Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco Awareness

• Addiction – compulsive use or abuse of a substance, loss of self-control, and denial
• Withdrawal – physical and psychological symptoms associated with discontinued use of drugs
• Over the counter – legal drugs that are readily available without a prescription
• Illicit – illegal drugs that are used for recreational purposes
• Stimulant – temporarily enhances processing and functioning of certain organs
• Depressant – lowers vital functioning of the brain
• Barbiturates – has hypnotic effects on the brain
• Hallucinogens – has ability to make one hallucinate or imagine things that are not actually present
• Drug Abuse – excessive drug use that is inconsistent with accepted medical practice
• Drug Misuse – taking a drug for a purpose or by a person for which the drug was not intended.

• A medicine or other chemical substance which has a psychological effect that affects the way you feel when ingested or otherwise introduced to the body.
• Legal and Illegal Drugs
• All drugs can be misused and abused

• People of all ages, races, genders, nationalities, and socioeconomic statuses use drugs.
• A person who is dependent upon a certain drug is called an Addict.

• Caffeine – found in coffee, tea, sodas, chocolate. Creates a heightened sense of awareness. Too much is harmful.
• Cocaine – extremely addictive, causes restlessness, dilated pupils, oily skin, talkativeness, short term euphoria followed by depression. Street names associated with Cocaine: powder, snow, coke. Other forms of cocaine include: Crack – cocaine mixed with other chemicals to create a rock like substance.
• Nicotine – found in tobacco products, causes shortness of breath, respiratory illness, oral and lung cancers
• Amphetamines – Causes excess activity, irritability, nervousness, mood swings, dilated pupils, talkativeness, depression, skin marks, itchiness.
Forms of amphetamines include: Speed, crystal meth, uppers, purple drank.

• Musty burn odor, neglect of appearance, loss of motivation, slow reaction, red eyes, memory loss, depletion of brain cells, lack of judgement
• Forms of cannabis include smokeable and edible marijuana, hash oil, and vaporized cannabis.
• The chemical in marijuana is Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short.

• Alcohol: Impaired judgement, poor muscle coordination, lowered inhibitions. Forms of alcohol include: Beer, Wine, Whiskey, Vodka,
Tequila and other spirits
• Barbiturates: Drowsiness, confusion, impaired judgement, slurred speech, staggering. Forms of barbiturates include: downers, yellow jackets, red devils and blue devils
• Opioids/Narcotics: Lethargic feeling, loss of skin color, constricted pupils, decreased coordination. Forms of Narcotics/Opioids include:
Heroine, morphine, Vicodin, Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, OxyContin

• MDMA, MDA, MDEA (Ecstacy, Molly): Agitation, confusion, sleep problems, paranoia, death.
• Roofies: Can cause impairment for 8 to 12 hours, can cause amnesia, decreased blood pressure and comas

• While alcohol is legal for persons 21 and above in all 50 states in the US, it is also the number one cause of traffic deaths.
• Teens who use alcohol are more susceptible to develop alcoholism – addiction to alcohol – in their adult lives.
• Many teens and young adults have died from alcohol overdose during their first usage because they were not aware of the harmful effects of alcohol on the body
• Alcohol deteriorates the liver and can cause certain cancers.
• The after effects of drinking alcohol (hangover) makes you feel really ill and causes nausea, migraines, vomiting, nervous shakes, and fatigue.

• Nicotine addiction is the number one drug addiction in the world.
• Although tobacco products are legal for those 18 and older, tobacco is the leading cause of cancer, heart disease, and death in the US.
• Cigarettes and cigars contain over 240 chemicals that are toxic to the human body.
• Smokeable tobacco causes emphysema, lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, bronchitis, and other respiratory illnesses.
• Chewable tobacco causes mouth and throat cancers.
• Even nicotine patches and gums that are used to help people stop smoking are addictive.

• While marijuana is legal in some states for people who are over the age of
21, it is still illegal at the Federal level, and can carry minimum prison sentences of up to 20 years.
• Marijuana use can cause the depletion of brain cells, which causes people to lose their memory and develop early onset dementia.
• Marijuana overdose can cause hallucinations that cause people to believe that they are in danger and harm themselves or others around them.
• Smoking marijuana can cause respiratory illnesses.
• Edible marijuana is a danger to children because of its likeness to candies and other snacks. Children who consume marijuana products become very ill and can die.