Transcript WHAT ARE DRUGS? Drugs are substances that are used to treat or prevent diseases.

WHAT
ARE DRUGS?
Drugs are substances that are used
to treat or prevent diseases. They are
also used to relieve pains, to help
control mental or physical ailments,
and even to help diagnose illnesses.
DRUG VOCAB
Tolerance
 Body becomes accustomed to drug and causes the
user to experience a need for more and more drug to
achieve the desired effect or high.
Psychological Dependence
 A condition that occurs overtime and causes user to
believe that drug is needed in order to feel good or
function normally.
DRUG VOCAB
Physiological dependence
 A user develops a chemical need for a drug. Symptoms
of withdrawal occur when the effects of the drug wear
off.
 Symptoms can include nervousness, insomnia,
headaches, vomiting, chills, and cramps.
Addiction
 A physiological or psychological dependence on a drug.
TYPES OF DRUGS
 Prescription
 Stimulants
 Depressants
 Marijuana and THC
 Inhalants
 Steroids
 Narcotics
 Hallucinogens
 Psychoactive
 “Club Drugs”
STIMULANTS
Drugs that act on the central nervous
system and increase brain activity.
Some give feelings of alertness, greater
energy and confidence.
They may also reduce appetite
EXAMPLES OF STIMULANTS
 Cocaine
 Crack
 Ecstasy
 Amphetamines
 Nicotine
DEPRESSANTS
 Drugs that act on the central nervous system and slow
down brain activity.
 Impairs co-ordination, balance and judgment
 Higher doses can lead progressively to drowsiness,
vomiting, coma and even death.
EXAMPLES OF DEPRESSANTS
Volatile substances or sniffable substances (eg
glues, gases, aerosols)
Alcohol
Tranquilizers
GHB (Gamma hydroxy-butyrate)
HALLUCINOGENS
 Drugs that act to change the way users experience the
world through the five senses.
 Sometimes this involves seeing, and hearing things
which aren't there.
EXAMPLES OF HALLUCINOGENS
 Cannabis
 LSD
 Magic mushrooms
 Ketamine
TYPES OF DRUGS
 The pain relief induced by analgesics occurs either by
blocking pain signals going to the brain or by interfering with
the brain's interpretation of the signals, without producing
anesthesia or loss of consciousness. There are basically two
kinds of analgesics: non-narcotics and narcotics.
Examples:
 Opium
 Morphine
 Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
 Percodan
 Vicodin
ANABOLIC STEROIDS
 Drugs that promote muscle growth and increase lean
body mass.
 These drugs mostly have legitimate medical uses
 They are often misused by those wishing to enhance
their athletic performance or strength.
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
 A drug that is available with written instructions from a
doctor or dentist to a pharmacist
EXAMPLES:
o Antibiotic (penicillin)
o Hydrocodone (narcotic pain killer)
o Prozac (anti-depressant)
MARIJUANA AND THC
 Marijuana is one of the names given to the Cannabis
sativa plant when it is used as a drug. The active
ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol or
THC
INHALANTS
 Inhalants are volatile substances that produce
chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a
psychoactive or mind-altering effects
Examples of inhalants:
o Gasoline
o Glue
o Aerosol cleaners
NARCOTICS
 A drug (opium & morphine) that in moderate doses
dulls the senses, relieves pain and induces profound
sleep
 A drug that in excessive doses can cause stupor,
coma and convulsions
 A drug subject to restriction
PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS
 A psychoactive drug is a chemical substance that acts
primarily upon the central nervous system where it
alters brain functions, resulting in temporary changes
in perception, mood consciousness and behavior
 These drugs may be taken recreationally to
purposefully alter one’s consciousness
 They are often helpful in treating depression, anxiety,
insomnia and other psychological disorders
CLUB DRUGS
 Club drugs are a group of psychoactive drugs that tend to
be abused by teens and young adults at bars, nightclubs,
concerts and parties
Commonly abused “Club Drugs”
o GHB – Gamma hydroxybutrate
o Rohypnol – (chemically similar to a sedative)
o Ketamine (anesthetic used in veterinary practice)
o MDMA (ecstasy)
o Methamphetamine (meth)
RISKS FACTORS INVOLVED IN DRUG TAKING
 Users can never be sure of exactly what they are taking
 Not knowing the strength of what has been bought
could lead to an accidental overdose (which may be lifethreatening)
 Users can’t be precisely sure of the effect the drug will
have, even if they have taken it before.
 Sharing dirty needles or syringes carries a risk of serious
infections
 Mixing drugs with drugs, or drugs with alcohol
 Getting a criminal record.
 Effects on relationships, financial pressures, reducing
judgment or performance etc.
KNOW THE FACTS
The following statistics are from the results of a major national survey of
secondary schoolchildren aged 11-15 published by the Department of
Health (DH) in 2002.
12% of pupils had used illegal drugs in the last month
and 20% had used illegal drugs in the last year
13% of boys reported taking drugs in the last month
compared to 11% of girls
 Use increased with age. Six percent of 11-year-olds had
used drugs in the last year compared to 39% of 15year-olds
 Cannabis is the most likely drug to have been used,
with 13% of pupils reporting use in the last year.
 Cannabis use also increases sharply with age with 1%
of 11-year-olds having used the drug in past year
compared with 31% of 15-year-olds