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Chapter 1
Drugs in Perspective
Substance Use Cost to Society
$776 for addictive disorders
$112 million for diseases attributed to
substance abuse
$2,933 billion for diseases for which
substance abuse is a risk factor
$336 million for patients with secondary
diagnosis of substance abuse
Total Public Cost: $4,157 Billion
Problems Associated with Drugs
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Traffic Fatalities
Murders
Child Abuse
Drowning
Rapes
Suicides
Spousal Abuse
Definitions
Drug: Any substance that alters one’s ability
to function emotionally, physically,
intellectually, financially or socially
Psychoactive Drugs: Any substance that has
the capability of altering mood, perception
or behavior.
Drug Misuse: The intentional or inappropriate
use of prescribed or over-the-counter
drugs.
Drug Abuse: The intentional and
inappropriate use of a drug resulting
in physical, emotional, financial,
intellectual or social consequences for
the user.
Historical Perspectives of Drug Use
Alcohol
-Beverages might have been
fermented intentionally as early as
about 10,000 B.C.
-Early Egyptians, Hebrews, Chinese,
Greeks and Romans were fond of
alcohol.
Alcohol played a significant role in the
early history of the United States
(one reason the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth was that they ran out of
beer)
Marijuana
-Cannabis (source for marijuana) has
been cultivated for its fiber since at
least 4,700 years.
-As far back as 4,700 years ago, the
Chinese Emperor Shen Nung
prescribed it for aliments such as
gout, malaria, and gas pains.
-Use of marijuana was noted in the
Americas as early as 1545.
-By the late 1800s numerous reports
detailed cannabis use for many
medical reasons.
Narcotics
-Narcotics is a term used interchangeably
with terms opiates or opioids.
-Opiate refers to opium and derivatives of
opium
-The earliest reference to the opium poppy
was 6,000 year old Sumerian tablet and it
was referred to as the “joy plant”
-Opium was a staple in ancient Greece and
Rome.
-In the Arab world, opium was widely used
because the Koran forbid alcohol use
-In 1805, the active ingredient in opium
was identified and called morphine
-During the Civil War many soldiers
became addicted to morphine
(soldier’s disease)
-In the late 1800s a semisynthetic
drug “nonaddicting” wonder drug was
developed to relieve pain and replace
morphine. It was called heroin.
Coffee
-One of the earliest written references
to coffee dates back to 900 A.D. in
Arabia.
-The Chinese reportedly used caffeine
almost 5,000 years ago.
-The Koran condemned coffee as an
intoxicant and banned it’s use.
-In the 1600s coffeehouses because
centers for learning (called Penny
Universities).
Cocaine
-Ancient drawings suggest that chewing
coca leaves (cocaine is in the coca leaves)
was popular prior to the rise of the Incan
Empire as early as 3000 B.C..
-When the Spaniards conquered the Incas
they realized the importance of the coca
leaves to the natives
-In the later part of the 19th century a
popular red Bordeaux wine called
Mariani’s Coca Wine (Vin Mariani) was
marketed.
-Cocaine was popular among Freud,
Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle.
-The original formula for Coca-cola
contained cocaine.
-Cocaine became more of a
recreational drug in the 1970s.
Amphetamines
-Amphetamine are powerful,
prescription stimulants synthesized in
the late 1800s in Germany
-Amphetamines are still used
medically and abused for their
powerful, long acting stimulating
effect
Sedative-Hypnotic Drugs
-Sedative-Hypnotic drugs are those
drugs that are capable of inducing
sedation and/or sleep. They include
barbiturates non-barbiturates, minor
tranquilizers, and inhalants.
Hallucinogens
-Hallucinogens are relatively new
drugs and represent drugs capable of
inducing both delusions and
hallucinations.
-Examples of the these drugs include
LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and
jimsonweed
Tobacco
-Tobacco has been widely used for
centuries.
-At first tobacco was used for
medicinal purposes and then mainly
for recreational purposes.
Summary
 Drug use is a valid concern because
of its effects on individuals, families
and societies
 The Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and
Romans used alcohol and it figured
prominently in the development of
the United States
 The rum trade had a role in the
economic expansion in the United
States
 One of the earliest written accounts
of marijuana use dates back to China
where people took it for medical
problems
 Many early civilizations used opium
 The popularity of cocaine rose after it
was included in many products such
as medicines, wine, and Coca-cola
 Naturally produced hallucinogens
have a long history