Drugs and
Alcohol
Prevention Education Topics
 Alcohol-related high-risk behavior
 Alcohol poisoning
 Risk of cannabis use
 Risk of using hallucinogens, magic mushrooms
(psilocybin)
 Risk of anabolic steroids and other performance
enhancing drugs
 Risk of drinking and drug use during pregnancy
Background Facts
 Drinking Facts Canada
 Straight Talk About Marijuana
Videos
The Overtaken Documentary
Innocence Lost: Stories of Youth Addiction on PEI
Addicted Population - Drugs in Canada
(Documentary)
What is a Drug?
 Drugs are anything other than food that are
taken and change how our body or mind work
 60% of people who use illegal drugs are age 15-
24
Types of Drugs
 There are three main types of illegal/illicit
drugs based on how they affect the brain:
 1) Hallucinogens
 2) Stimulants
 3) Depressants
Hallucinogens
 Cause people to have hallucinations and alter
their perception of reality
 People see images, hear sounds, and feel
sensations that seem real but are not
 Examples of hallucinogens:
 Marijuana
 Ecstasy (Hallucinogen & Stimulant)
 Magic Mushrooms
 LSD
Ecstasy
 Also known as: love drug, E, XTC, Party pill, Hug
drug
 Is both a STIMULANT and HALLUCIOGEN that is
made in illegal labs
 It is sold as a tablet, capsule or powder in
different sizes, shapes and colours
 A single hit can last 3-6 hours but the after effects
can last for days to weeks
Stimulants
 Increase alertness and physical activity
 Also known as “Uppers”
 Examples of Stimulants:
 Caffeine
 Nicotine
 Cocaine and Crack Cocaine
 Methamphetamine
 Ecstasy (Hallucinogen & Stimulant)
Cocaine & Crack Cocaine
 Also known as: blow, crack, coke, rock
 Cocaine is a STIMULANT
 Made from a coca plant in South America
 Cocaine is a white powder that can be snorted
or added to water and injected into veins
 Crack cocaine looks like rocks or crystals and
can be smoked
Methamphetamine
 Also known as: meth, crystal meth, speed
 Methamphetamine is a STIMULANT
 A man-made drug which makes it very
dangerous because it can be very strong
causing an overdose
 It can be taken by mouth, smoked, snorted or
injected into veins
 “Speed” is a form of the drug that is injected
 “Crystal Meth” is the form of drug that is smoked
Methamphetamine
 Can cause serious memory problems if used a lot
 Can lead to hallucinations such as the feeling of
bugs crawling under the skin
Depressants
 Slow down the normal function of the brain and
have the opposite affect of stimulants
 Also known as “downers” and can slow down
breathing and heart rate
 Examples of Depressants:
 Alcohol
 Heroin
 Narcotics (pain medication given in hospitals)
Heroin
 Also known as: dope, dust, junk, smack
 Heroin is a DEPRESSANT
 Made from morphine as a clear white powder
but is sold on the street in many colours
 It can be smoked, snorted or injected into the
veins and can be 2-98% purity which makes it
very dangerous
 Overdose or misuse of heroin can lead to death
Most Common Drugs
 The 3 most commonly used drugs by PEI youth:
 Alcohol
 Nicotine
 Marijuana
Alcohol: What Is It?
 Alcohol is a DEPRESSANT
 Alcohol is a flammable liquid that is composed
of ethanol
 There are many different types of alcohol
 Beer
 Wine
 Hard Liquor: Whiskey, Vodka, Rum etc.
 Alcoholic beverages vary in the percent of
alcohol in one drink
Alcohol: How It Works
 When a person drinks alcohol it is absorbed into
the bloodstream and carried to all body parts
and the brain
 When alcohol reaches the brain it changes the
way it works and how we function in many ways
 If a person drinks too much they become
intoxicated
Alcohol: Side Effects
 Euphoria
 Drowsiness
 Dizziness
 Slurred Speech
 Staggering
 Double Vision
 Unconsciousness
 Memory
 Concentration
 Coordination
Alcohol Effects
Alcohol: Long Term Effects
 Liver damage
 Brain damage
 Heart Disease
 Cancer
 Ulcers
 Memory loss
 Impotence
 Reproductive problems
 Disorders of the pancreas
Alcohol Video
http://www.thesite.org/audioandvideo/video/drink
anddrugs/alcoholthefacts
Nicotine: What Is It?
 Nicotine is a STIMULANT
 Nicotine is the drug responsible for making
cigarettes so addictive and is found in tobacco
 Tobacco makes up 90% of a cigarette but many
people use smokeless forms of tobacco known
as chewing tobacco
 Chewing tobacco has many of the same negative
effects as smoking and also causes dental
problems
Nicotine: Side Effects
 Difficulty breathing
 Decreased appetite
 Decreased circulation
 Increased heart rate and blood pressure
 Drop in skin temperature
 Faster and shallower breathing
 First-time smokers feel dizzy and energized and
may experience diarrhea and vomiting
Nicotine: Long Term Effects
 Smoking tobacco is KNOWN to cause 26 diseases
and health problems including:
 Chronic Obstructive Lung Diseases
 Emphysema
 Bronchitis
 Pneumonia
 Heart Attack
 Stroke
 Cancer
 Lung, mouth, throat, pancreas, kidney and bladder
Smoking Facts
 Tobacco smoke has over 4000 chemicals and
over 50 that are KNOWN to cause cancer
 A person who smokes will die 8 years earlier than
a non-smoker
 In 2010, 37 000 Canadians died from tobacco
related illnesses
Marijuana: What Is it?
 Marijuana is a HALLUCINOGEN
 Also called: weed, pot, joint, grass, green
 Marijuana comes from a plant called Cannabis
 Other forms of cannabis include hash & hash oil
 There is a chemical in all cannabis called THC
that causes the “high” feeling
Marijuana: Side Effects
 See handout
 Increased pulse rate & decreased blood pressure
 Which could lead to dizziness & fainting
 Bloodshot eyes
 Dry mouth
 Increased appetite
 Mild paranoia, anxiety or panic
 Impaired short term memory
 Impaired coordination & reaction time
Marijuana: Long Term Effects
 Respiratory diseases
 Cancer
 Decreased motivation and concentration
 Leads to problems in school and work
 Long term use of marijuana can cause the
mental illness schizophrenia
 Paranoia
 Delusions
 Hallucinations
What Does This Mean for You?
 In 2007, of PEI’s grade 9 students:
 37% have used alcohol at least once
 17% have used marijuana at least once
 First use of marijuana is around Grade 8 or Grade 9
 13% have tried smoking
Addiction
 Definition:
Addiction is when people crave the drug, lose
control over how much they use and use of the
drug even though it causes bad things to
happen in their life
Factors That Cause Addiction
 Early Regular Use:
 the younger a person is when they begin to use
drugs and alcohol the more likely they will become
addicted and the faster the addiction occurs
 40% of people who began using alcohol at age 14
or younger were found to have problems and
addictions later in life
 Heredity:
 people who have a family history of addiction are
more likely to become addicted themselves
Factors That Cause Addiction
 Education & Knowledge:
 Addiction is linked to lower levels of education
 The less people know about drugs and alcohol the
more likely they are to try them and become
addicted
 Body Make-Up:
 Drugs and alcohol affect everyone’s body differently
 Exposure Before Birth:
 If a pregnant woman uses drugs and alcohol while
pregnant, her child has a higher risk of addiction
Negative Effects of Addiction
 Withdrawal:
 The body gets used to using a certain drug and if it
is decreased or stopped the person becomes sick
and has withdrawal symptoms
 Withdrawal symptoms include: shaking, sweating,
headache, nausea, vomiting, and many others
 Dependence:
 There are two types of dependence, when your
body needs the drug to feel normal and when
your mind needs the drug because of a craving
Negative Effects of Addiction
 Tolerance:
 The more often a drug is used, then more of the
drug is needed to produce the effects it used to
 Ex: a person who used to get drunk from 4 beer
now needs more than 4 to feel the effects
 Overdose:
 Taking too much of a drug or drinking too much
alcohol that can lead to death
Negative Effects of Addiction
 Legal Risks:
 The use of illegal drugs, drugs that are not
prescribed by your doctor and alcohol under the
legal age can lead to charges, prison and a
criminal record
 Other Risks:
 drugs and alcohol can cause people to do
dangerous things they wouldn’t normally do it they
were no under the influence such as drinking and
driving, risky behaviour such as stealing or sex
which can lead to unwanted pregnancy or STIs
Video
 http://www.justtalkpei.ca/index.php?page=vide
o2
Slideshow Project
 You will choose a topic to research
and present to the class.
 1) Gather the facts – identify the
substance and how it affects teen
users. Identify 2 or 3 “high-risk”
behaviors that can occur when using
the substance. Include 2-5 statistics –
you can use the PEI Drug Use Survey.
Slideshow Project
 2) Set a priority – decide what single
message is the most important to share and
make sure you emphasize it. “Present facts,
or bust myths.”
 3) Be credible – speak to teens from teens.
Include a list of references
 4) Be creative – make sure the message “hits
home.” Include a personal thought, opinion,
or statement that you have formed about
the topic through your research.
Topics
 Alcohol-related high risk behavior
 The risk of cannabis use
 The risks of drinking and other drug use during pregnancy
 Risk of prescription drug dependency
 Risks of using hallucinogens – psilocybin or MDMA
 Risk of methamphetamine use
 Risk of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs
 Alcohol poisoning
Rubric
 Rubric
Test Review
 Need to know:
 What is a drug?
 Know the three types of drugs and provide
examples of each
 What are the three most common for PEI?
 Know the drinking facts sheet – how alcohol
affects you, how you absorb it, alcohol
poisoning, etc.
Test Review
 Know marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), and how it affects the brain.
 Problems with marijuana
 Know:
drug abuse physical dependency
psychological dependency
withdrawal
symptoms
hallucinogens
depressants
stimulants
alcohol
LSD
ecstasy
psychoactive
 10 multiple choice questions