Drug Use

Substance Abuse

• -any unnecessary or improper use of chemical substance for non medical purposes.– Overuse– Multiple use of a drug– Use of illegal drug– Use of a drug in combination with alcohol or

other drug

Illegal drug

• “street drug”

• -any chemical substance that people of any age may not lawfully manufacture, posses, buy or sell.

• Crime is called “illicit drug use”– http://www.sussedaboutdrugs.net/students/la

w.php

Factors that influence decisions about drugs

• Peer Pressure

• Family Members

• Role Models

• Media Messages

• Perceptions

Health Consequences of Drug Use

• Can range from minor to deadly– Unlike medicines these substances are not

monitored for quality, purity or strength.

– Effects all sides of Health

Physical Consequences

• Can harm user’s – Brain– Heart– lungs– vital organs

• Overdose- a strong sometimes fatal reaction to taking a large amount of a drug

• Injections can lead to HIV and Hep B.

Mental Consequences

• Cloud reasoning and thinking and users lose control of their behavior

• Ecstasy, a stimulant drug that speeds up the nervous system, affect the part of the brain controlling thinking, mood, memory and perception.

Social Consequences

• Do and say things they later regret.

• Negative effect on relationships.

• Expelled from school

• Legal consequence

• Major factor in many crimes, suicides and unintentional injuries.

• Can lead to exposure to STD’s

Understanding the Addiction Cycle

• Tolerance• Psychological dependence- condition in

which a person believes that a drug is needed in order to feel good.

• Physiological dependence-chemical need for the drug (experiences withdrawal)

• Addiction- causes persistent, compulsive use of a substance known by the user to be harmful.

Consequences for Babies and Children

• Drugs pass thru placenta to unborn child.– May be spontaneously aborted or born with

birth defects, behavioral problems, or addiction.

– May be born with HIV– Nursing mother can pass drugs through

breast milk

• Children are often neglected and abused

Cost to Society

• Rise in drug related crimes and violence

• Office of National Drug Control Policy- illegal drugs cost the American economy 160 billion per year. – Lost work hours and productivity

• Drug related illnesses, jail time, accidents, and deaths.

• Prevalence• Percent of persons 12 years of age and over

with any illicit drug use in the past month: 7.9 (2004)

• Percent of persons 12 years of age and over with marijuana use in the past month: 6.1 (2004)

• Percent of persons 12 years of age and over with any nonmedical use of a psychotherapeutic drug in the past month: 2.5 (2004)

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http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus06.pdf#067