central Nervous System Stimulants
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• Speed up activity of nervous or muscular system
• Cocaine
– Produces feelings of euphoria
– Snorted or used intravenously; crack
– Intense but short-lived effects
• Euphoria replaced by irritability, anxiety, slight
depression
– “Crash”
– Other effects
• Sudden death from excessive CNS stimulation
• Persistent nose bleeds
• Paranoia and aggression
• Serious effects on developing fetus
Stimulants: Amphetamines
• Chemically similar to the natural stimulants adrenaline and
noradrenalin.
– They increase a sense of alertness; decrease appetite and
the need for sleep; enhance physical performance; and
induce feelings of well-being and euphoria.
– State dependence
• Off-the-label use of Ritalin and Adderall is an increasing problem
on campus.
• Adverse reactions can include convulsions, heart attack, and
stroke.
• Withdrawal symptoms include fatigue, irritability, and depression.
Stimulants: Methamphetamine
• A highly addictive and dangerous stimulant chemically similar to
amphetamine, but more potent and harmful.
– Most methamphetamine sold on the street is made in illegal
labs from household materials.
• It can be smoked, snorted, and injected.
• "Crystal meth" is methamphetamine in its clear, chunky, crystal
form.
– Injection increases the risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis
through sharing of needles.
• Users feel enhanced mood and body movement.
Stimulants: Methamphetamine
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Side effects of use
– From smaller doses: irregular heartbeat,
reduced appetite, irritability, insomnia,
confusion, and tremors.
– From larger doses: elevated body
temperature, convulsions,
cardiovascular collapse, and death.
– From chronic use: aggressiveness,
anorexia, memory loss, hallucinations,
paranoia, reduction in motor speed and
verbal learning, and cognitive problems.
– Physical changes: “meth mouth,” acne,
open sores.
Symptoms of withdrawal can be severe.
Stimulants: Caffeine
• Caffeine is a stimulate found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate,
and some medications.
• It is the oldest and most popular mind-altering drug in the world.
• Some people enjoy the effects of caffeine.
– Users feel more alert and energetic.
– Improved mood, concentration, and athletic prowess.
• Excessive consumption can cause restlessness, anxiety,
dehydration, and irritability.
– It can trigger headaches and insomnia and raise blood
pressure.
– Regular users can suffer withdrawal symptoms for 2-9 days.
Caffeine Content of Popular Beverages
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Marijuana
• Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the U.S.
• It grows wild and is farmed in many parts of the world.
• Intoxication is achieved through smoking or ingestion (eating or
drinking products laced with the drug).
• The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, varies widely in
strength depending on the plant it comes from.
Marijuana: Effects on the Body
●Increased heart rate and blood pressure ● Red eyes
●Feeling of elation
● Food cravings
●Drowsiness and sedation
● Slow reaction time
●Increased appetite
●Sleeplessness
●Feelings of depression, excitement, paranoia, and euphoria
●problems with attention span, memory, learning, problem-solving, and
coordination
• Marijuana causes increases in HR and dilation of blood vessels in the
eyes.
• The question of whether marijuana has any
medical uses has been hotly debated. A 1999
report from the Institute of Medicine concluded
that substances in marijuana may help relieve
pain (MS patients), control nausea for
chemotherapy patients, stimulate appetite for
people with AIDS-related wasting, and treat eye
pressure and pain resulting from glaucoma.
Active State Programs
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Alaska-*February 25th, 2015
Arizona- 2010
California-1996**
Colorado-2012*
Connecticut**
Delaware-** (2015)
District of Columbia- 2010
Georgia (2015)
Hawaii-2000
Maine-1999**
Maryland**(2014)
Massachusetts
Michigan-2008
Minnesota-2014
Mississippi**
**decriminalization of marijuana
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Montana-2004
Nebraska**
Nevada-2000
New Jersey- 2010
New Mexico-2007
New York-2014
North Carolina**
Ohio**
Oregon-* July 1st, 2015
Rhode Island-2006
Texas (2015)
Vermont-2004
Washington-2012 *
*production & sale of limited amounts of
marijuana by those over 21.
Chronic Effects of Marijuana:
– Can lead to addiction.
– Can end up with many of the long-term problems
tobacco smokers do. 5x more damaging to the
lungs than tobacco products (Sternberg, 2000).
– Are at risk for daily cough and phlegm production,
respiratory problems, lung damage, impaired
immune system, impaired cognitive functioning,
and possible increased risk of cancer.
– decreased testosterone levels, sperm counts,
increased sperm abnormalities and can cause birth
defects.
– Increases the risk for schizophrenia among already
at-risk persons.
– Increases the risk of anxiety, depression,
psychosis, and personality disturbances
Hallucinogens
• These alter perception and are capable of causing auditory and
visual hallucinations.
– LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide): A powerful hallucinogen
manufactured from lysergic acid, a substance found in a
fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
• MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine): A synthetic drug,
commonly called “ecstasy or molly,” that works as both a
stimulant and hallucinogen.
– Negative effects are similar to those of amphetamines and
cocaine
– PCP (phencyclidine): A dangerous synthetic hallucinogen that
reduces and distorts sensory input and can unpredictably cause
both euphoria and dysphoria.
– Psilocybin (magic mushrooms): A hallucinogenic substance
obtained from certain types of mushrooms that are indigenous
to tropical regions of South America.
- Ketamine (special K): A rapid-acting anesthetic most commonly
used in animals that can cause a dream-like state and hallucinations in
humans.
– Used for an “out-of-body” feeling.
– High doses can cause delirium, amnesia, high blood pressure,
depression, and severe respiratory problems.
Inhalants
Inhaling certain chemicals can produce effects ranging from heightened pleasure to delirium.
• The four major groups of inhalants are volatile solvents (paint thinner, glue, gas), aerosols
(sprays with propellants/solvents), nitrites (butyl nitrite), and gases (nitrous oxide, laughing
gas).
• Inhalant use is difficult to control because inhalants are found in a variety of seemingly
harmless products that are legal and inexpensive.
• Methods of use include sniffing, snorting, “bagging” (inhaling fumes from a plastic bag), and
“huffing” (placing an inhalant-soaked rag in the mouth).
• Inhalants slow body functions.
• Inhalant use can lead to loss of consciousness; heart failure, nervous system impairment;
hearing loss; damage to the liver, kidney, and bone marrow, limb spams, and "Sudden
sniffing death."
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Scented markers
Highlighters
Sharpies
Rubber cement
Paint
Paint thinner
Nail poish
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Spray paint
Whippits
Room deoderizers
Dust off
Freon
Gasoline
Prescription Drug Misuse
Use of medication without a prescription in a way other than as prescribed, or for the experience
or feelings elicited. Prescription drugs are abused at a rate behind only marijuana and alcohol.
Both prescription and OTC medications can be harmful, even fatal, if used improperly.
– Taking the incorrect dose
– Taking the medicine at the wrong time.
– Forgetting to take a dose
– Failing to take all the medicine.
Almost 13% of college students report using prescription drugs (Ritalin, Adderall, and
others) that were not prescribed to them.
Synthetic Recreational Drugs
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“Designer drugs”
– Chemically distinct—so either legal or impossible to detect on drug screenings
• Two main groups
– Synthetic marijuana (“herbal incense”, Spice, K2, Genie, Mr. Nice Guy)
• Produces effects similar to THC
Bath Salts (Flakka)
• Drugs containing a synthetic compound similar to cathinone, an amphetamine-like
stimulant.
• Users ingest, inhale, or inject them.
• May be 10 times more potent than cocaine.
• Effects include hallucinations, extreme agitation, panic attacks, paranoia, delirium,
suicidal thoughts, heart attack, stroke, seizures, and kidney failure.
• Responsible for many emergency room visits.
Drug Use: The Decades Ahead
• Drugs, society, and families
– Economic cost of illicit drug abuse in the U.S.:
$193 billion annually
– Relationship between drugs and crime
– Health care issue
– Toll on the individual and on families
• Legalizing drugs
• Drug testing
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Treatment for Drug Dependence
• Medication-assisted treatment
• Treatment centers
• Groups and peer counseling
– Alcoholics Anonymous (AA); Narcotics Anonymous (NA)
• Harm-reduction strategies
– Minimize the effects of drug use and misuse
• Using a designated driver
• Methadone
• Syringe exchange
• Codependency
– Enabling behaviors
Preventing Drug Misuse
• Governmental attempts
• Antidrug education programs
• Indirect approaches
– Increasing self-esteem
– Improving academic skills
– Increasing recreational opportunities
• Direct approaches
– Information about the adverse effects
– Peer pressure resistance
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The Role of Drugs in Your Life
• Issues
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What are the risks involved?
Is using the drug compatible with your goals?
What are your ethical beliefs about drug use?
What are the financial costs?
Are you trying to solve deeper problem?
www.drugstrategies.com
www.pridesurveys.com
www.nida.nih.gov
www.toughlove.org
www.na.com
www.inhalants.org
www.drugfreeamerica.org
www.health.org
www.lifeormeth.org
www.checforbetterhealth.org
www.drugfree.org/NotInMyHouse