Drugs and you

Question 1

what is alcohol content measured in?

Answer 1

units of alcohol

Question 2

what does drinking alcohol increase?

Answer 2

reaction times and increases the risk of accidents

Question 3

how can the liver be damaged by alcohol? what is this called?

Answer 3

the liver is damaged when it breaks down toxic chemicals such as alcohol. This is called cirrhosis of the liver.

Question 4

name the 5 different types of drugs and give two examples of each one…

Answer 4

depressants (alcohol, solvents), pain killers (aspirin, paracetamol), stimulants (nicotine, caffeine), performance enhancers (anabolic steroids) and hallucinogens (LSD).

Question 5

what effect do depressants have on humans?

Answer 5

they block the transmissions of nerve impulses across synapses by binding with receptor molecules in the membrane of the receiving neurone

Question 6

what does cigarette smoke contain?

Answer 6

many chemicals that stop cilia moving

Question 7

where is the cilia found?

Answer 7

cilia are found in the epithelial lining of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles

Question 8

what are cilias?

Answer 8

tiny hairs

Question 9

what is a smokers cough caused by?

Answer 9

a build up of mucus in the lungs not being moved by the cilia

Question 10

what effect do stimulants have on humans?

Answer 10

they cause more neurotransmitter substances to cross synapses

Question 11

what is thalidomide?

Answer 11

a sleeping pill

Question 12

what was wrong with thalidomide on babies?

Answer 12

it caused deformity

Question 13

what is thalidomide used for today?

Answer 13

curing leprosy

Question 14

what are the 3 stages new drugs have to go through?

Answer 14

toxicity trials (in a lab on animals, tissue, cells…), clinical trials (on volunteers), further trials (double blind trials e.g. placebo and real)

Question 15

what is cirrhosis of the liver?

Answer 15

when alcohol creates scar tissue which stops blood from flowing through liver, causing it to disfunction

Question 16

what does the liver do?

Answer 16

processes nutrients, produces proteins, stores sugar/glycogen and helps body fight infection

Question 17

what effect does stopping taking alcohol or nicotine have?

Answer 17

withdrawal effect

Question 18

what is a gateway drug?

Answer 18

a drug that leads you onto a harder, stronger drug

Question 19

what do anabolic steroids do?

Answer 19

build muscle in a short amount of time

Question 20

what do depressants do?

Answer 20

slow down the workings of the brain

Question 21

what do hallucinogens do?

Answer 21

distort what a person sees and hears

Question 22

what do painkillers do?

Answer 22

stop nerve impulses so no pain is felt

Question 23

what do performance enhancers do?

Answer 23

develop muscle

Question 24

what do stimulants do?

Answer 24

increase heart rate

Question 25

what is ‘tolerance’?

Answer 25

when a person has been taking a drug for a long time they find they need to take larger doses of the drug to get a same effect

Question 26

what are the main chemicals in tobacco smoke?

Answer 26

carbon monoxide, tar, particulates

Question 27

if any of these chemicals get into the blood what can they cause?

Answer 27

heart disease, emphysema, bronchitis and cancer

Question 28

enzymes in the liver break down the toxic chemicals to become other toxic chemicals, which are? then they are later broken down into what?

Answer 28

acetaldehyde and acetic acid. Eventually these are further broken down into carbon dioxide and water