How Drugs Affect the Mind: Understanding the Mechanism of Action and Consequences

1. DRUGS & MIND ALTERING SUBSTANCES

2. How do drugs work??? • Nerve cells in the brain are called neurons. These neurons "talk" to each other by passing chemicals back and forth, just like passing notes in class. The neurons' "notes" are called neurotransmitters, and they are manufactured in vesicles in the nerve cell. Neurotransmitters include serotonin, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, histamine and about two dozen others.

3. How do drugs work??? • The nerve cells are separated by a small space called a "synapse." When a message moves down the axon of the pre-synaptic neuron, neurotransmitters are released from the vesicle. These chemicals (or notes) cross the synapse to the post-synaptic neuron, where they bind with receptors specifically designed to receive them, much as a key is designed to fit into a specific lock.

4. How do drugs work??? • Many nerve cells have receptors that are sensitive to various drugs. These drugs operate on the "lock-and-key" principle, where the drug can be thought of as the "key" that either (1) fits into the "lock," causing the nerve cell (neuron) to discharge its chemicals, or (2) "jams" the lock, preventing the nerve cell from discharging.

5. How do drugs work??? • Ex.) -Narcotics mimic endorphins and lock into opiate receptor sites. - Hallucinogens mimic serotonin - Cocaine blocks the re-uptake of neurotransmitters → causing severe depression when coming down. - Methamphetamines cause the release of neurotransmitters in greater amounts - THC mimics anandamide and interferes with the cannabinoid receptor sites.

6. What is a Drug? • Drug – any chemical other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body.

7. Why some people use Drugs? • Many people believe that every problem, no matter how large or small, has or should have chemical solutions. • Examples: • For fatigue = caffeine • For insomnia = sleeping pills • For anxiety or boredom = alcohol/drugs

8. Health Consequences of Drug Use • Physical Consequences- Once a drug enters the bloodstream, it can harm a user’s brain, heart lungs, and other vital organs. • Mental & Emotional Consequences- drugs cloud reasoning and thinking, and users lose control of their behavior. (lose sight of values) • Social Consequences- substance abuse can have negative effect on relationships with friends and family members. List examples:

9. DRUG USE… A HIGH RISK BEHAVIOR!! • Substance abuse is a high risk behavior that includes misusing legal drugs or using illegal drugs or other chemicals • People abuse drugs for a number of reasons, none of them healthful! 1. Teenagers – the highest percentage of use is with people between the ages of 18-25

10. Why do teenagers abuse drugs??? • A way to be accepted with peers • Influenced by the media • Curious • A way of rebelling • Escape pressures - Adults? - Athletes?

11. Misuse Using the drug incorrectly due to ignorance Taking the drug with the wrong food Stopping the drug too soon Abuse 1. intentionally misusing the drug normally for a desired effect What is the difference between drug use and abuse?

12. Dangers of substance abuse • Some drugs have side effects – • can range from minor to deadly. • Illegal drugs can be especially dangerous because there are no controls or means of monitoring these substances for quality, purity, or strength.

13. Dangers of drug abuse • Overdose – is a strong or fatal reaction to taking a large amount of drug. Often, overdoses occur when alcohol and other drugs are combined. • When drug abuse involves injecting substances through a needle, hepatitis B or HIV can occur • People who experiment with drugs tend to lose control…can lead to STD’s or pregnancies

14. Dangers of substance abuse • Risk to unborn and newborns: 1. breast milk – can pass from mother to infant. 2. Can cause miscarriage or premature birth 3. Can cause birth defect, mental retardation

15. CLASSIFICATIONS OF DRUGS(Psychoactive) • Stimulants- Drugs that speed up activities of the central nervous system (CNS) • Depressants- Psychoactive drugs that slow brain and body reactions. • Narcotics (opiates)- natural or synthetic drugs that relieve pain and cause drowsiness. • Inhalants- Drugs that are inhaled or breathed in through the nose to produce the desired effect. • Hallucinogens- Psychoactive drugs that alter perception, thought, and mood.

16. CLASSIFICATIONS OF DRUGS cont. • Prescription Medicines – cannot be used without the written approval of a licensed physician. • Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines – you can buy these without a prescription

17. Psychoactive Drugs • Psychoactive drugs – those designed to alter a person’s experiences or consciousness. (nicotine, heroin, cocaine, alcohol, steroids, LSD, marijuana) • Psychoactive drugs cause intoxication • Intoxication – a state in which sometimes unpredictable physical and emotional changes occur. • A person who is intoxicated may experience a difference in emotions and judgment.

18. 1. STIMULANTS • Drugs which cause the body systems to speed up • Effects: increased heart rate and breathing, increased blood pressure, dilated pupils, decreased appetite, dry mouth, dizziness, sweating, headache, blurred vision, sleeplessness, anxiety, moodiness • Very high doses: irregular heartbeat, tremors, high fever, heart failure • How it enters the body: swallowed, snorted, injected

19. STIMULANTS • Amphetamines - people use them illegally to stay awake and alert, to improve athletic performance, to lose weight, etc. • Methamphetamine – fumes alone can be deadly • Cocaine – powerful stimulant – regular use can lead to depression, edginess, weight loss, and physiological dependence • Con’t. use can destroy the nasal septum. Can cause heart attacks due to disturbing electrical impulses of the heart. Can occur on the first use! • The drug, not the user, control the shots • Crack - a form of cocaine

20. Speed Uppers Crank Pep pills Medical use Treats hyperactive children Treats narcolepsy Used for weight control Bumble bees Hearts Footballs Christmas trees Black beauties Stimulants –slang names

21. “Meth Mouth” • Experts believe that meth ravages teeth by drying up saliva and leaving users with “dry mouths.” • Without saliva, bacteria in the mouth multiply, leading to decay. • Dentists report that healthy teeth can become rotten from even a few months of meth use.

23. Long- Term Effects of Meth Use • Hallucinations • Disorganized lifestyle • Violent and aggressive behavior • Permanent psychological problems • Behavior resembling paranoid schizophrenia • Poor coping abilities • Disturbance of personality development • Lowered resistance to illnesses • Possible brain damage

26. 2. DEPRESSANTS • Depresses or slows down the central nervous system. alcohol can prove fatal. Users feel no pain or fear. • Effects: similar to the effects of alcohol *small doses – calmness, relaxed muscles * larger doses – slurred speech, impaired judgment, impaired coordination *very large doses – respiratory depression, coma, death How it enters the body: swallowed

27. 2. Depressants • Medical use: to stop convulsions, relief of tension and anxiety, to induce sleep • Slang names: yellow jackets, reds, red devils, blues, ludes, barbs, downers, yellows • Drugs: barbiturates, tranquilizers, alcohol, methaqualone

28. 3. Narcotics • Powders ranging from white to dark brown; tablets, capsules, liquid. Comes from the poppy plant or it is synthetic • Effects: stimulates a burst of euphoria, often followed by drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. Ravages the body and is extremely addictive. When paired with alcohol, heroin is easy to overdose on.

29. 3. Narcotics • Short term problems: breathing problems, nausea, vomiting, constipation • Long term problems: users must take the drug to feel “normal.” A break of only one day can bring on severe withdrawal symptoms – aches, chills, sweating, muscle spasms and weakness. After a break, the usual dose may be an overdose • Heroine is highly addictive.

30. 3. Narcotics • Medical use: pain relief, cough suppressant (codeine), pain relief, stops diarrhea, relief from tooth pain • Morphine – used to reduce severe pain. Exa. Relief from cancer • Slang names: smack, horse, brown sugar, junk, mud, big H, Miss Emma, schoolboy, dollies, blue velvet • How it enters the body: injected, smoked or inhaled

31. 3. Narcotics • Heroin – has no accepted medical use in the US. • Depresses the nervous system and slows breathing and pulse rate • Coma or death may occur with large doses • Tolerance develops quickly

32. HALLUCINOGENS(Psychedelics) • Drugs that distort the senses and cause hallucinations • Could appear as liquid, capsules, powder, blotter paper, thin gelatin squares, mushrooms • Effects: time distorted, senses distorted, may produce bizarre, unpredictable behavior, person may sit for hours in a quiet dreamlike state

33. 4. Hallucinogens • Short term effects: a “bad trip” – intense panic, confusion, deep depression, terrors, scary delusions. Can cause fatal accidents • Long term effects: Out-of-the-blue flashbacks – hallucinations without taking the drug again for up to a few days to a year after an acid trip. Severe depression • All are illegal –

34. 4. Hallucinogens • PCP(angel dust) –considered to be one of the most dangerous of all drugs. Time seems to pass slowly, body movements slow down, coordination impaired, dulls the sensations of touch and pain. • Mescaline – is the psychoactive ingredient of the peyote cactus.

35. 4.Hallucinogens • LSD – (acid) effects are widely unpredictable. Some users believe that they can fly • LSD “acid” is odorless, colorless. Often added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares.

36. Hallucinogens • The effects of LSD are unpredictable. Great mood swings, delusions and visual hallucinations. The user may “hear” colors and see sounds. • Trips are long – 8 hours – multiple days. Some users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death and despair. • Flashbacks – occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a year after LSD use

37. ANABOLIC STEROIDS • Powerful compounds that are similar to the male sex hormone, testosterone. These drugs are taken to increase muscle mass and strength • Effects: may initially increase muscle mass, body strength, and weight, purple or red spots on the body, swelling of feet and legs, unpleasant breath odor, depression, increased risk of heart attack, stroke liver cancer, acne

38. Anabolic Steroids • Males - sterility, withered testicles, impotence • Females – irreversible masculine traits, breast reduction, sterility • How it enters the body: swallowed, intramuscular injection • Article

39. Steroids

41. INHALANTS • Dangerous fumes are concentrated in a bag, on a cloth, etc. and inhaled • Effects: nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, * solvents – decrease in heart rate and breathing, impaired judgment

42. Inhalants • How it enters the body: Vapors are inhaled through the nose or mouth • A person can go into a coma from a single use and be in a vegetable state the rest of his/her life

43. MARIJUANA • The dried leaves, stems, and seeds of the cannabis sativa plant. • Hashish is the dark brown resin that is collected from the top of this plant. • Effects: increased heart rate, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth and throat, increased appetite, short-term memory loss, altered sense of time, damage to lungs and circulatory system • How it enters the body: Smoked in joints, pipes, bongs, eaten

44. Marijuana • Main active chemical in marijuana is THC. Marijuana’s effects on the user depend on the strength of the THC • Cannabis is a hallucinogen and has the effects of both a depressant and a stimulant • Alters your senses, coordination, reaction time, and can interrupt your ability to make rational and healthful decisions

45. Marijuana • Short term effects: problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. • Effects on the lungs: same respiratory problems that tobacco users have. (cancer, etc,)

46. CLUB DRUGS • Are used by young adults at all-night dance parties such as “raves” or “trances,” dance clubs, and bars. • Some club drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless. They can be added to beverages by individuals to intoxicate or sedate others. • There has been an increase in reports of club drugs used to commit sexual assaults

47. Club Drugs • Ecstasy (MDMA) - mind altering drug with hallucinogenic properties • Health hazards: psychological difficulties, confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe depression. • Physical problems: muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, chills, sweating • Long term problems: damage to the parts of the brain critical to thought and memory

48. CLUB DRUGS • GHB – is odorless and nearly tasteless. Induces a state of relaxation • Can be slipped into someone’s drink without detection. Has been reportedly used in cases of date rape. • Physical problems: nausea, vomiting, respiratory problems, seizures, coma

49. CLUB DRUGS • Rohypnol – people may unknowingly be given the drug which, when mixed with alcohol, can incapacitate and prevent a victim from resisting sexual assault. • Physical symptoms: sedative-hypnotic effects including muscle relaxation and amnesia.

50. Club Drugs • Ketamine: “special k” is a powerful hallucinogen that includes visual distortions and a lost sense of time, sense and identity. • Profound physical and mental problems including delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function and potentially fatal problems • Special K is a powder that is usually snorted but is sometimes sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked.