Transcript Drugs are bad, man!

Drugs are bad, man!
5 Historical themes of drug use
• 1. A basic need for human beings to cope
with their environment
• 2. A susceptible brain chemistry that can
be affected by psychoactive drugs.
• 3. Business and government involvement in
growing, manufacturing distributing, taxing
and prohibiting drugs.
Part deux
• 4. Technological advances in refining and
synthesizing drugs.
• 5. Development of more efficient and
faster methods of putting drugs in the
body.
Classification by Effects
• A practical way of classifying substances is
to distinguish them by their effects. Thus
the terms “uppers” for stimulants,
“downers” for depressants, and “all
arounders” for psychedelics have been
chosen to describe most commonly abused
psychoactive drugs.
What is a psychoactive
drug?
• Any substance that directly alters the
normal functioning of the central nervous
system.
Major Drugs- Uppers
• Uppers, central
nervous system
stimulants, include
cocaine, speed, diet
pills, ritalin, MDMA
nicotine and caffeine.
Physical effects
• Stimulation of the
nervous system,
creating energized
muscles, increased
heart rate,
increased blood
pressure,
insomniaand
decreased
appetite.
Mental/Emotional effects
• Small doses make
some feel more
confident, outgoing
and excited.
Larger doses can
cause anxiety,
paranoia, anhedonia
and mental
confusion.
Downers (depressants) are
divided into 4 categories
• 1. Opiates-opium, morphine, codeine,
heroin and others.
• 2. Sedatives-Xanax, Valium etc.
Part deux
• 3. Alcohol-Beer,
lite beer, wine,
wine coolers, the
hard stuff and
mixed drinks.
• 4. Others.
Antihistamines,
muscle relaxants
Physical Effects
• Small doses of downers slow heart
rate and respiration, relax muscles,
decrease coordination, induce sleep
and dull the senses.
• Excessive drinking or sedative use
can slur speech and cause digestive
problems.
• Large doses or prolonged use can
cause sexual dysfunction.
Mental/Emotional Effects
• Initially small doses act like
stimulants because they lower
inhibitions but the depressant effect
begins to dominate, relaxing and
dulling the mind.
Just say no!
• Strong stimulants
can also cause
jitteriness,anger,
aggressiveness.
Frequent use over a
period of a few
days will deplete
the body’s energy
chemicals and
exhaust the user.
Hallucinogens
• Drugs which cause an altered perception
and feeling-changing how the brain
perceives time, reality and the user’s
environment.
• Regions of the brain that are responsible
for coordination, hearing and sight are
impacted
• User may hear/see/feel things that do
NOT exist.
Brief history of drugs
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIWwHj
m-F_o
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieeYM
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