Above the Influence
Inability to consistently abstain
Impairment in behavior control
Craving
Diminished recognition of significant problems
with one’s behaviors and interpersonal
relationships
 Dysfunctional emotional response
 Like other chronic diseases, addiction involves
cycles of relapse and remission
 Without treatment or engagement in recovery
activities, addiction is progressive and can result
in disability or premature death.




 Curiosity
 Low
self-esteem
 Peer pressure
 Adult modeling
 Mood alteration
 Boredom
 Alienation
Willingness
Unwillingness
Completely
Agree
Completely
Disagree



A drug is any chemical
you take that affects the
way your bodyworks
Heroin, alcohol, ecstasy,
caffeine and nicotine are
all forms of drugs
A drug must be able to
pass through your body
and into your brain,
allowing brain cells to be
changed by interfering
with the brains chemical
signals called
neurotransmitters
DRUG MISUSE



Definition: the unintentional
or inappropriate use of
prescribed or nonprescribed medicine that
results in the impaired
physical, mental, emotional,
or social well-being of the
user
Take more than the
recommended dosages
Reduce the standard time
interval between doses
DRUG ABUSE


Definition: chronic,
excessive use of a drug
May refer to a person’s
intent
• Example:
 Drinking alcohol for the
purpose of getting drunk
 Uses an illegal drug for any
reason

You may notice
changes in the way a
person looks or acts:
• Lost interest in their
•
•
•
•
•
•

hobbies
Change friends
Become moody, cranky,
and negative
Ask to be left alone
Trouble concentrating
Get in fights
Lose or gain weight
What are some other
signs?
 Over-the-Counter
 Prescription
 Depressants
 Stimulants
 Narcotics
 Illegal
 Other?
Drugs
(OTC)
 With
your group, discuss the situation on
your card.
 Then, decide whether the drug being
used is in a helpful or harmful way and
why.
 Non-prescription drugs,
medicines that can be
used for self-treatment
 On the shelves at grocery,
convenience, and drug
stores and easily
accessible.
 Effective in relieving the
symptoms of mild
illnesses when used
according to the
directions
 How can these be
misused?
 Drugs that slow down, inhibit,
or depress the nervous
system.
 Most common depressant
drug: alcohol
 Most depressant drugs are
prescription drugs
 Most common of misused and
abused drugs
 Four main effects on the body:
 Sedatives: produce relaxation
 Tranquilizers: reduce anxiety
and act as muscle relaxants
 Hypnotics: promote sleep
 Anesthetics: create a loss of
sensation
 Drugs that stimulate, or speed up, the
nervous system
 Increase heart rate, blood pressure,
and the amount of circulating blood
sugar
 Constrict the blood vessels and
dilate bronchial tubes and pupils of
the eyes
 Some can produce temporary
euphoria
 Most common stimulant drug:
caffeine
 Coffee, tea, soda drinks, energy
drinks, even chocolate.
 Examples:
 Caffeine
 Amphetamines “uppers”
 Ritilin
 Adderall
 Methamphetamine
 Cocaine
 Tobacco
 Drugs that act on the
nervous system
 Excellent pain killers, but
can be highly addictive
 Examples: Morphine,
codeine, and heroin
 Heroin is one of the most
dangerous drugs abused
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endsc
reen&NR=1&v=IrcOVpAKsUg
 Dominant

illicit drug
Gateway Drug
 In
average doses, it
acts much like
alcohol
 Distortion of time
 Increased heart rate
 Increased appetite and
thirst
 Dilation of the blood
vessels in the eyes
 Muscular weakness

On the Brain

 Problems with memory and
learning
 Distorted perception
 Difficulty in thinking and
problem solving
 Loss of coordination
 Increased heart rate

 Similar as smoking tobacco
 Persistent cough and phlegm
production
 Frequent acute chest illness
 Heightened risk of lung
infection
 Greater tendency to obstructed
airways
 Increases the likelihood of
developing cancer
On the Heart:
 Risk of heart attack quadruples
in the first hour after smoking
marijuana
On the Lungs:

On Learning and Social
Behavior:




Depression
Anxiety
Personality disturbances
Ability to learn and remember
information


Heroin comes from the
dried milk of the opium
poppy, which is also used
to create the class of
painkillers called
narcotics — medicines
like codeine and
morphine. Heroin can
range from a white to
dark brown powder to a
sticky, tar-like substance.
How It's Used: Heroin is
injected, smoked, or
inhaled (if it is pure).


Heroin gives you a burst
of euphoric (high)
feelings, especially if
injected
The high is followed by:
• Drowsiness
• Nausea
• Stomach cramps and
vomiting

Users feel the need to
take more heroin ASAP
just to feel good again.

With long-term use,
heroin ravages the body.
•
•
•
•

Chronic constipation
Dry skin
Scarred veins
Breathing problems
Users who inject heroin
often have collapsed
veins and put themselves
at risk of getting deadly
infections
• HIV/AIDS
• Hepatitis B or C
• Bacterial Endocarditis
 Heroin
is extremely addictive and easy to
overdose on (which can cause death).
Withdrawal is intense and symptoms
include insomnia, vomiting, and muscle
pain.


Cocaine is a white
crystalline powder made
from the dried leaves of the
coca plant. Crack, named
for its crackle when heated,
is made from cocaine. It
looks like white or tan
pellets. They are both
dangerous stimulants.
How They're Used: Cocaine
is inhaled through the nose
or injected into the
bloodstream. Crack is
heated, then the vapors are
smoked.
Gives users a quick,
intense feeling of
power and energy.
 Snorting highs last
about 15-30 minutes
 Smoking highs last
between 5-10 minutes
 Elevates heart rate,
breathing rate, blood
pressure and body
temperature


Risk of:
• Hepatitis B or C
• HIV/AIDS
Can cause nosebleeds
and damage the tissue
inside your nose. It can
even cause a hole
inside the lining of
your nose.
 First time users: can
stop breathing or have
fatal heart attacks.

• Using one time can kill
you.
 These
drugs are highly addictive, and as
a result, the drug, not the user, calls the
shots. Even after one use, cocaine and
crack can create both physical and
psychological cravings that make it very,
very difficult for users to stop.


This is a designer drug
created by underground
chemists. It comes in
powder, tablet, or
capsule form. Ecstasy is a
popular club drug
among teens because it
is widely available at
raves, dance clubs, and
concerts.
How It's Used: Ecstasy is
swallowed or sometimes
snorted.



This drug combines a
hallucinogenic with a
stimulant effect, making all
emotions, both negative and
positive, much more intense.
Users feel a tingly skin
sensation and an increased
heart rate.
Ecstasy can also cause dry
mouth, cramps, blurred vision,
chills, sweating, and nausea



Sometimes users clench their
jaws while using. They may
chew on something (like a
pacifier) to relieve this
symptom.
Many users also experience
depression, paranoia, anxiety,
and confusion. There is some
concern that these effects on
the brain and emotion can
become permanent with
chronic use of ecstasy.
Ecstasy also raises the
temperature of the body. This
increase can sometimes cause
organ damage or even death
 Although
the physical addictiveness of
Ecstasy is unknown, teens who use it can
become psychologically dependent
upon it to feel good, deal with life, or
handle stress.
 What
are some ways that legal drugs can
destroy someone’s life?
 What are some ways illegal drugs can
destroy someone’s life?
 What are the similarities and differences
between them?
• The different kinds of illegal drugs are split into
3 classes: A, B & C. Each class carries a different
level of punishment for possession and dealing
 Class A: Ecstasy, LSD, Heroin, Cocaine/Crack
 Possession: Up to 7 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
 Dealing (Sale): Up to life in prison or an unlimited fine or both
 Class B: Amphetimines, Ritilin
 Possession: Up to 5 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
 Dealing (Sale): Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or
both
 Class C: Cannabis, tranquilizers, some pain killers
 Possession: Up to 2 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both
 Dealing (Sale): Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or
both
 Being
caught with an illegal drug for your
own use, whether it is (or has been) in
your pocket, your bag, your house or car.
You can also be charged with this offence
if the police find the drug somewhere
else (such as in a locker) and can prove
that you controlled its whereabouts.

If you're under 17, the police can also tell your parent/s or
caregiver, and inform the Social Services and the Probation
Service. Depending on the circumstances of your case, and
local prosecution policy, the police then have these options
for punishment:
• A formal warning (which is put on local police files. If you offend again
this may influence the police to charge you, rather than caution you).
• A formal caution (a central police record held for 5 years. If you offend
again, his can be used against you).
• Charge you with an offence leading to a Youth Court hearing. (This is
more likely for repeat offenders, who may end up with a fine or a
custodial sentence).

You can be cautioned more than once, but if you keep
getting caught, you'll go to court.

Things get much heavier if you're caught supplying
drugs to others, or even if the police suspect the drugs
weren't just for you. If you had any intention of dealing,
(which can include giving and sharing drugs) you may
be charged with this more serious offence. Decisions
over whether you're charged with intent to supply are
based on the circumstances in which you were caught
and the quantity of drugs you were caught with.
 The police can take the
same courses of action as
in simple possession cases,
but this time you're more
likely to be charged. If
your case goes to court the
penalties are likely to be
heavier.
 Be aware that the charge of
intent to supply is wideranging. It's not just heavyduty smuggling cases that
count. You can be done for
carrying a couple of tabs
for a mate, or a lump of
dope split into smaller
quantities.
An accident
A death
Family support
Counseling (12 step
program, therapy)
 What are other
strategies to STOP?
 Can you think of ways
to PREVENT?




• Do scare tactics work to
prevent drug use?
• Is random student drug
testing an effective
prevention policy?
 You
will be working
in a group of 3
people to make an
Anti-Drug Poster and
a 1 minute skit about
strategies that help
an individual stop
abusing drugs and
remain drug free.