Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Mood-

Altering Drugs

By: Erin Doherty

CHAPTER 3

DRUGS WOMEN & GIRLS

USE:

Women abuse legal drugs such as:

Alcohol• Most common drug used by women

• 45% females over the age of 12

• 15% of women in this age range report current binge drinking, 3% report heavier alcohol use

DRUGS WOMEN & GIRLS

USE:

Tobacco• About 21% of Women smoke

• The percentage of women smokers can vary depending on:

• Age, race/ ethnicity, income, education, occupation, sexual orientation, and mental an physical ability.

DRUGS WOMEN & GIRLS

USE:

Mood-Altering Prescription Drugs• Medications such as pain relievers, sedatives, stimulants,

and tranquilizers can be used and abused in non medical ways.

• A survey found that 3% of girls and women in the U.S aged 12 or over were using mood-altering prescription drugs for non medical reasons.

ILLEGAL DRUGS

Marijuana• Most commonly used illegal drug

• 4% of girls and women over age of 12 got reported for current use of marijuana

ILLEGAL DRUGS

Cocaine, Ecstasy, Heroine• 6% of girls and women in the U.S aged 12 or over

were current users of illegal drugs

• Under 1% of girls and women reported current users of cocaine, ecstasy, and heroine

HOW SUBSTANCE ABUSE

AFFECTS OUR HEALTH

EFFECTS

Alcohol:• Can diminish motor coordination, judgment, emotional

control, and reasoning power

• Increases the risks of accidents, injuries, and vulnerability to violence

• Low level of drinking can still disrupt normal menstralcycles

• Drinking can increase the risk of: • Mouth, esophageal, and liver cancer

• Major depression, epilepsy, and cirrhosis of the liver

EFFECTS

Tobacco:

Smoking has extreme consequences to our health

• Smokers are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes

• Smoking causes almost 90% of lung cancer and deaths in women

• Lung diseases including: emphysema, asthma, and bronchitis

• Women who smoke may have more trouble becoming pregnant, and women who smoke during pregnancy can cause multiple birth defects

EFFECTS

Tranquilizers:• Mood- altering drugs such as anxiety, antidepressants, and

sedatives have been marked to women.

• Can harm memory and reasoning, balance and coordination

• More dangerous to women who are pregnant or elderly

QUOTE

“I will never touch another benzo again as long as I live. I

would rather die then go through what I did on it, and the

horrible withdrawal.” (Pg. 49)

• This quote goes to show that people suffer into not realizing their own addiction and behavior. Once an individual has over exceeded taking their medication, or they depend on their prescribed drug for other reasons, it’s become a problem. People struggle because it takes more than themselves to initiate they have an issue. Once they seek help, withdrawing from the drugs is almost as bad as the addiction itself.

BEST SOLUTION

Recognize The Problem:

Help yourself or others by first, recognizing your

problem, and then seeking help. There are many options

to involve yourself with breaking the addiction and

curing the abuse.

REFERENCE PAGE

Text:

• Boston Women’s Health Collective Our Bodies, Ourselves

• Chapter 3

Internet:

• www.google.com (images)