PASS Substance Misuse Flashcards
Define substance misuse
Harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances such as alcohol or illicit drugs
Types of substances
Stimulants
Hallucinogens
Depressants
Volatile substances + designer drugs
Describe stimulants
Examples
Make you feel more alert + like you have more energy + confidence
e.g. tobacco, cocaine, amphetamine
Describe hallucinogens
Examples
- Mind altering
- Change your perception, mood + senses
- e.g. LSD, magic mushrooms
Describe depressants
Examples
- make you feel relaxed
- e.g. alcohol, heroin, ketamine + cannabis
What substance has the highest dependence + physical harm risk?
Heroin
Why does substance use decreases in 40-50s?
- Age range when most people start to ask for help
- typically has the biggest impact on life (relationships, health, work)
What are the types of dependence?
Physical
Psychological
What is physical dependence?
Experiencing symptoms associated with withdrawal from substance
What is psychological dependence?
- Dependance related to having impaired control
- Emotional–motivational withdrawal symptoms
- ‘Crutch of one’s life’
Risk factors for drug use
- mental health
- employment or education issues
- social groups
- previous drug use
- biology (positive effect > more likely to continue)
- family issues - adverse childhood experiences
Define tolerance
A persons reduced response to a drug which occurs when used repeatedly as the body adapts to continued presence of drug
Models to aid understanding drug use
Moral model
Social learning model
Disease model
Socio-cultural model
Physical effects of drug misuse
- Dependance
- Complications of injecting (DVT, abscesses)
- blood borne virus transmission
- poor pregnancy outcomes
Social effects of drug misuse
- Effects on family
- drive to criminality
- imprisonment
- social exclusion
