Download Don`t Be a Dope!

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11 million American adolescents and
young adults ages 12-29 need help with
drug and alcohol problems
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9 million of these are between the ages
of 12-25
(2009 National Study on Drugs and Health)
To cope with problems
 To fit in and be cool
 Influenced by friends
or family members
 Bored
 Want to see what it feels like
to be high
 Feeling pressured
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What are some strategies that you use to
deal with peer pressure?
Let’s hear how some other kids deal with
pressure.
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A highly addictive drug that can
be risky even the first time you
use it
Common side effects include
increased heart rate and blood
pressure
Seizures, cardiac arrest and
even death are a real risk with
this drug
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Cocaine is a white
crystalline powder that
comes from the cocoa plant
“Crack" is a type of
processed cocaine that is
formed into a rock-like
crystal
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Snorted through the nose
Dissolved in water and
injected
Crack can be smoked
You may hear that it
will keep you wired and
ready to party all
night.
At first, you may get
sweaty and shaky,
but seizures, cardiac
arrest and even
death are the real
gamble you take when
you use this drug.
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Highly addictive; easy
to get hooked
Snorting causes scabs
to form on your mucus
membranes
Damages your nasal
septum (the thin wall
between your nostrils)
Makes your nose
collapse
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Smoking it lets the
drug reach your brain
quickly causing higher
risk of addiction
Become aggressive,
paranoid and anxious
Marijuana
• Most commonly
used illegal drug in
this country
• THC is the main
active chemical and
causes addiction
• 400 chemicals in
the cannabis plant;
many cause cancer
What does Marijuana look
like?
Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried,
flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the hemp
plant (Cannabis sativa)
Slang or Street Names for
Marijuana
How is Marijuana used?
• Most users roll loose
marijuana into a cigarette
called a "joint".
• It can be smoked in a water
pipe, called a "bong“
• Mixed into food or brewed
as tea.
•It has also appeared in
cigars called "blunts".
What are some of the
effects of Marijuana use?
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Using marijuana at a
young age can result in
structural and
functional deficits of
the brain.
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Marijuana smoke
contains 50% to 70%
more cancer causing
substances than
tobacco smoke
Other Effects:
 Weakened verbal and communication skills
 Lowered learning capabilities
 Shortened attention span
 Slows thinking
 Impaired coordination
Ecstasy
• Also called MDMA
• Man made drug with
hallucinogenic
properties
• Classified as a
stimulant but has
more of a mood
altering affect
What does Ecstasy look like?
Ecstasy comes in a tablet form that is often
branded, e.g. Playboy bunnies, Nike swoosh, CK
Can be easily mistaken for candy
Slang or Street Names for
Ecstasy
How is Ecstasy used?
• Taken in pill form; sometimes liquid
• Users sometimes take Ecstasy at
"raves," clubs, and other parties to keep
on dancing and for mood enhancement.
What happens immediately
after taking Ecstasy?
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Impaired judgment
False sense of
affection
Sleep problems
Confusion
Depression
Nausea
Paranoia
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Drug cravings
Muscle tension
Faintness and chills
or sweating
Involuntary teeth
clenching
Blurred vision
Severe anxiety
What are the long-term
effects of Ecstasy?
Long lasting brain
damage affecting
thought and memory
 Damage to portions of
the brain that regulate
critical functions such
as learning, sleep and
emotion
 Psychosis
 Cardiovascular
collapse
 Hemorrhaging
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Degenerated nerve
branches and nerve
endings
Depression, anxiety
and memory loss
Kidney failure
Convulsions
Death
It’s as if the brain
switchboard was
torn apart and then
rewired backward
Heroin
• Highly addictive drug
• Derived from morphine,
which comes from the opium
poppy plant
• A "downer" or depressant
drug
• Affects the brain's pleasure
systems
• Interferes with the brain's
ability to perceive pain
What does Heroin look like?
A white to dark brown
powder or tar-like
substance
Slang or Street Names for
Heroin
How is Heroin used?
• Injected into a vein or
muscle; can lead to HIV
infection
• Smoked in a water pipe or
standard pipe
• Mixed in a marijuana joint
• Rolled into a regular
cigarette
• Snorted as powder through
the nose
The destructive effects of
Heroin
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“Rush” – surge of sensation
Slowed breathing
Clouded mental
functioning
Nausea and vomiting
Sedation; drowsiness
Hypothermia (low body
temperature)
Coma or death from
overdose
What are the long-term
effects of Heroin?
Bad teeth
 Inflammation of gums
 Breathing problems
 Constipation
 Cold sweats
 Itching
 Weak immune system
 Coma
 Muscular weakness
 Depression
 Insomnia
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Loss of memory and
intellectual performance
Loss of appetite
Abscesses from use of needles
causing pockmarks on skin
Within hours after the drug effects
decrease, the body craves more
 The body experiences withdrawal
symptoms including:
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› Restlessness
› Aches and pains in the bones
› Diarrhea
› Vomiting
› Severe discomfort
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Sharing drug needles can lead to
infections such as HIV and
hepatitis
HIV/AIDS – a virus that breaks
down your immune system and
interferes with your body’s
ability to fight off infection
Hepatitis - a virus that attacks
the liver
Inhalants
• Ordinary household
products that give off
vapors or fumes
• Hundreds of products
on the market today
that can be misused as
inhalants
What do Inhalants look like?
Examples of products kids
abuse to get high include:
• model airplane glue
• nail polish remover
• cleaning fluids
• hair spray
• gasoline
• the propellant in aerosol cans
• spray paint
• fabric protector
• air conditioner fluid
• cooking spray
• correction fluid
Street Names or Slang Terms
for Inhalants
How are Inhalants used?
• Sniffed directly
from the container
• Bagged (fumes
inhaled from a plastic
bag)
• Huffed (inhalantsoaked rag, sock, or roll
of toilet paper in the
mouth
Immediate Effects of
Inhalants
Dizziness
 Lightheaded
 Giddiness
 Impaired
 Headache
 Distorts senses
 Slurred speech
 Nausea
 Rapid pulse
 Disoriented
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Severe headaches
 Rashes around the
mouth and nose
 Hallucinations and
delusions
 Death by suffocation
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Long-term Effects of
Inhalants
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Muscle weakness
Disorientation
Lack of coordination
Irritability
Depression
Hearing loss
Bone marrow
damage
Damage to heart,
liver, kidneys, lungs
and brain
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Memory impairment
and diminished
intelligence
Death from heart failure
or asphyxiation
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Let’s read some true stories about drug
use affected other kids’ lives.
If you had a friend who was using drugs,
would you try to help that friend?
 How would you do it?
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