Drug Use Flashcards
What is drug abuse?
Continued use despite negative consequences
What is physical and psychological dependence?
Psychological dependence: emotional attachment to use of drug
Physical dependence: when a person develops tolerance, and needs more and more of a drug
What is intoxication?
Behavioural, psychological, and physical changes that occur as a result of substance use
What is withdrawal?
Symptoms that cause distress when use of drug stops
What is polyabuse?
Use of more than one drug
What are concurrent disorders?
Have a substance use problem and health issue
What are routes of drug administration?
- Inhalation and intravenous injection is the fastest
- Intramuscular
- Subcutaneous
What are factors that impact responses to drugs?
- Chemical composition
- Dosage
- Site of action/means of administration
- Toxicity (level at which drug causes temporary or permanent damage)
- Tolerance (metabolism, cross tolerance so if you have tolerance to meth, you may be tolerant of amphetamine)
- Setting
- Individual factors (weight, gender, age, genes, health, mind set, physical state)
What are the effects of caffeine?
- Drowsiness
- Helps in performance of repetitive work
- Boost for athletic events
What are the benefits of caffeine?
Potential benefits for Parkinson’s, cancers, heart disease, and eating disorders
What are the consequences of caffeine?
- Dependence
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Rapid breathing
- Upset stomach and bowels
- Dizziness
Bladder cancer in men, could cross placenta into tissues of growing fetus, increased risk of miscarriage
Discuss drug use on campus.
- Alcohol is most common, then energy drinks
- Marijuana is most common illegal drug
- Factors include whether of not students will use drugs include perception of risk, alcohol use, environment, and perceived peer use
- Pain killers and stimulants are most common prescription drugs used that were not prescribed
- Ecstasy and ADHD drug usage have increased in high school females
- Binge drinking, energy drinks, cannabis, opioids, and cigarette use decreased
- 1/6 students report symptoms of a drug use problem using CRAFFT
What are the classes of drugs?
- Diuretics (increase urine)
- Analgesics (reduce pain)
- Stimulants (produce nervous system excitement)
- Depressants (slow down brain activity)
- Hallucinogens (alter reality)
- Opiods
- Cannabis
- Inhalants (can be depressants)
- Club drugs (can be stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens)
How do you fight drug addiction?
- Know the problem
- Compulsive and frequent use
- Dependence
- Loss of control
- Denial
- Using drugs in dangerous situations
- Negative consequences
- Unsuccessfully try to stop many times
- Interference with health, family life, relationships, work or school - Must determine level of addiction (CRAFFT screener or DSM-IV Diagnostic Critera)
- Ridden in CAR driven by someone who was on drugs
- Use drugs to RELAX or fit in
- Use drugs ALONE
- FORGET things when using drugs
- FRIENDS tell you to cut down
- Gotten into TROUBLE when using drugs - Treatment plan may consist of individual therapy, marital/family therapy, medication, and behaviour therapy
- Get help at Wellness Education Centre, Student Health Services, hospital, drug and alcohol helpline
What do stimulants do?
- Act on CNS
- Effects include increased energy, euphoria, high, restlessness, talkative, difficulty sleeping
Talk about amphetamines.
- Stimulant
- Lab made
- Euphoria, confidence, energy, increased ability to concentrate, impulsiveness, confidence
- Speeds up body processes
- Suppresses appetite
- Counteracts fatigue and boredom
- Long term produces stimulant psychosis
Talk about MDMA (ecstasy).
- Stimulant
- Increased heart rate, energy, muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, chills, sweating, raised body temperature
- Muscle breakdown, kidney and cardiovascular failure
- Psychological difficulties include confusion, depression, sleep problems, severe anxiety, paranoia
- Leads to psychological dependence
- Long term changes to brain, memory, learning, intelligence
Talk about meth.
- Stimulant
- White, odorless, bitter
- Smoked or injected, lasts 8-14 hours
- Memory loss, state dependence, aggression
- Cardic and neurological damage, psychosis, death
Talk about cocaine.
- Stimulant
- Directly stimulates pleasure centers in brain
- Cause you to ignore other needs
- Intense, immediate, brief high
- Astonishing surge in mental, physical, and sexual power
- Sniffing, snorting, injecting, smoking
- Depression, paranoia, aggression
- Heart attacks, seizures, psychosis
What do depressants do?
Chemical substances that produce muscular relaxation and relief from anxiety and tension
Slow activity of nervous system; effects range from mild sedation to death
Talk about inhalants.
- Depressant
- Lightheadedness, exhilaration, hallucinations, recklessness, slowed reflexes
- Nausea, coughing, abnormal heart rhythms, hepatitis, lever or kidney failure, coma, brain damage, death of asphyxiation
Talk about hypnotics.
- Depressant
- Promotes mental calmness, reduces anxiety
- Promotes sleep or drowsiness
- Eg. benzodiazepines or barbituates
What do hallucinogens do?
- Alter perception, mood, sensation, experience
- Unpredictable
- Person is aware they are tripping; influenced by setting
- Tolerance quickly but not so much addiction
- Potent
- Sense of power, violent urges, panic attacks, convulsions
Talk about marijuana.
- Can be hallucinogenic (relaxation, tranquility, anxiety, paranoia)
- Effects depend on expectations (how long smoke stays in lungs, peaks occur at 30-60 minutes, oral administration takes 3x higher the dose for same effect)
- Can take 2-3 weeks to get out of system because fat soluble
- Long term effects include respiratory problems, sperm, cancer
- Amotivational syndrome: apathy
