DECISION MAKING: DRUGS

DECISION MAKING PROCESS

1. Identify the decision being made. 2. Determine and examine information. 3. Find possible alternatives 4. Weight the consequences of each decision 5. Choose the best option and act on it 6. Examine the results

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is a depressant drug Acts on the brain as an anesthetic, putting it “to

sleep”. Slow the heart and lowers blood pressure Reduces inhibitions, self-control, and judgement

ALCOHOL USE

The consumption of alcohol for social or religious purposes without demonstrating the characteristics of alcohol abuse or alcoholism

ALCOHOL ABUSE

Continues use of alcohol despite the development of social, legal, or health problems

It is important to note that any alcohol use by underage youth is considered to be alcohol abuse

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALCOHOL ABUSE

Failing to fulfill major work, school, or home responsibilities

Drinking in situations that are potentially dangerous, such as driving a car or operating heavy machinery

Experiencing repeated alcohol-related legal problems, such as being arrested for driving while intoxicated.

CONSEQUENCES

Alcohol is associated with a number of serious social ills Car accidents On the job accidents Domestic abuse Date rape Assault

In the US alcohol is a significant factor in 68% of manslaughter cases 62% of assault offenders 54% of murders 48% of robberies 44% of burglaries

ALCOHOLISM

A chorionic disease involving a strong need to drink, in the inability to stop drinking, the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms, and tolerance.

Often progressive

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALCOHOLISM

Cravings (a strong compulsion to drink) Impaired control over drinking use and abuse

despite consequences Failure to acknowledge the problem Tolerance or need for larger amounts of

alcohol to feel intoxicated Physical dependence symptoms

Shakes Sweating Anger Headaches

ALCOHOL USE VS ALCOHOL ABUSE

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=alcohol+use+vs+abuse+video&mid=3D6A4CB307F0B3DCAC773D6A4CB307F0B3DCAC77&view=detail&FORM=VIRE6&adlt=strict

ALCOHOL USE BY PREGNANT WOMEN

Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman passes from her bloodstream into her unborn baby’s bloodstream

Babies may suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome if mother consumes alcohol while pregnant Mental handicaps Slower physical growth

BINGE DRINKING

5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men generally within 2/3 hours

4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women within 2/3 hours.

DRINKING GAMES

2 dangers: 1. losing track of how much alcohol has been

consumed 2. become part of a “normal” drinking

pattern

ALCOHOL POISONING

A condition in which a toxic amount of alcohol has been drunk, especially in short amount of time.

Symptoms: Vomiting Mental confusion, stuper, coma Seizures Slow breathing Irregular breathing Hypothermia

Call 911 if any of these symptoms are present

SAM SPADY

http://pauljohnsonfilms.com/film_spady_view. php

2 GLASSES DOESN’T ALWAYS EQUAL 2 DRINKS

A red cup full of beer is a lot different than a red cup full of alcohol spiked party punch.

ALCOHOL AFFECTS EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY

Gender Weight Food consumption Speed of consumption

TOBACCO

In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of smoking, chewing, snuffing, or dipping tobacco.

Because of the addictive properties of nicotine, tolerance and dependence develop.

Up to 1/3 of the population use tobacco products.

The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004

and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century.

Smoking rates in the United States have dropped by half from 1965 to 2006, falling from 42% to 20.8% in adults

SMOKING

Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths.

Smokers are up to 60 percent more likely to develop stomach cancer than nonsmokers.

Chemicals can even seep from the bloodstream into your bone marrow, where developing white blood cells can be affected, raising a smokers odds of getting leukemia.

DRUGS

Drug Abuse: illegal or excessive drug use: deliberate use of an illegal drug or of too much of a prescribed drug

There are 4 stages of Drug Use

STAGE 1: MISUSE Misuse: Misuse is characterized as infrequent

use for the purpose of intoxication. The misuser’s are those who do not have a

pattern of weekend or weekday use, but use on social occasions such as Dances, work functions, “Spring Break”, weddings, Supper Bowl Sunday, “420″, Halloween, Graduation, New Year’s, Etc.

If consequences occur for these individuals because of their drug use, they quit.

They don’t try to manipulate drug tests, or lie to cover up their use, they just simply quit.

These individuals do not yet have an emotional relationship to intoxication.

STAGE 2: SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Substance Abuse: Substance Abuse is characterized by a pattern of use such as weekends or during the week.

It is also using despite negative consequences.

Using despite negative consequences is the result of a pathological relationship to intoxication. The pathological relationship is an emotional illness.

STAGE 3:THE EMOTIONAL ILLNESS

The drug use distorts the user’s emotions. Values change: As the relationship to

intoxication increases, it becomes more important than work, family, school, straight friends, sports or other activities

The user protects their relationship to intoxication from anyone or system that tries to intervene.

THE FINAL STAGE OF USE IS ADDICTION.

The symptoms of addiction are: preoccupation, using despite negative consequences and loss of control.

Preoccupation occurs when the user is preoccupied with getting drugs, paying for drugs, and protecting drugs.

Using despite consequences occurs when a person experiences a consequence from their chemical use and they continue to use despite that.

Addiction is a Progressive Disease which only gets worse over time

MARIJUANA How is Marijuana Abused? Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette

(joint) or in a pipe. It is also smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with a mixture of marijuana and tobacco. This mode of delivery combines marijuana's active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form, it is called hashish; and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.

MARIJUANA

How does it effect the brain? When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly

passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.

marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory.

Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.

ADDICTION?

Estimates from research suggest that about 9 percent of users become addicted to marijuana; this number increases among those who start young (to about 17 percent) and among daily users (25-50 percent).

URINE TESTS

Most researchers agree that urine tests for marijuana can detect the presence of the drug in the body for up to 13 days.

However, there is anecdotal evidence that the length of time that marijuana remains in the body is affected by how often the person smokes, how much he smokes and how long he has been smoking. Regular smokers have reported positive drug test results after 45 days since last use and heavy smokers have reported positive tests 90 days after quitting.

MEDICAL USE?

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881

16 states (including Colorado have legalized marijuana for medical use).

HALLUCINOGENS

The term hallucinogen refers to a variety of substances capable of inducing profound altered states of consciousness. Also known as phantastica, psychedelics, entheogens, and psychointegrators, these substances have a long history of use in societies throughout the world.

Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but are not. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings.

The “major” hallucinogens are LSD, mescaline, psilocybin (found in “magic mushrooms”), and the tryptamine derivatives (found in ayahuasca).

These substances alter sensory perception and produce changes in a person’s body image and awareness of space and time, but they do not cloud consciousness and have little impact upon memory.

LSD

LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

sold in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form; thus, it is usually taken orally.

PEYOTE

Peyote is a small, spineless cactus in which the principal active ingredient is mescaline. This plant has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of religious ceremonies. Mescaline can also be produced through chemical synthesis.

The top of the peyote cactus, also referred to as the crown, consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut from the roots and dried. These buttons are generally chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid.

PSILOCYBIN

Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is obtained from certain types of mushrooms that are indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mexico, and the United States. These mushrooms typically contain less than 0.5 percent psilocybin plus trace amounts of psilocin, another hallucinogenic substance.

white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol.

PCP

PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Its use has since been discontinued due to serious adverse effects.

white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol.

WHAT HAPPENS?

At high doses, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration drop. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, flicking up and down of the eyes, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. PCP abusers are often brought to emergency rooms because of overdose or because of the drug’s severe untoward psychological effects. While intoxicated, PCP abusers may become violent or suicidal and are therefore dangerous to themselves and others.

COCAINE Short-term: Cocaine is a powerful nervous system stimulant. Its

effects can last from 15–30 minutes to an hour, depending on the route of administration.

Cocaine increases alertness, feelings of well-being and euphoria, energy and motor activity, feelings of competence and sexuality. Athletic performance may be enhanced in sports where sustained attention and endurance is required. Anxiety, paranoia and restlessness are also frequent.

Long-term:

COCAINE: LONG TERM

With excessive dosage, tremors, convulsions and increased body temperature are observed

Chronic cocaine intake causes brain cells to adapt functionally to strong imbalances of transmitter levels in order to compensate extremes.

Cocaine dependence (or addiction) is psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine. Cocaine dependency may result in physiological damage, lethargy, psychosis, depression, akathisia, and fatal overdose

METH

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/

JUVENILE DRUG USE

http://www.adsgc.org/subabuse.htm1. Experimentation2. Regular Use3. Risky Use4.Dependence5. Addiction