Download Drug Abuse PPT

Preventing Drug Abuse
LEGAL AND ILLEGAL DRUGS
Vocabulary
• Drug – a chemical substance that is taken to
cause changes in a person’s body or behavior
• Medicine – a legal drug that helps the body
fight injury, illness, or disease
• Over-the-Counter-Drug (OTC) – a medicine
that is sold legally in pharmacies and other
stores without a doctor’s prescription
Vocabulary
• Prescription Drug – a drug that can only be
obtained with a written order from a doctor
and can only be purchased at a pharmacy
• Illegal Drug – a chemical substance that
people of any age may not lawfully
manufacture, possess, buy, or sell
• Drug Misuse – the improper use of medicines;
either prescription or OTC drugs
Vocabulary
• Drug Abuse – the intentional improper or
unsafe use of a drug
• Psychoactive Drug – a chemical that affects
brain activity; also known as a “mood
altering” drug
• Side Effect – an unwanted physical or mental
effect caused by a drug
Vocabulary
• Drug Antagonism – a condition that occurs
when one drug’s effect is canceled out or
reduced by another's
• Drug Synergism – a condition that occurs
when drugs interact to produce effects greater
than those that each drug would produce
alone
Warm Up
• TRUE or FALSE?
• Medicines from a drug store can’t harm you.
Warm Up
• TRUE - Medicines can be just as dangerous as
“street drugs” if they are used inappropriately.
• What other myths do teens believe about
drugs?
• Write down some statements you have heard
from your peers.
• Which do you think are true? Which do you
think are false?
Drugs can be Good!
• Thanks to medical and drug research, there
are thousands of drugs that help people
• Antibiotics and vaccines have revolutionized
the treatment of infections
• Medicines can lower blood pressure, treat
diabetes, and reduce the body's rejection of
new organs
• Medicines can cure, slow, or prevent disease,
helping us to lead healthier and happier lives
How do Drugs Work?
• They are chemicals or substances that change
the way our bodies work
• When you put them into your body drugs find
their way into your bloodstream and are
transported to parts of your body, such as
your brain
• In the brain, drugs may either intensify or dull
your senses, alter your sense of alertness, and
sometimes decrease physical pain
Drugs can be Helpful or Harmful
• The effects of drugs can vary depending upon:
– the kind of drug taken
– how much is taken
– how often it is used
– how quickly it gets to the brain
– what other drugs, food, or substances are taken at
the same time
– Effects can also vary based on the differences in
body size, shape, and chemistry
Why do People Use Drugs?
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Pleasure
Think better
Be more popular / peer pressure
Stay more active
Become better athletes
Curiosity
Invincibility – “That will never happen to me.”
Gain attention from parents
Depressed
Think that drugs will help them escape their
problems
The truth is…
• Drugs don't solve problems — they simply
hide feelings and problems
• When a drug wears off, the feelings and
problems remain, or become worse
• Drugs can ruin every aspect of a person's life
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs
• Medicine sold legally without a Drs. prescription
– Pain Relievers  Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen
– Cough and Cold Remedies
– Sleep Aids
• Pharmacies and other stores
• Any OTC drug can cause harm if the instructions
on the label are not followed!
OTC Drugs
Prescription Drugs
• Drug that you can only get from a Dr.
• Must be purchased at a pharmacy
• More government control than OTC drugs
– Potential for harm
• A doctor determines the correct amount of
medication given
• Only to be used by the person the prescription
was prescribed for!
Prescription Drugs
Prescription Drug Label
Illegal Drugs
• A drug that people of any age may not lawfully:
– MANUFACTURE
– POSSESS
– BUY
– SELL
• Street Drugs
• Heroin, Marijuana, Cocaine,
Methamphetamines, Ecstasy, PCP, etc.
Drug Misuse
• Any improper use of medicines
– Taking more than the prescribed amount
– Taking drugs with the wrong foods
– Taking drugs at the wrong time of day
– Not taking the drug for the correct period of time
• Often by mistake or because of a patient’s
misunderstanding of the doctor’s orders
Drug Abuse
• When a drug is intentionally used improperly
or unsafely
– Abusing prescription painkillers
– Abusing OTC medicines
– Using them to get “high” rather than to treat pain
or a cough
– ANY use of illegal drugs
• Drug Abuse occurs when people intentionally
use any kind of drugs for nonmedical purposes
Addiction
• Abuse of drugs can result in addiction
• Addiction is the compulsive use of a drug,
despite any cost to health, family, or social
standing
• It is a disease that changes the structure and
chemistry of the brain
Side Effects
• Although the immediate effect of a medicine
may feel good, unpleasant side effects may
follow
• Side effect – unwanted physical or mental
effect caused by a drug.
• Examples: nausea, headaches, dizziness, etc.
• Because each person is unique, side effects
vary from person to person, which is why
prescriptions should never be shared
Side Effects
• Medicines have been thoroughly tested to
minimize side effects with appropriate use
• Drugs that are misused or abused often have
side effects that can’t be
predicted and may be severe
or even life threatening
Tolerance & Dependence
• When a person uses a drug repeatedly, the
body may develop a tolerance to the drug
• As the tolerance grows, the user needs
increasingly larger amounts of the drug to
achieve the original affect
• Tolerance may lead to drug dependence—the
body develops a chemical need for the drug
and cannot function normally without it
Withdrawal
• If a person who is dependent on a drug stops
taking it, they will experience withdrawal
symptoms
• These symptoms are the body’s reaction to
not having the drug
• Symptoms range from mild to life threatening,
depending on the drug used
Drug Interactions
• When a person takes more than one drug at a
time, the drugs interact
• The result is different than if the drugs were
taken alone
Antagonism
• When each drugs affect is cancelled out or
reduced by the other one
• Neither drug has the predicted effect
• Example – continuing to smoke while taking
blood pressure medication (to lower BP)
eliminates the benefit of the medicine
Synergism
• When drugs interact to produce effects
greater than those that each drug would
produce alone
• Example – alcohol and sleep medications can
lead to the loss of consciousness
Impurities
• The manufacture of illegal drugs is not
regulated by law (obviously)
• There is no guarantee that they are pure
• Many have other chemicals in them that may
be harmful or cause dangerous drug
interactions
• The user simply cannot predict what effect the
drug will have each time
Other Health Risks
• Hepatitis and HIV – from sharing needles
– Hepatitis – can lead to severe liver disease
– HIV – leads to AIDS (no cure)
• Risks to Fetus and Newborn
– Developmental problems
– Born with a drug dependency
– Through placenta and/or breast milk
Legal Risks
• In addition to the obvious health risks, drug
users/abusers risk facing serious legal
penalties, damaging their relationships with
family and friends, and causing significant
costs to society
Legal Risks
• Penalties for people who produce, possess,
transport, or sell illegal drugs include long
prison terms and heavy fines
• Criminal record
– Difficult for jobs, college, military
• May commit other crimes
to support their addiction
– Robbery, shoplifting
Effects of Family and Friends
• Relationships become strained as the
personality and behavior of the drug user
change
• Withdraw from relationships and responsibility
• Become violent
Costs to Society
• The US government spends billions of dollars
to stop illegal drug manufacture and sales
• Drug abuse prevention, education, treatment,
and rehabilitation programs
• These programs provide hope for many users
• However, demand usually outweighs funding