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The Reconstructors Opiates and Opinions

Teaching Materials

Episode Five: Opiates and Opinions

©2001 Rice University The Reconstructors™ is a product of the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, Rice University and is funded by the Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award, R25DA11785, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Health.

Episode Five Briefing: Contents

The Reconstructors 2 Opiates and Opinions

OVERVIEW We hope that you and your students extend The Reconstructors™ adventures with activities designed to cover related learning objectives. The activities described in the teaching package are intended for use both before and after students have “played” Episode 5: Opiates and Opinions of The Reconstructors™. The files may be printed for classroom use ONLY. Feel free to adapt these activities to your own classroom needs. Another resource that we suggest is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) web site at http://www.nih.gov. For specific information on drugs, go to the National Institute on Drug Abuse at http://www.nida.nih.gov. This site contains some excellent resources and teaching materials.

If you have specific questions, please contact us.

The Reconstructors Team [email protected]

EPISODE BRIEFING Synopsis of Opiates and Opinions (for Teachers)...................... 3

National Science Education Content Standard Correlation....... 4

Vocabulary Terms .......................................................................... 5

Mission Log .................................................................................... 7 EPISODE DEBRIEFING

Activity 1: It’s All In the Cards............................................................ 9 In this activity, the students will play a game that demonstrates that the point at which drug abuse becomes drug addiction is not the same for all people.

Activity 2: Changing a Life................................................................ 14 In this activity, the students will discuss the environmental, behavioral, social, and genetic factors that influence whether a person becomes addicted to a drug.

Activity 3: Balancing Act................................................................... 19 In this activity, the students will use a balance to model how long-term opiate use affects brain function.

Episode Five Briefing: Opiates and Opinions Synopsis


This synopsis is provided as an overview for TEACHERS. We advise teachers NOT to hand this out to the students prior to playing the adventure since much of the suspense will be eliminated. Delta, Beta, Eureka, and the student must escape from Dr. Morpheus’ underground lab before the facility loses power. The student opens the exit door by playing a concentration-type game in which he/she matches pictures of different types of neurons. Once aboard the Leshner spaceplane, Beta reveals that she still has reservations about allowing opiates to be used in Neuropolis. Delta presents a DVD from Dr. Morpheus’ lab. The DVD contains interviews about opiates and presents four different points of view:

Dr. Lucas (a pain specialist)- describes the reluctance of some patients to use opiates because of exaggerated fears about addiction. Foster (a bone cancer patient)- tells about the use of OxyContin, an opiate introduced in 1995. He describes how the use of this drug to control his severe cancer pain has improved the quality of his life. Tamara (an OxyContin addict)-relates in graphic detail how she became a recreational user of heroin and OxyContin and how these opiates have negatively impacted her life. The B4s (a singing duo)- explain how they use music instead of opiates as their source of pleasure. Minerva, one of the two singers, talks about a friend whose life was ruined by opiates. She also explains how one never knows when drug abuse will become drug addiction. This point is further emphasized with an animation about addiction being influenced by many hidden risk factors; therefore, the amount of drug use needed to cause addiction varies from person to person.

After the student finishes with the DVD, Delta and Beta reaffirm that opiate use in Neuropolis should only be used to treat pain and not to bring about feelings of pleasure. Beta recounts how these drugs can produce intense pleasure by acting on in the brain’s reward pathway. Suddenly, the VIV’s message button glows. It’s Alpha, and he wants everyone return to ORB. In the ORB Briefing Room, Alpha displays a CyNN web page with the Reconstuctors’ new survey to test the public’s knowledge of opiate issues. He prompts the student to see how well he/she will do on survey. Besides completing the questionnaire, the student can also read a news report on the person nabbed as the ORB spy and can participate in a poll on whether opiates should be reintroduced to Neuropolis to treat pain. Alpha believes that the Reconstructors mission to find a new painkiller is now complete. The group needs to turn its attention to other problems such as the set of mysterious teen illnesses in Neuropolis’ tourist district. The series ends. .

Episode Five Briefing: Correlation with Standards


National Science Education Content Standard Correlation Grades 5-8

Instructional Objective Science Content Standard Recognize that opiates generally are non-addictive when used for pain management.

Standard F: All students should develop understanding of personal health.

Examine how the abusive use of an opiate can lead to negative consequences.

Standard F: All students should develop understanding of risk and benefits.

Standard C: All students should develop understanding of regulation and behavior.

Observe that individuals differ as to when drug abuse becomes drug addiction. Recognize that opiates produce pleasure by affecting the brain’s reward pathway.

Standard C: All students should develop understanding of regulation and behavior.

Paraphrase the plot and story line. N/A

Episode Five Briefing: Vocabulary Terms


All of the words below are ones that students will encounter while playing Episode Five: Opiates and Opinions. Their definitions are contained within the adventure in either the InfoArchives or the Glossary. Teachers should alert the students to the hot-linked words in the game. After the game, teachers may want to review the new vocabulary words.

Addiction: a disease in which a person compulsively performs a behavior

(example: drug-taking) even when such behavior leads to negative

consequences. Axon: a long, fiber-like extension of a neuron that transmits signals from the cell

body to the synapse.

Bipolar neuron: a nerve cell that has its dendrites and axon on opposite sides of

its cell body. Many neurons that carry information about the senses are bipolar.

Chronic pain: a pain that may be felt as a continuous ache or one that comes

and goes for months or even years.

Codeine: a naturally-occurring component (alkaloid) of opium. It is capable of

inducing sleep, relieving pain, and causing addiction, but it is weaker than the

opiates morphine and heroin in producing these effects.

Dendrite: a fiber-like extension of a neuron that receives signals from other cells.

Endorphin: a brain chemical that acts like morphine. The word endorphin is a

combination of two words: endogenous, meaning made by the body, and

morphine.

Heroin: an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most

rapidly acting of the opiates. It is made from morphine, a naturally-occurring

substance extracted from the fruit of certain varieties of the poppy plant.

Episode Five Briefing: Vocabulary Terms


Morphine: a naturally-occurring component (alkaloid) of opium. It is the principal

analgesic found in opium and is capable of inducing sleep and causing addiction.

Motor neuron: a neuron that sends signals to muscles. These signals tell the

body to move.

Opiate: Opium, or a drug made from opium.

Opium: the juice from the fruit of the opium poppy. It is capable of relieving pain,

inducing sleep, and causing addiction. It has a milky-white appearance and turns

brown and gummy upon exposure to air.

Purkinje cell: a type of neuron located in the cerebellum. Purkinje cells are

involved in movement.

Reward pathway: the part of the brain where feelings of pleasure are produced.

Synapse: a gap between two neurons. It is the site where signals are

transferred from one neuron to another.

Tolerance: a physiological change resulting from repeated drug use. Tolerance

makes a drug user take larger amounts of the drug to get the same effect initially

felt from a smaller dose.

Episode Five Briefing: Mission Log


Teacher Version TEACHER DIRECTIONS: Ask students to complete the right-hand column as they move through the game. Answers are provided here, but Page 8 has a master that can be copied for students as a handout.

Question Clue

You have just escaped from Dr. Morpheus’ lab with Delta, Eureka, and Beta. Beta states that opiates can control pain because they act on the same part of the brain as the body’s own opioids. What is another name for these opioids?

endorphins (endogenous opioids)

In addition to decreasing pain, what else does Beta say that opiates can do? increase pleasure

In the DVD that Delta plays, Dr. Lucas talks about some of the misunderstandings about pain medication. True or false: Taking pain medication like opiates can immediately cause addiction.

false

In the DVD, Tamara describes a time when she needed ‘oxy’ more frequently and in larger amounts in order to get the same high. Her body had developed __________.

tolerance

True or false: In Foster’s file, he says that he needed opiates in order to treat the pain caused by his cancer. true

In the file on the B4s, Lenny and Minerva talk about the risk of addiction. After how many uses will you become hooked or addicted to drugs? Is it three times, 10 times, 20 times, or an unknown number?

unknown

Conclusion: When is it appropriate to use opiates? Opiates should only be used to treat pain under the supervision of a doctor.

Episode Five Briefing: Mission Log


Name: Class: Date

STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS: Record your observations by correctly answering the following questions as you play The Reconstructors™ Episode 5: Opiates and Opinions.

Question Clue

You have just escaped from Dr. Morpheus’ lab with Delta, Eureka, and Beta. Beta states that opiates can control pain because they act on the same part of the brain as the body’s own opioids. What is another name for these opioids?

In addition to decreasing pain, what else does Beta say that opiates can do?

In the DVD that Delta plays, Dr. Lucas talks about some of the misunderstandings about pain medication. True or false: Taking pain medication like opiates can immediately cause addiction.

In the DVD, Tamara describes a time when she needed ‘oxy’ more frequently and in larger amounts in order to get the same high. Her body had developed __________.

True or false: In Foster’s file, he says that he needed opiates in order to treat the pain caused by his cancer.

In the file on the B4s, Lenny and Minerva talk about the risk of addiction. After how many uses will you become hooked or addicted to drugs? Is it three times, 10 times, 20 times, or an unknown number?

Conclusion: When is it appropriate to use opiates? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Episode Five Debriefing: Teacher Guide


ACTIVITY 1 IT’S ALL IN THE CARDS

When does someone become addicted to a drug? After five uses, ten uses, or fifteen uses? In this activity, the students will play a game that will help demonstrate that a person never knows at what point addiction will occur.

Background Addiction can be defined as the continued and compulsive use of drugs despite the effects on physical and social health. However, the use of a drug does not equal addiction. Initial drug use is voluntary. Some people may be depressed and find a few hours of happiness with a couple of alcoholic drinks or pills. Other people begin taking drugs to relieve the daily pressures of their fast-paced life. The question is: At what point does the use of drugs become addiction? Any use of a mind-altering drug or inappropriate use of medication is drug abuse, but drug addiction is difficult to predict. The point at which a person moves from drug abuse to addiction is specific for each individual. This is because drug addiction involves environmental, social, behavioral, and genetic factors. Two individuals can use the same amount of a drug but react to it in very different ways. The difference between a drug user and a drug addict is that drug addicts have lost control of their drug use. Persons suffering from addiction usually become isolated from the people they care for, have difficulty at work or school, and can become involved in criminal activity. For addicts, their whole life revolves around their drug habit. In this activity, developed by Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) in conjunction with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the students will play a card game that will show them that no one can predict when they will become addicted.



Learning Objectives The student will:

• Distinguish between drug abuse and addiction. • Understand that no one can predict when abuse will become addiction.

Materials

• It’s All in the Cards Student Activity Sheet • Decks of playing cards (one deck for every three to five students)

Procedure 1. Before class:

a. Make a transparency of the game instructions on the It’s All in the Cards Student Activity Sheet.

b. Separate each deck of cards into two stacks. Put the face cards in one stack and the aces and number cards in a second stack.

2. Tell the class that they are going to play a game similar to blackjack. The object of the game is to not go over the switch value.

3. Divide the class into groups of three to five students. Note: It might be beneficial if the instructor demonstrates the game by playing it once with a group of students.

4. In the teacher instructions below, the game is explained in relation to drug addiction. Suggestion: do not give the students the instructions in relation to addiction. This way they can play the game blindly. After they have played the game for the first time, hold a discussion about the meaning of the game. Then have the students replay the game, knowing this time that it relates to drug addiction. See if they change the way they play the game.

5. Teacher instructions:

a. Give each group a deck of cards with the face cards in one pile and the aces and number cards in a second pile. Leave both piles face down.

b. Each student will draw one card from the small pile of cards that contains only the face cards. This is their switch card. The student should place this card face up in front of them. The values shown below for this card represent the point at which drug use has become an addiction.

• A jack has a switch value of 25.

• A queen has a switch value of 35.

• A king has a switch value of 45.

c. Make sure that everyone has drawn a switch card. Then set aside the smaller pile.



d. Now, each student will draw a card face down from the larger pile of cards (the pile containing aces and number cards).

e. THE STUDENT SHOULD NOT LOOK AT THIS CARD.

f. This card is the risk card. The student should place this card face down in front of them. The value of this card will indicate the hidden risks involved in drug addiction. NOTE: You don’t know this value until the game is ending.

g. After each student has drawn a risk card, they will take turns drawing from the pile containing aces and number cards and will place these cards face up in front of them. These are the choice cards. These cards indicate an episode of drug use.

h. Each student can draw as many choice cards as they wish, but explain that the object of the game is to not go over the switch value.

i. The value of the risk cards and choice cards are:

• An ace = 1

• Number cards = the number on the card

j. Each person can stop drawing cards whenever they choose to do so.

k. When everyone is finished drawing choice cards, turn the risk cards over.

l. Ask each student to add up the value of his or her risk card and choice cards for his or her final total.

m. Ask who has a total over their switch value.

6. After everyone has finished, discuss the results. Questions and topics that can be covered:

a. How do the students think the game relates to drug addiction?

b. What are the differences between drug abuse and addiction?

c. How many choice cards did everyone pick?

d. How many people went over or equaled their switch value?

e. Discuss who went over the switch value.

f. Did everyone have the same switch card? Why or why not?

g. Did everyone have the same risk card? Why or why not?

h. Why couldn’t you see your risk card until the end of the game?

7. Have the students repeat the game now that they know that it represents the risk of addiction.

8. After everyone has played a few times, discuss whether people were less risky the second time they played. If so, why? If not, why?



Extension Activities

• Biology: Research the physical changes that occur with drug use and addiction. • Geography: Investigate the different types of illegal drugs that are used in the US. • Mathematics: Calculate the amount of money an addict spends on a drug habit.

Standards National Science Education Standards, Grades 5-8

1. Science Content Standard F: All students should develop understanding of personal health.

2. Science Content Standard F: All students should develop understanding of risks and benefits.

Books

• Johnson, M. 1999. Cross-Addiction: The Hidden Risk of Multiple Addictions. New York: Rosen Pub. Group.

• Lane, J. et al. 2001. Risk and Protective Factors for Adolescent Drug Use : Findings from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Rockville, MD: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• Gfroerer, J.D. 1994. Perceived Availability and Risk of Harm of Drugs: Estimates from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Rockville, MD: US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.

• Shulman, J. 1991. The Drug-Alert Dictionary and Resource Guide. Frederick, MD: Twenty-First Century Books.

• Friedman, D. 1990. Focus on Drugs and the Brain. Frederick, MD: Twenty-First Century Books.

Web Sites

• Mind Over Matter http://www.nida.nih.gov/MOM/MOMIndex.html

• National Institute on Drug Abuse http://www.drugabuse.gov/

• Druguse.com http://www.druguse.com/

Episode Five Debriefing: Student Activity Sheet


IT’S ALL IN THE CARDS People take risks every day. Some people are riskier than others. In this activity developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, you will play a game of risk and learn a little about how much you are willing to risk.

Materials • Two stacks of playing cards • It’s All in the Cards Student Activity Sheet

Procedure 1. Divide into groups of three to five students. 2. Each group should obtain two stacks of cards from their teacher: a small stack and a

larger stack. Instructions for the Game 1. Each person draws one card from the small pile of cards. This is your switch card.

Place this card face up in front of you. a. If you drew a jack, your switch value is 25. b. If you drew a queen, your switch value is 35. c. If you drew a king, your switch value is 45.

2. Make sure that everyone has drawn a switch card. Then set aside the smaller pile. 3. Now each person will draw a card face down from the larger pile (the pile containing

aces and number cards). DO NOT LOOK AT THIS CARD. 4. This card is your risk card. Place this card face down in front of you. NOTE: You

won’t know this value until the game is ending. 5. Now, each person will take turns drawing from the larger pile. Place these cards face

up in front of you. These are your choice cards. 6. Draw as many choice cards as you wish. The value of each card is as follows:

a. An ace = 1 b. Number cards = the number on the card

7. Each person can stop drawing cards whenever they want to. 8. When everyone is finished drawing choice cards, turn the risk cards over. 9. Determine whether or not you went over your switch value. 10. Participate in a discussion about the results of your game. 11. Your teacher may have you play the game again once the class has discussed what the

different cards represent.



ACTIVITY 2 CHANGING A LIFE Why does a person abuse drugs? Why does he or she become addicted? In this activity, the students will discuss the different environmental, behavioral, social, and genetic factors that influence whether a person becomes addicted to drugs.

Background There is no single reason why a person becomes a drug addict. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are a variety of genetic, behavioral, social, and environmental factors that influence the likelihood of getting this disease. For many years, scientists, physicians, and health care workers have been investigating addiction. Some findings indicate that people with stronger coping skills have a lower risk of addiction, while people who have a family history of addiction have a higher risk for the disease. Even age can affect whether a person becomes addicted. The younger a person is when drug abuse starts, the more likely it is that he or she will become addicted. But again, there is no set equation. Family history plus youth does not always equal an addict. However, it is important to be aware of the disease’s risk factors in order reduce the chances of becoming addicted.




• Review a personal account of drug addiction. • Discuss the reasons for and effects of drug addiction. • Identify ways to reduce the risk of addiction.

Materials

• Changing a Life Student Activity Sheets • paper • pen or pencil

Procedure

1. Prior to class, make copies of the Changing a Life Student Activity Sheet.

2. Ask students to explain why they think someone begins to use drugs.

3. Discuss with students some risk factors for addiction as described in the background section of this lesson. Write these factors on the board.

4. Divide the class into groups.

5. Ask the students to read A Story of Addiction on the student activity sheet.

6. Ask the students in each group to imagine, if they were the main character of the story, how they could have prevented addiction from occurring. Ask them to rewrite the story to include their ideas. Suggest that the students keep in mind all the reasons for addiction that are on the board.

7. After the groups have finished, discuss the different stories.



Extension Activities • Science: Investigate genetic factors that influence risk of addiction. • Science: Research why pain sufferers who use opiate analgesics are at a low risk

for addiction. • Language Arts: Interview a physician or mental health care worker involved in

treating persons with substance abuse problems. • History: Research the history of drug treatment.

Standards National Science Education Standards, Grades 5-8

• Science Content Standard F: All students should develop understanding of personal health.

• Science Content Standard F: All students should develop understanding of risks and benefits.

Books • Gordon, H.W. and Glantz, M.D. (Eds.). 1996. Individual Differences in the

Biobehavioral Etiology of Drug Abuse. Rockville, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse.

• Bulgakov, M. 1995. Morphine: A Country Doctor’s Notebook. London The Harvill Press.

Web Sites

• Partnership for a Drug-Free America http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/

• National Institute on Drug Abuse http://www.drugabuse.gov/

• Don’t Risk Using Get Smart http://www.druguse.com/



CHANGING A LIFE Why does a person abuse dugs? Why does he or she become addicted? In Episode Five of the Reconstructors web adventure, you were introduced to Tamara, a young person who struggled with opiate addiction. Now read Brandon’s story and help change his life for the better.

Materials

• pencil • Changing a Life Student Activity Sheet

Procedure

1. Discuss the reasons why some people begin to use drugs.

2. Split up into groups.

3. Read A Story of Addiction.

4. As a group, try to think of ways to help Brandon avoid addiction. Next, rewrite the story to include these ideas.

5. Discuss your story with the class.



CHANGING A LIFE A Story of Addiction I love baseball and French fries and girls who talk to me. I love my parents and my little sister and my best friend Dennis. I love the movie “Spiderman” and the Houston Astros and my car. What I don’t love is drugs. I started doing drugs when I got depressed. I hurt myself during a baseball game, and they benched me. I was the star, the MVP, and I wasn’t playing. I was mad and depressed. Some guy told me to take a hit of heroin. He said it’d help take the edge off; just a couple of puffs of heroin and everything would be okay. I knew he was wrong. I knew he was lying. I knew that he said it wouldn’t hurt so I would buy some from him, and he could use the money for his own drugs. But I didn’t listen to myself. You know, people look a lot like vegetables when they’re on drugs. They look and act like a limp, lifeless, piece of spinach lying on the floor. I looked like spinach and smelled like vomit. I didn’t bathe when I was smoking heroin, and sometimes it made me throw up all over myself. I was messed up. Everyone tried to get me off drugs, but I was stupid and didn’t listen to them. “You look like you’re dead,” they’d say. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t do anything anymore but smoke that junk. You’re killing yourself,” my friends would say. My parents kept trying to figure out why I was acting so strange, but I shut them out. I knew that I should quit, but I couldn’t stop. My brain hurt, it really hurt. Every day with drugs was a nightmare, but I didn’t know what to do. I was skinny, and my skin was a really strange, pale green color. I was confused. I wanted my friends to slap me and force me to stop. But I hid. Hid from my friends, hid from my family, hid from the mirrors. I didn’t want to look at myself. I wasn’t cool. I wasn’t myself. I don’t know who I was. I hit bottom after the New Year. I really wanted to go to spring training, and I decided to get myself off drugs. No one plays first base like me, and I wasn’t going to give it up without a fight. But I didn’t ask for help, and quitting drugs isn’t easy. I was sick and felt like crap. My body was so used to the heroin that it wouldn’t function without it. I chickened out and went back to smoking heroin. I got so high that I thought I was going to die. My heart was beating so hard that it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe, and I was choking on my own saliva. I passed out and somehow ended up in the hospital. When I woke up I was sweating like a pig. Someone had tied me to the bed, and I couldn’t move. I started screaming and kicking but it only caused burns on my wrist and ankles. So I lay there alone, again wishing I had never taken drugs. I’ve been in rehab for about two weeks now. Two long weeks. It’s hard; it’s the hardest thing I have ever done, but I want my life back. The choice is simple: live without drugs, or die with them. I keep thinking of all the things I did wrong, like all of the people that I hurt and all of the mistakes that I made. I know that there were some ways I could have prevented my addiction. What would you have done in my place?



ACTIVITY 3 BALANCING ACT

In this activity, the students will model how long-term opiate use leads to tolerance and dependence.

Background Drug addiction is not considered to be a brain disease by many in society. Instead, it is regarded as "just a lot of drug-taking” and a symptom of a weak moral character. Contrary to this popular belief, scientific evidence reveals that long-term use of opiates or other addictive substances causes changes in how the neurons of the brain function. Although some of these changes disappear after drug use is stopped, others may be permanent. Tolerance is one condition that can result from long-term drug use. A person who has become tolerant to an opiate must take a higher dose of the drug in order to produce the same effect once experienced with a smaller dose. The reason for this is that opiates change how the brain's nerve cells communicate with each other. To put it another way, the drug puts the functions of the cells out of balance. To counterbalance the drug's actions and normalize brain function, the cells undergo changes that make them less sensitive to the opiate. These changes can be overcome if the user takes a higher dose of the drug. If a long-term opiate user suddenly stops taking the drug, he or she will experience an illness known as withdrawal syndrome. The changed nerve cells depend on the drug to act as a counterbalance and cannot function normally without it. Heroin withdrawal causes a variety of symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle and bone pain. The user will also have intense cravings for the drug because of the dependent neurons. Cravings, which are the major reason that drug addicts relapse, can be relieved with methadone. Methadone is a synthetic opiate that satisfies the neurons' need for an opiate without causing euphoria.




• Recognize that drug addiction is a brain disease. • Model how long-term opiate use produces tolerance and dependence.

Materials

• Hershey's® Kisses or other miniature candies wrapped in assorted colors (at least three different colors)

• small plastic bags • simple, two-pan balances

Procedure 1. This activity requires the use of three different colored candies of about equal weight.

Before class begins, sort the candies by color. Place three of one color, three of a second color, and three of a third color in a small plastic bag. Make candy bags for each group of students that will be performing this activity.

2. Begin the class by discussing with the students why drug addiction is considered a disease. In the discussion, include information on tolerance as an effect of long-term drug use.

3. Tell students that they will perform an activity that models how drug tolerance develops. Divide the class into groups of three to five students. Give each group a balance and demonstrate how to adjust the instrument so that the two pans are balanced (horizontal). Tell the students that the balance represents the normal state of the brain.

4. Give each group a bag of candy. One color of candy will represent an opiate, such as morphine or heroin; the second color will represent brain changes; and the third color will represent the opiate methadone. On the board, write down what each color represents.

5. Have students put drugs into the brain by adding one "opiate" candy to a pan of the balance. Ask students what the out-of-balance scale represents (i.e., changes in nerve cell communication). Prompt them to relate their observations to the drug's effects.



6. To counteract the effect of the drug, have the students make adjustments in the brain by placing one "brain changes" candy in the other pan of the balance.

7. Have students put more drugs into the brain by adding a second "opiate" candy onto the balance. Question them as to how the higher total dose (two candies) relates to tolerance, and then have them add another "brain changes" candy to the other side of the balance.

8. Repeat Step #7 and then ask the students to remove all of the "opiate" candies from the balance. Discuss with students how the sudden cessation of drug use causes withdrawal illness and dependence.

9. Tell the students to place three "methadone" candies on the empty pan. Discuss with students what methadone is and how it is used in treatment for opiate addiction.



Extension Activities • Biology: Research how opiates affect parts of the body other than the brain. • Biology: Research behavioral therapies used in opiate addiction treatment. • Mathematics: Create a pie chart that compares the amount of money spent on

addiction research with the amount spent on cancer, AIDS, and heart disease. Standards National Science Education Standards, Grades 5-8

• Science Content Standard C: All students should develop understanding of regulation and behavior.

• Science Content Standard F: All students should develop understanding of personal health.

Books

• Goldstein, A. 1994. Addiction: From Biology to Drug Policy. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.

• Web Sites

• Addiction is a Brain Disease http://www.nap.edu/issues/17.3/leshner.htm

• National Institute on Drug Abuse: Mind Over Matter http://www.nida.nih.gov/MOM/OP/MOMOP1.html

• National Institute on Drug Abuse: Neurobiology of Drug Addiction

http://www.nida.nih.gov/pubs/teaching/Teaching2/Teaching4.html

• The Opium Kings: Heroin in the Brain http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/brain/



BALANCING ACT Opiates and other addictive drugs change the way that the brain's nerve cells communicate with each other. In this activity, you will use a balance to model how long-term opiate use affects brain function.

Materials

• simple, two-pan balance • bag with nine candies (three wrapped in one color paper, three in a second color,

and three in a third color)

Procedure

1. Set up the balance and perform the activity according to the teacher's instructions.

2. Participate in the class discussion of how long-term opiate use affects brain function.

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