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What You Should Know How They Effect You And The Dangers Drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. When you put them in your body, drugs find their way into your bloodstream and are transported to parts of your body, such as your brain. In the brain, drugs either intensify or dull your senses. 10 Most Abused OTC Drugs Dextromethorphan: This is the active ingredient in more than 100 OTC cough and cold medicines such as Robitussin and NyQuil. One teen in every 10 has reported abuse of cough medicine to get high. Pain relievers: Adults and teens have taken pain relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen in doses higher then recommended because they want the medicine to work faster. They don’t think of the side effects. Caffeine medicines and energy drinks: OTC caffeine pills like NoDoz or energy drinks like “5 Hour Energy,” or pain relievers with caffeine have all been abused for the buzz or “jolt of energy” they seem to impart. Diet pills: In large doses, diet pills can create a mild buzz, but misuse of diet pills can also signal a serious eating disorder. Abuse of diet pills often starts with trying just a few in order to lose weight. Laxatives and herbal diuretics: Like diet pills, some teens and young adults also abuse OTC laxatives and herbal diuretics (water pills), including uva-ursa, golden seal, dandelion root, rose hips, and others, to lose weight. Motion sickness pills: Motion sickness pills that contain dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl) taken in large doses can cause one to feel high and have hallucinations similar to street drugs. Sexual performance medicines: OTC sexual performance medicines, often purchased via the Internet, are sometimes abused by teens and adults who are drinking to counteract the negative effects of alcohol on sexual performance. Pseudoephedrine: This nasal decongestant and stimulant is found in many cold medicines. Its similarity to amphetamines has made it sought out to make the illegal drug methamphetamine. Herbal ecstasy: This is a combination of inexpensive herbs that are legally sold in pill form and swallowed, snorted, or smoked to produce euphoria, increased awareness, and enhanced sexual sensations. Other herbals: Other herbal products are increasingly being abused for their stimulant, hallucinogenic, and euphoric effects. Most widely used illegal drug in the U.S. Often called a gateway drug because frequent use can lead to the use of stronger drugs. Street names: pot, weed, blunts, chronic, grass, reefer, herb, and Mary Jane Marijuana is usually smoked. Some people mix it into foods or brew it as a tea. Effects & Dangers: It can affect mood and coordination. Elevate heart rate and blood pressure. Can make some people paranoid or cause them to hallucinate. Substances that are sniffed or ”huffed.” Effects & Dangers: Make you feel giddy and confused, as if you were drunk. Can cause headaches, nosebleeds, and may cause user to suffer loss of hearing and sense of smell. Using Inhalants, even one time, can kill you. Cocaine is a white crystalline powder made from dried leaves of the coca plant. Crack, named for it’s crackle when heated, is made from cocaine. It looks like white or tan pellets. Street names for Cocaine: Coke, snow, blow, and nose candy Street names for Crack: Freebase, rock and eight ball. Effects & Dangers: Cocaine is a stimulant that rocks the central nervous system, gives a quick, intense feeling of power and energy. Injecting it can give you hepatitis or AIDS if you share needles with other users. Snorting it can put holes inside the lining of your nose. Effects & Dangers First-time users – even teens-of both cocaine and crack can stop breathing or have fatal heart attacks. Using either of these drugs even one time, can kill you. A designer drug created by underground chemists. It comes in powder, tablet, or capsule form. Street names: XTC, X, Adam, E, Effects & Dangers: 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. Dry mouth, cramps, blurred vision, chills, sweating and nausea. Users experience depression, paranoia, anxiety, and confusion First developed in 1919 by a Japanese pharmacologist Has undergone both legal and illegal uses in the United States. As early as the 1930s it was used therapeutically to treat asthma and epileptic seizures. Many reports indicate during World War II American Military and Nazi’s frequently distributed a form of methamphetamine to weary troops in attempt to counter battle fatigue. in 1970, the US government made it illegal for most uses. Uses of Meth: Methamphetamine may be inhaled, smoked, or injected. Most often is used in a "binge and crash" pattern, because tolerance for Meth occurs within minutes Meaning that the pleasurable effects disappear even before the drug concentration in the blood falls significantly. Users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug. Effects: Increased energy, feelings of euphoria, decreased appetite, and decreased need for sleep. Experience increased heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, restlessness, and anxiety. Dangers: Stay awake for days, causing brain damage. Meth Mouth Meth Sores either from picking or injection sites Sexually transmitted disease Psychosis Addiction Also known as predatory drugs, date rape drugs are chemical substances use for the purpose of rendering a victim passive, submissive, unwilling or unable to resist unwanted sexual advances. Common Date Rape Drugs: GHB Rohypnol Ketamine Alcohol GHB Rohypnol Ketamine Street names: G, Soap, Liquid Ecstasy, Grievous Bodily Harm Effects: Produces intoxication followed by deep sedation. Can cause nausea, vomiting, delusions, depression, vertigo, visual disturbances, seizures, loss of consciousness, coma or even death. Street name: Roofies, Forget-me Pill, R-2, Mexican Valium, Rib, and Roach Effects: Users may feel intoxicated, then sleepy and may exhibit slurred speech, impaired judgment and difficulty walking. Can cause temporary amnesia, decreased blood pressure, dizziness, and confusion. Street name: K, Special K, Vitamin K, Cat Valium, and New Ecstasy. Effects: Sense of time and identity may be lost. Can include delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression, or potentially fatal respiratory problems. Alcohol is a depressant. When people drink alcohol, it’s absorbed into their bloodstream. It slows the functions of the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), which controls virtually all body functions. Alcohol is still the most common substance teens try. According to national data, more than one out of 10 eighth graders reported heavy drinking. (consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in a row) Research on the impact of alcohol on the teen brain has led to some startling discoveries: Teens are more likely to black out than to pass out and are less likely to succumb to the sedative effects of alcohol. Teens are less sensitive to the warning signs of inebriation and can continue consuming alcohol and engaging in other risky behavior, such as driving while intoxicated, without recognizing their level of impairment. Curiosity To feel good, reduce stress, and relax To fit in with the crowd, or with a group To feel older It’s illegal in the U.S. until the age of 21 Teens put themselves at risk for problems with the law; you can get arrested Teens who drink are more likely to get into fights and commit crimes than those who don’t When large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time, alcohol poisoning can result. Violent vomiting is usually the first symptom of alcohol poisoning. Extreme sleepiness, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood sugar, seizures, and even death may result. People who drink regularly often have problems with school. Drinking can damage a student’s ability to study well and get decent grades, as well as affect sports performance The impression is that drinking is cool, but the nervous system changes that come from drinking alcohol can make people do stupid or embarrassing things, like throwing up or peeing on themselves If all your friends drink and you don’t want to, it can be hard to say ”no, thanks.” If saying no to alcohol makes you feel uncomfortable in front of people you know, blame your parents or another adult for your refusal. Example: My parents are coming to pick me up soon and I already got in trouble for drinking once, I can’t do it again. Or avoid it all together, by not going to a party where you know there will be under-age drinking. Make plans to do something besides just hanging out in someone’s basement drinking. Girls or guys who have strong self esteem are less likely to become problem drinkers than people with low self-esteem.