Download DRUGS

What is a Drug?
› A drug is any substance
other than food that
changes a person’s physical
or psychological state.
Effect of Drugs on the Body
› Drugs can:
Alter(change) mood
Slow down reaction time
Impair thinking ability
Effect formation of memory
Distort judgment
Cause lung cancer & heart disease
Create problems with the law
What Is a Drug?
› Drugs do not provide the body with
any nutrients that are necessary for life.
› Drugs can be found in foods and
beverages as well.
› For example: ____________
Taking Drugs…
› Drugs can be taken
Orally (by mouth)
Chewing
Injection (by hypodermic needles)
Smoking
Inhaling (by breathing)
Transdermal patch

The Use of Drug as Medicine
› Many drugs are used as medicine.
› A medicine is a substance used to treat
disease, injury, or pain.
› Medicines can be obtained in two ways:
Prescription
Over the counter
Drug Abuse
Drug abuse is misusing a legal drug on
purpose or using any illegal drug.
Misuse of a drug involves taking too
much of the drug.
Drug Abuse
People abuse drugs for many
reasons:
They like how the drug makes them
feel
They feel the drug helps them perform
better
To escape their problems
What Is Addiction?
› Drug addiction is the uncontrollable use of a
drug even if it is harming a person’s health
and/or relationships.
› Dependency on a drug means needing the
drug in order to function properly.
› Withdrawal is the negative symptoms that
result when a drug-dependant person stops
using a drug.
Dependency
Physical dependency is the body’s chemical
need for a drug.
Stopping to use the drug will take the body into
withdrawal.
Psychological dependency is a person’s
emotional or mental need for drug.
Stopping to use the drug will cause craving for the
drug.
It is harder to overcome psychological dependency
than physical dependency.
The Consequences of Drug Abuse
Some problems related to drug
abuse:
–Problems with family and friends
–Problems at school
–Money problems
–Health problems
–Problems with the law
Types of Drugs
Drugs are classified as:
Stimulants (uppers)
Cocaine, crack cocaine,
methamphetamine,
Depressants (downers)
Alcohol, heroin, morphine,
Hallucinogens
PCP, LSD, mushroom,
Stimulants
› Stimulants are drugs that speed up the activities
of the body.
› Stimulants  increase  heart rate, blood
pressure, breathing rate, blood sugar level, and
tight blood vessels.
› All of these changes make the user feel more
awake and alert.
› Dangers of using stimulants include heart failure,
brain damage, and stroke.
› Caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and
methamphetamine are examples of stimulants.
Depressants
› Depressants are drugs like tranquilizers that slow
down the body’s activities.
› Depressants  reduce  heart rate, blood
pressure, and breathing; causing the person to
feel relaxed, sleepy and slow.
› Depressants are extremely addictive and they can
cause heart failure, brain damage, and death.
› Alcohol, heroin, and pain killers such as Vicodin
and Methadone are examples of depressants.
› Narcotics like morphine, heroin and codeine are
depressants that relieve pain and dull the senses
Hallucinogens
› Hallucinogens are drugs that cause a person to
sense things that are not real or do not exist.
› The user may feel several emotions at once,
panic, or act dangerously.
› A long-term effect of hallucinogens is having a
sudden flashback of reliving the hallucinogen
experience (even months or years later).
› LSD, magic mushrooms and PCP are examples
of hallucinogens.
Marijuana
› Marijuana is the dried flowers of the Cannabis
plant. It has many street names like pot, grass,
weed, green, and Mary Jane.
› The active chemical in marijuana is THC.
› The effect of marijuana on a person depends on
the amount of THC the flower has in it.
› Major effects of marijuana are:
– Inability to focus
– Poor coordination
– Lack of motivation
– Slow reaction time
Alcohol
› Alcohol is a depressant drug.
› Alcohol is the oldest of all drugs.
› Is alcohol a legal drug?
› Short term effects include inhibiting the central
nervous system, making it difficult to operate
heavy machinery.
› Long term effects can be fatal and include
withdrawal – this can cause anxiety, seizures
and hallucinations.
Heroin
› Heroin is a drug that is semi-synthetic. It is
synthetically derived from morphine, which is a
painkiller created from the poppy plant.
› It is a downer drug that takes effect fastest with
a rush if it is injected into the blood.
› Withdrawal can begin within 6-24 hours and
include symptoms such as sweating, chills,
muscle and bone aches, vomiting, diarrhea,
cramps, anxiety and depression.
Cocaine
› A naturally occurring stimulant drug that
is found in the leaves of the coca plant.
› Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of
well-being, energy and motor activity.
› Anxiety, paranoia and restlessness are
some frequent side effects.
› Dependence may result in physical
damage, psychosis, depression and death.