Warm-Up

1. Warm-Up • Do you consider yourself addicted to anything? If so, how hard do you think it would be to break the habit of doing that action?

2. Drugs and Consciousness

3. Addiction • Addiction is when the body craves something after using it for a while just to feel normal. • Many drugs, including but not limited to, nicotine and alcohol, are considered addictive and are believed to be connected to serious diseases. • Drugs have many affects on consciousness, as they distort perceptions, change moods, and cause people to see or hear things that are not real.

4. Depressants • Depressants slow the activity of the nervous system and gives people a sense of relaxation. • The most widely used depressant is Alcohol. • In low doses alcohol can lead to relaxation. • High doses of alcohol can put a person to sleep or can be lethal. • Intoxication is another word for drunkenness. • The root word is toxic, which means poisoness.

5. Effects of drinking alcohol • Slurred speech, blurred vision, clumsiness • Affected, poor judgement • Lowers inhibitions • More than HALF of all fatal car accidents in the U.S.A. are alcohol related.

6. Narcotics • Narcotics are addictive depressants that have been used to relieve pain and induce sleep. • Derived from the Greek word “narke” meaning numbness. • Many narcotics, including morphine, heroin, and codeine, are derived from the opium poppy plant.

7. Effects of Narcotics Abuse • Morphine is very addictive and became known as the “soldiers disease” after it was introduced during the Civil War to help numb pain on the battlefield. • Heroin is a powerful narcotic that can plunge its users into a deep depression, impair judgment and memory, and leads to comas, contraction of AIDS, and death.

8. Stimulants • Stimulants increase the activity of the nervous system. They speed up heart rate and breathing rate. • Stimulants include nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine.

9. Nicotine • Nicotine is the most common stimulants, and spurs the release of the hormone adrenaline. • Causes alertness, but does not improve ability to perform complex tasks. • Nicotine is as addictive as heroine and is connected to serious health issues. • Over 400,000 people die each year from smoking related illness.

10. Amphetamines • Amphetamines are known for helping people stay awake and for reducing appetite. • They were first used by soldiers during WWII • These are referred to as “speed” or “uppers” and can produce feelings of pleasure. • They can cause hallucinations and delusions, and can push people into deep depression when you come down from the high.

11. Cocaine • Cocaine produces feelings of pleasure, reduces hunger, deadens pain, and boots self-confidence. • Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca plant that grows in the tropics of South America. • The rush from cocaine can speed up the heart rate so much it decreases oxygen levels and can cause death. • Other overdose symptoms include restlessness, insomnia, trembling, headaches, nausea, etc.

12. Hallucinogens • A hallucinogen is a drug that produces hallucinations. It may also cause relaxation or pleasure, but may also incite feelings of panic.

13. Effects • Marijuana impairs perceptions, coordination, memory, and learning. It can cause anxiety and confusion. • LSD, also known as acid, produces hallucinations that is stronger than marijuana and can be quite bizarre. The effects are not predictable and tend to lead to panic in which most users injure themselves.

14. Treatments for Drug Abuse • Detoxification is the removal or a harmful substance from the body. • Maintenance programs are sometimes used for people addicted to narcotics. Participants are given small, controlled doses of the drug. • Counseling can be conducted either individually or in a group. Treats both stimulant and depressant abuse. • Support groups consist of people who share common experiences, concerns, or problems.