Transcript The Science of Natural Highs

National Drug Facts Week
What is your “Natural High?”
What is a “natural high?”
Brain storm what a natural high
is.”
A “natural high” is: an activity,
art form, or sport that you love
to do and makes you feel good –
inside and out.
The Science of Natural Highs
On the next slide is a chart The Science of Natural Highs.
Look at the chemicals in the
brain related to natural highs.
The natural high chemicals are
the same chemicals that are
stimulated or mimicked by
synthetic drugs, such as
alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy,
cocaine and heroin.
Example: In cocaine, the
neurotransmitters dopamine,
serotonin and norepinephrine
are artificially increased. These
chemicals will eventually run
out making you feel anxious
and depressed. You will be
craving more and more cocaine
to get the same effect. That
high will not happen again.
Normal activities such as
laughing, running, eating and
helping others will no longer
give your brain pleasure like
they did before the drug use.
The synthetic drug, not you, is
now in control of your brain.
Define addiction.
Addiction is defined by the NIDA as:
A chronic, relapsing brain disease
that is characterized by compulsive
drug seeking and use, despite
harmful consequences.
It is considered a brain disease
because drugs change the brain:
they change its structure and how it
works.
These brain changes can be long
lasting and can lead to many
harmful, often self-destructive,
behaviors.
In simple terms addiction is a
disease. People who are
addicted to a substance will
continue to use despite the
harmful consequences.
Play Jon Sundt video:
http://naturalhigh.org/video/jonsundt-natural-high-founder-2/
Check out the following
videos from celebrities
identifying their natural
highs!
Mya
http://naturalhigh.org/resources/m
ya-grammy-award-winner/
Mya said, “Sometimes you do have to
isolate yourself or get involved with
other people that can bring some
healthy decisions around you; and that
can be really difficult when you are
trying to please everyone.” Have you
ever been in the same situation? How
did you handle it?
Michael Conley Jr.
http://naturalhigh.org/resources/mike
-conley-jr-nba-basketball-star/
Mike said, “Guys were running around
school talking about different things they
were doing or they might try and I had a
couple people approach me and say, ‘Hey
man come over here and check this out.’ I
always made up excuses until I had
enough courage to say ‘no, I’m good. I
don’t feel like doing that. I don’t think
that’s going to help me become what I
want to become.’” What will it take to
become what you want to become?
Lisa Leslie
http://naturalhigh.org/resources/lis
a-leslie-wnba-all-star/
Lisa said, “I always wanted to represent
my family, my mom and my sisters,
and I didn’t want to do anything that
would damage my family’s name.” How
do you see yourself representing your
family?
Travis Pastrana
http://naturalhigh.org/resources/travi
s-pastrana-motocross-champion/
Travis said, “There are always going to be
options…You have the option to be
healthy… You have to ask yourself, ‘What
are my goals in life?’ Every action that you
do has a reaction.” Give an example of
something that you have done in the last
week that has had a reaction – positive or
negative.
Darrin Henson
http://naturalhigh.org/resources/da
rrin-henson-choreographer/
Darrin mentioned that “not everything
was perfect growing up… You have the
opportunity to choose the good over the
bad.” What choices have you had to
make that were uncomfortable or hard?
“You see kids with so much
potential, their whole lives are
ahead of them and they have
so much to offer the world.
They get into drugs and the
next thing you know… their
future just ends quickly.”
Timmy Curran – Professional Surfer and Musician
What do you say?
What’s your Natural
High?