Drugs and Alcohol

1. Drugs and Alcohol Live and Let Live Share By: Bria Riley

2. Caffeine • Caffeine is the most common drug used in America. • It is a stimulant, therefore, it gives you more energy. • Effects: energy • Withdrawal symptoms include headaches, irritability, insomnia, drowsiness, trouble concentrating, and stomach, upper body, and joint pains. • Many headache medicines such as Excedrin contain caffeine because the most headaches are caused by not getting your caffeine. • Forbidden in Mormon religion for its addictive reasons.

3. Nicotine • Nicotine is the reason why cigarettes are addictive. That is why methods of quitting smoking include electronic cigarettes, nicotine pills, nicotine patch, and nicotine gums. • Effects: feeling good, energy • It is very similar to caffeine with being a stimulant. • Similar withdrawal symptoms as caffeine: headaches, depression, difficultly concentrating, irritability, and increase in appetite. • Babies who are exposed in utero have risks of being born with low birth weight • Risks: lung cancer and other respiratory and health problems from smoking.

4. Alcohol • Alcohol is commonly used in social settings (parties, clubs, bars, etc.) • It is consumed by drinking it. • It decreases your inhibitions giving you feelings of relaxation and making your less anxious and more outgoing. That is why it is commonly misconceived as a stimulant, but it is really a DEPRESSANT. • Fermented- examples include beer and wine. It is the process of turning sugars into acids such as ethanol (drinking alcohol). • Distilled- examples include vodka, everclear, brandy, whisky, and tequila. It is the process of dividing two substances based on differences in components. Distilled beverages are hard liquors. Vodka is the purest of all hard liquors. In reality, everclear is the purest, but it is illegal in many US states and used and sold less often. • Illegal BAC (Blood Alcohol Consumption) is .08 in most states. Any BAC over 0.00 for someone under 21 is automatically illegal. • Effects: decrease of inhibitions, relaxation, less anxiety, being more open • Drinking age is 21 • Most drinking is done by young adults • Addiction is highly hereditary. • Withdrawal includes seizures, rapid heart rate, tremors, hallucinations, weakness, depression, confusion, delirium, hyperthermia (fever), high blood pressure, diarrhea, irritability, insomnia, and DEATH • Men have better alcohol tolerance than woman. Factors of tolerance include gender, size, ethnicity, amount of food in your stomach. • Proof is alcohol percentage times two. Example 8% times 2= 16 proof • Consumed for feeling vs. the taste • Teen should NOT drink because of a variety factors: emotional responses still changing, still growing, and addiction being more possible due to pleasure centers in brain developing before decision-making center. • When body is absorbing alcohol, glucose production stops. • Not digested like other foods. • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)- permanent disability of a baby who was born to a mother who drank during her pregnancy. • Risks: Alcohol poisoning, intoxication, ending up in situations that result is legal trouble, STDS, unwanted pregnancy,, and violence

5. Marijuana (Cannabis) • A drug that comes from cannabis plant. It has a plant-like appearance. • Street names: pot, grass, maryjane, ganja, bud, herb, hay, and toke. • Recreational drug. Depressant/ • Effects: “munchies” ( extreme appetite), slow reaction time, red eyes, dry mouth, rapid heart great, hypertension (high blood pressure), increased breathing, trouble concentrating, trouble coping with feelings, and depression. • Taken via smoking, edibles, and medicinal. • “Gateway drug” leading to more harder drugs.

6. Heroin • Street names: boy, H, horse, junk, smack, Harry, goods, white girl, skag, mud, black tar, and brown sugar. • Consumed via snorting, smoking (black tar), and injection. People start out snorting or smoking. They start shooting it after their tolerance increases and they want the same high. • Depressant and semi-synthetic opioid (not an actual opioid; just built off of an opioid substance. In this case it is oxycontin) • Similar to alcohol. • Pain killer. • Effects: pain relief (emotional and physical), feeling numb, makes you forget, euphoria, better sexual performance in the beginning in some cases, tiredness, fatigue. • Same high as oxycontin, but much cheaper. • Began as treatment for morphine addiction • Methadone helps with addicts who aren’t ready to withdrawal, yet can live normal lives. But it is still addictive and sold on streets. • When heroin is combined with fentanyl (street brand Mac 22) it results in overdose just like if it combined with any other depressant due to slowing the bodily functions down. • VERY addictive. Some become addicted on first attempt. • Withdrawal is VERY painful. Suboxon and other medications such as semitex areused to subside. One of the reasons is the body is learning to feel pain because heroin has taken over those feeling receptors. Symptoms: cold sweats, chills, severe muscle and bone aches, nausea, watery eyes,and cramp-like pains and involuntary spasms in the limbs, depression, and sleep difficulties. • Effects endorphins (pleasure receptors). Releasing excess dopamine (pleasure-feeling chemical). • Risks: overdose, infections from injection and snorting, HIV and AIDs from injection, permanent damage to body systems from all uses (veins collapse), damage to lungs from smoking, and disabilities.

7. Methamphetamine (Meth) • Street names: speed. Crank, crystal, ice, glass, fire, go fast, tweak, chalk, Tina, bennies, black beauties, crosses, hearts, LA, turnaround, truck drivers. (The name varies by method used to take it. Ex: ice is injection; crystal, crank, and speed are smoked. Other names aren’t used very often) • It is a stimulant. • Consumed via smoking, snorting, and injection. • Just like heroin is to oxycontin in terms of price and same high, methamphetamine is to cocaine. • Effects: more energy, delusions, paranoia, and violent behavior. • Risks: heart attack and stroke. • Withdrawal: fatigue, depression, headaches, agitation, restlessness, excessive sleeping, vivid or lucid dreams, sleep, and suicidal ideation. • Meth exposed babies have risks of ADD/ADHD, heart attack, stroke, low birth weight, addiction, and damage to vital organs.

8. Prescription Pain Killers • Vicodin (acetaminophen/hydrocodone)- A combo of the two painkillers acetaminophen and hydrocodone. It is less strong, but the effects of the hydrocodone stand out due to the combination of acetaminophen. It is an opioid (narcotic). Street names: vikes and hydros. • Oxycotin (oxycodone)- Opioid similar to morphine. Synthetic version of the semi-synthetic opioid heroin. Used for moderate to severe pain. Must be used for pain that requires relief for a regular basis. Street names: roxys, hillbilly heroin, Doctor shopping, blue, cotton, pharming, pill ladies, oxys, Ocs, Os, Ox, oxicotten, oxy 80’s, oxycet. • Xanax (alprazolam)- A benzodiazepine (benzo, a nerve medication). Used to treat panic attacks and anxiety disorders. Slows down movements of brain chemicals that might be unbalanced which makes nervous system less tense. Street names: z-bars, handle bars, footballs, white girls, white boys, school bus, bicycle parts • Percocet (acetaminophen/oxycodone)- Combo of the pain relievers oxycodone and acetaminophen. Acetaminophen increases the effects of the oxycodone. Used to treat moderate to severe pain. Streetnames: percs, blue dynamite, Paulas, roxicotton, roxi’s. • Hydrocodone- Used to treat moderate pain. Opiate derivatives. • Fentanyl- Pain killer 100 times stronger than morphine. Only used for excruciating pain that can not be helped by other meds. When combined with heroin (Mac 22), it causes a fatal overdose and ultimately death. Streetnames: tango, cash, China white, China girl, goodfella, friend, dance fever, TNT, murder 8 • Morphine-An opioid. Two types: short-acting (as needed) and extended release ( regular basis). For moderate to severe pain. Street names: Duramorph, Miss Emma, and M. • Methadone- An opioid similar to morphine. Used to treat other addiction without causing the “high” associated with the addiction. Addictive in itself. • Become addictive due to when treating physical pain, numbing emotional pain. • Can be smoked off of tinfoil and a straw, crushed and snorted, and crushed and injected. • Effects: emotional numbing, tiredness, forgetfulness. • Risks: overdose and damage to vital organs

9. Cocaine/Crack • Stimulant • Known as a rich man’s drug due to expense. Commonly used by movie stars you see in tabloids. • From coca plans in South America. • Street names: C, coke, snow, Charlie, flake, blow, bump, nose candy, rock, toot, liquid lady, he or she, and nosebleed. • Effects: energy, paranoia, violent and aggressive behavior. • Withdrawal: similar to meth. • Crack: purest form of cocaine but cheaper due to make. Can be taken via smoking, injection, and snorting.

10. Hallucinogens • LSD-(lysergic acid diethylamide). Very strong hallucinogen. Most powerful hallucinogen that exists. Street names: acid, battery acid, blotter, boomers, California sunshine, cids, doses, dots, golden dragons, heavenly blue, hippie, loony tunes, microdot, purple heart, pane, tab, window pane, yellow sunshine, and zen. • PCP-(Phencyclidine). Originally used as anesthesia, but caused symptoms of psychosis (hallucinations, delirium, mania) Street names: Angel dust • Caused “trips”. In other words, psychosis with hallucinations, delirium, mania, violent behavior, etc. • Very dangerous and can lead to all types of risky dangers in reality while “tripping”. It can lead to extreme fear, euphoria, and any feeling the person has on their trip.

11. Ecstasy • (MDMA ,3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) • Club drug • A stimulant similar to methamphetamine. • Street names: MDMA, E, Adam, XTC, Clarity, Essence, Hug Drug, Love Drug • Taken by snorting and taking oral tablets.

12. Objects • Bong- • Hookah- • pipe- • Vaporizer- • Bubbler- • Disclaimer: These are only a few objects. There are many different kinds of pipes, objects, and different shapes of certain objects. For more pictures, use google images. If you recognize something that may look like drug paraphernalia, try to find out what it is. This is just to give you an idea what some objects look like. Pipes are also being made to look like ordinary objects these day such as makeup brushes to conceal them.

13. Final • Over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol are also used o get high. Some chemicals in these medicines are used to make illegal drugs. Ex: One of meth’s ingredients is from over-the-counter cough syrup • ADD/ ADHD drugs are stimulants, therefore, they are also used to get high such as Ritalin. • With every drug, there is risk of an overdose and damage to vital organs. • The drugs both the mother and father do have an impact on the unborn child. The father could cause a birth defect and less chance of certain traits. The mother should abstain from any use of drugs or alcohol while she is pregnant or plans on becoming pregnant.