Drug Education

Drug Education

Drug education is the planned provision of information and skills relevant to living in a world where drugs are commonly

addiction" misused. Planning includes developing strategies for helping children and young people engage with relevant drug-related issues during opportunistic and brief contacts with them as well as during more structured sessions. Drug education enables children and young adults to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to appreciate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, promote responsibility towards the use of drugs and relate these to their own actions and those of others, both now and in their future lives. It also provides opportunities for young people to reflect on their own and others' attitudes to drugs, drug usage and drug users.

Dispensing drugs is often regulated by the government into three categories:

OTC (Over the Counter) medications are available in pharmacies and supermarket without special restrictions.

BTC (Behind the Counter) are dispensed by a pharmacist without any doctors prescriptions. POM (Prescription Only Medicines) must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional, usually a physician.

Drug is thought to originate from Old French "drogue", possibly deriving later into "droge-vate" from Middle Dutch meaning "dry barrels", referring to medicinal plants preserved in them. Broadly speaking, drug is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, or may be used as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms.

Categories of Drugs according to their effects:

1. Stimulants affect your central nervous system by increasing your brain activity, making you excited and energetic. Stimulant drugs include amphetamines and cocaine. Amphetamines - are stimulants used to increase heart action, raise blood pressure, reduce weight for obese or overweight people, relief of epression, treatment of narcolepsy(excessive desire to sleep), increase mental alertness and confidence. Common users of amphetamines are night shift workers like security guards, factory workers, drivers, artist, students, and athletes who need to have extra physical stamina and confidence.

Amphetamines are also called bennies, dixies, eye openers, footballs, jolly beans. Some of the signs and symptoms are dilation of the pupils, drying of mouth, sweating, diarrhea, and headache. The effects of taking amphetamines are abnormal cheerfulness with extreme restlessness, nervousness, excessive sweating, sudden muscle contraction, insomnia, and hallucination. 2. Depressants slow down your brain activity. You may become lethargic (lacking mental and physical alertness and activity; without emotion or interest). Alcohol and solvents are both depressants.3. Hallucinogenics distort the things you see and hear, giving you the impression that things are there when they are not. LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide), magic mushrooms and marijuana are hallucinogens.4. Analgesics are pain ki8lling drugs. Aspirin and paracetamol are both analgesics, as is heroine.Drug Abuse

All medicines are drugs; but, you need to remember that not all drugs are medicines. There are many drugs that do no good at all. Theres nothing wrong with medicinal drugs if they are used properly. But the trouble is, some people use them wrongly, and make themselves ill. A drug is addicting if it causes compulsive, often uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences.

Drug abuse is the non-medical use of a drug that interferes with a healthy and productive life. Drug abuse occurs at all economic levels of society, from wealthy to the impoverished, and among young people as well as adults. Types of Drug abuse A. Abuse of illegal drugs.

Many abused drugs are illegal that is, under the circumstances their possession and sale are forbidden by law. Illegal drugs include the following:

Cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine) - is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant or shrub. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an

suppressant" appetite suppressant, and a 1. anesthetic" topical anesthetic. In 1863, a chemist named Angelo Mariani started marketing a wine called Vin Mariani, which had been treated with coca leaves, to become cocawine. The ethanol in wine acted as a solvent and extracted the cocaine from the coca leaves, altering the drinks effect. It contained 6mg cocaine per ounce of wine, but Vin Mariani which was to be exported contained 7.2mg per ounce, to compete with the higher cocaine content of similar drinks in the United States. A pinch of coca leaves was included in

Pemberton" John Styth Pemberton's original 1886 recipe for Coca-Cola, though the company began using decocainized leaves in 1906 when the

Food and Drug Act" Pure Food and Drug Act was passed. The actual amount of cocaine that Coca-Cola contained during the first twenty years of its production is practically impossible to determine.SForms of cocaine

SaltsCocaine, like many alkaloids can form many different salts, such as hydrochloride (HCl) and sulfate (-SO4). Different salts have different solvency in solvents. Its hydrochloride, like many alkaloid hydrochloride is polar and is soluble in water.

BasicAs the name implies, freebase is the

(chemistry)" base form of cocaine, as opposed to the

(chemistry)" salt form. It is practically insoluble in water whereas hydrochloride salt is water soluble.

Crack cocaine

Crack is a lower purity form of free-base cocaine and contains sodium bicarbonate as impurity. Freebase and crack are often administered by smoking. Coca leaf infusions

Coca herbal infusion (also referred to as Coca tea) is used in coca-leaf producing countries much as any herbal medicinal infusion would elsewhere in the world. The free and legal commercialization of dried coca leaves under the form of filtration bags to be used as "coca tea" has been actively promoted by the governments of Peru and Bolivia for many years as a drink having medicinal powers.

Some effects of cocaine are:

It irritates the mucus membrane of the nose.

It can cause deterioration of the wall between the nostrils.

It develops intense euphoria that is a feeling of mental and muscular strength, restlessness, excitement and anxiety, insomnia and irritability.

It develops nasal congestion and runny nose.Some of the dangers of cocaine are:

tolerance

delusion hallucination hepatitis coma respiratory arrest death2. Marijuana comes from the hemp plant (cannabis sativa) refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug. The word marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish mariguana. According to the United Nations, cannabis "is the most widely used illicit substance in the world."Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. There are over 200 slang terms for marijuana including "pot," "herb," "weed," "boom," "Mary Jane," "gangster," and "chronic." It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or bong. In recent years, it has appeared in blunts. These are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and re-filled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug, such as crack. Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.Although cannabis contains at least 400 different chemicals, its main mind-altering ingredient is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). This ingredient produces effects that potentially can be useful for treating a variety of medical conditions. It is the main ingredient in pill that is currently used to treat nausea in chemotherapy of cancer patients and stimulate appetite in patients with AIDS.The chemical THC has an impact on the brain and the heart. In the brain it affects, moods and physical functions controlled by the brain. It causes the heart to beat faster and produces changes in blood pressure.Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers have. These individuals may have daily cough and phlegm, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and more frequent chest colds. Regardless of the THC content, the amount of tar inhaled by marijuana smokers and the level of carbon monoxide absorbed are three to five times greater than among tobacco smokers. This may be due to the marijuana users inhaling more deeply and holding the smoke in the lungs.

3. Heroine and other opiates made from the sap of the opium poppy. Opium, the dried sap of the poppys seed pods, contains a potent narcotic called morphine. Some people smoke or eat opium, seeking pleasant effects from morphine. Doctors use morphine to relieve severe pain in patients. Heroine is highly addictive drug made from morphine, People use heroine by eating or snorting it, or by injecting. Etymology

The German drug company Bayer named its new

the counter drug" over the counter drug "Heroin" in 1895. The name was derived from the

language" German word "heroisch" (heroic) due to its perceived "heroic" effects upon a user. It was chiefly developed as a morphine substitute for cough suppressants that did not have morphine's addictive side-effects. Morphine at the time was a popular recreational drug, and Bayer wished to find a similar but non-addictive substitute to market. However, contrary to Bayer's advertising as a "non-addictive morphine substitute," heroin would soon have one of the highest rates of

addiction" dependence amongst its users.

4. Hallucinogens include such naturally occurring drugs as mescaline, produced within the peyotic cactus and such substance as LSD manufactured in laboratories. Hallucinogens affect the senses, emotions, and reasoning, often producing delusions or visions.5. Designer drugs created in laboratories, these are variations of existing illegal drugs. Originally, they were designed to vary slightly in chemical compositions from the definition of existing illegal drugs so that they could be considered legal substance. A designer drug called MDMA, commonly called ecstasy, and has an effect similar to that of amphetamines. Research suggests that it can permanently damage brain cells.6. Methamphetamine Hydrochloride it is commonly called shabu or poormans cocaine. Among its names are ubas, ice, shabs, siopao and sha. Shabu came from Japan and was called kakuseizai coming from the root word kakusi, which means alertness and zai, which means measure medicine. Shabu is a white odorless crystal powder with bitter taste. It is used by the user to stay awake, lose appetite and decrease weight. It is used to calm down a hyperkinetic person. Shabu is being used by injection, sniffing or through the mouth.Some effects of cocaine are: It produces elevation of moods, heightened alertness and energy.

It makes one anxious and becomes irritable.

It brings about loss of appetite and insomnia.

Overdose from taking shabu can cause chest pain, hypertension, acute psychotic reaction and death by cardiac arrest.

B. Abuse of legal drugs.

Some of the most commonly abused drugs can be purchased legally. They include the following:

Alcoholic Beverages - are made from grains and fruits. These are drinks containing ethanol, popularly called alcohol. The ethanol (CH3CH2OH) in alcoholic beverages is almost always produced by fermentation, i.e. the metabolism of carbohydrates (usually sugars) by certain species of yeast in the absence of oxygen. The process of culturing yeast under conditions that produce alcohol is referred to as brewing. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and 1. beverage" spirits.Alcohol is a depressant that is, it lowers the activity of the central nervous system. It also interferes with thinking, concentration and movement. Some people develop physical dependence on alcohol and this may result to alcoholism.Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence (disabling addictive disorder) is poisoning by alcohol, or the severe result of prolonged and excessive consumption of alcohol. A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess or who suffers from alcoholism is called alcoholic. The alcoholic has a compulsive need for alcohol and can abstain only with great difficulty or not at all. Usually he is totally unable to help himself out of this situation.The effects of alcoholism are serious, both mentally and physically. If alcoholism continues, the person will eventually develop delirium tremens, in which he loses all senses of time, space, and surroundings and is racked by terrifying visual hallucinations. Hospitalization is desirable in treating the compulsive drinker who wishes to be cured.

Important Alcohols:Methyl alcohol - Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a

compound" chemical with formula" formula C

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen" \o "Hydrogen" H3O

HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen" \o "Hydrogen" H (often abbreviated MeOH). It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable, liquid with a distinctive odor that is very similar to but slightly sweeter than ethanol (drinking alcohol). It is intoxicating but it is a deadly poison and can cause blindness or death. It is also used for producing biodiesel via transesterification reaction. Ethyl alcohol is the alcohol contained in beverages and is commonly prepared for this purpose by fermentation of starch, sugar or grains. It is used as the industrial solvent.Isopropyl alcohol is the common component of rubbing alcohol mixtures. It is a colorless, flammable compound" chemical compound with a strong odor. Menthol - is an organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. It has a pleasant odor, and in small amounts gives an oral cooling sensation to cigarette smoke, cough drops, chewing gum, and other products.Tobacco - is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana (a native plant from North and South American countries). In consumption it most commonly appears in the forms of

smoking" smoking,

tobacco" chewing, snuffing, or 2. tobacco" dipping tobacco, or snus. Tobacco contains a substance called nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant, a drug that raises activity of the central nervous system. In addition, tobacco contains carbon monoxide substance called tars. The chemical that make up the tars can cause lung cancer. Smoking related illnesses: Chronic bronchitis occurs when and mucus damages the air sacs in the lungs. The sufferer has a bad cough which is worst in the morning and he may breathless easily. Emphysema it is an illness in which the air sacs in the lungs become over-inflated as they lose their elasticity, and are no longer able to push out all the carbon dioxide gas in the lungs. This makes the sufferer feel unwell, tight in the chest and always short of breath. Lung cancer chemicals in the tar can cause certain cells in the lungs that turn into cancer cells. These multiply, destroying healthy cells in the lungs, and spreading around the body to start new cancerous growths. Heart disease - gases in cigarette smoke increase blood pressure and pulse rate. Smokers are twice as likely to have heart trouble as non-smokers. Apart from lung cancer, smokers can suffer from other cancers too, such as the mouth, tongue, cervix, larynx, bladder and pancreas. Smokeless tobacco that is chewed is also harmful, causing mouth sores, damage to teeth and cancer.3. Inhalants - are a diverse group of volatile substances whose chemical vapors can be inhaled to produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. Inhalants generally fall into the following categories: Volatile solvents liquids that vaporize at room temperature

Industrial or household products, including paint thinners or removers, degreasers, dry-cleaning fluids, gasoline, and lighter fluid

Art or office supply solvents, including correction fluids, felt-tip marker fluid, electronic contact cleaners, and glue

Aerosols sprays that contain propellants and solvents

Household aerosol propellants in items such as spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, fabric protector sprays, aerosol computer cleaning products, and vegetable oil sprays

Gases found in household or commercial products and used as medical anesthetics

Household or commercial products, including butane lighters and propane tanks, whipped cream aerosols or dispensers (whippets), and refrigerant gases

Medical anesthetics, such as ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas)

Nitrites a special class of inhalants that are used primarily as sexual enhancers

Organic nitrites are volatiles that include cyclohexyl, butyl, and amyl nitrites, commonly known as poppers. Amyl nitrite is still used in certain diagnostic medical procedures. When marketed for illicit use, organic nitrites are often sold in small brown bottles labeled as video head cleaner, room odorizer, leather cleaner or liquid aroma. How Do Inhalants Affect the Brain?The effects of inhalants are similar to those of alcohol, including slurred speech, lack of coordination, euphoria, and dizziness. Inhalant abusers may also experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions. With repeated inhalations, many users feel less inhibited and less in control. Some may feel drowsy for several hours and experience a lingering headache. Chemicals found in different types of inhaled products may produce a variety of additional effects, such as confusion, nausea, or vomiting.

By displacing air in the lungs, inhalants deprive the body of oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Hypoxia can damage cells throughout the body, but the cells of the brain are especially sensitive to it. The symptoms of brain hypoxia vary according to which regions of the brain are affected: for example, the hippocampus helps control memory, so someone who repeatedly uses inhalants may lose the ability to learn new things or may have a hard time carrying on simple conversations.Long-term inhalant abuse can also break down myelin, a fatty tissue that surrounds and protects some nerve fibers. Myelin helps nerve fibers carry their messages quickly and efficiently, and when damaged, can lead to muscle spasms and tremors or even permanent difficulty with basic actions such as walking, bending, and talking.

Although not very common, addiction to inhalants can occur with repeated abuse. According to the 2007 Treatment Episode Data Set, inhalants were reported as the primary substance abused by less than 0.1 percent of all individuals admitted to substance abuse treatment.

Harmful Irreversible Effects Hearing lossspray paints, glues, dewaxers, dry-cleaning chemicals, correction fluids

Peripheral neuropathies or limb spasmsglues, gasoline, whipped cream dispensers, gas cylinders

Central nervous system or brain damagespray paints, glues, dewaxers

Bone marrow damagegasoline Serious but Potentially Reversible Effects Liver and kidney damagecorrection fluids, dry-cleaning fluids. Blood oxygen depletionvarnish removers, paint thinners

4. Prescription Drugs is a drug requiring a prescription, as opposed to an over-the-counter drug, which can be purchased without one. The word "prescription" comes from the Latin "praescriptus" compounded from "prae", before + scribere, to write = to write before. Historically, a prescription was written before the drug was prepared and administered.A prescription has several parts. There are: The superscription (or heading) with the symbol R or Rx which stands for the word Recipe, meaning (in Latin) to take;

The inscription which contains the names and quantities of the ingredients;

The subscription or directions for compounding the drug; and

The signature which is often preceded by the sign s. standing for signa, mark, giving the directions to be marked on the container.Seen on a prescription, b.i.d. means twice (two times) a day. It is an abbreviation for "bis in die" which in Latin means, not too surprisingly, twice a day. The abbreviation b.i.d. is sometimes written without a period either in lower-case letters as "bid" or in capital letters as "BID". However it is written, it is one of a number of hallowed abbreviations of Latin terms that have been traditionally used in prescriptions to specify the frequency with which medicines should be taken. Other examples include: q.d. (qd or QD) is once a day; q.d. stands for "quaque die" (which means, in Latin, once a day).

t.i.d. (or tid or TID) is three times a day ; t.i.d. stands for "ter in die" (in Latin, 3 times a day).

q.i.d. (or qid or QID) is four times a day; q.i.d. stands for "quater in die" (in Latin, 4 times a day).

q_h: If a medicine is to be taken every so-many hours, it is written "q_h"; the "q" standing for "quaque" and the "h" indicating the number of hours. So, for example, "2 caps q4h" means "Take 2 capsules every 4 hours."

}}Commonly abused prescription drugs are the following: Tranquilizer is a drug that induces tranquillity in an individual. It is prescribed tablet or capsule sometimes taken illegally for kicks. It has similar effects to alcohol and increased effects when taken with alcohol.Some minor tranquilizers (such as Valium and Xanax) and sleeping pills (such as Ambien and Sonata) are widely prescribed. But these medicines can cause problems such as memory loss, addiction, and loss of balance. In rare cases, people who use them have done things like drive or eat while they're still asleep. These medicines also can cause a serious allergic reaction. So its important to use them with caution.Barbiturates - are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and, by virtue of this, they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to total anesthesia. They are also effective as anxiolytics, as hypnotics, and as anticonvulsants. They have addiction potential, both physical and psychological. Barbiturates are derivatives of acid" barbituric acid.Barbiturates are mostly in the form of pills. Doctors use them as medicines to treat people who have trouble in sleeping. They are also use to treat people with high blood pressure and people who have epilepsy. When abused, barbiturates may cause people to look, feel and act as if they were drunk. They also slow down or depress the working of the nervous system.

Amphetamines is a white or brown powder but can be in a pill or capsule form. Usually sniffed or injected, it makes people hyperactive, alert and irritable but depression and difficulty with sleep can follow. Heavy use can produce feeling of persecution. Effects of Drug Abuse

A. Physical Effects

1. Malnutrition2. Loss of appetite3. Susceptibility to contagious diseases like aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and hepatitis.4. Blood poisoning5. Skin diseasesB. Psychological Effects

1. Deterioration of personality with impaired emotional maturation.

2. Impaired adequate mental function.

3. Loss of drive and ambition.

4. Develop psychosis and depression.

5. Loss of interest to study.

6. Laziness and restlessness.

7. Irritability and rebellious attitudes.

8. Withdrawn.

9. Forgetfulness.

Effects on family, friends, and work

1. Some users spend most of their time under the influence of drugs that they neglect their family, friends and work.

2. In some cases, their actions harm the people closest to them.

3. Pregnant women who take drugs can cause harm to their unborn babies.

4. They also risk injury or death to themselves and others if they drive a vehicle under the influence of a drug.

Effects on Society1. Drug users may resort to theft, prostitution or selling drugs to pay their drug habits.

2. When under the influence of drugs, people can commit heinous crimes.

3. Drug users in the transportation industry, such as bus drivers and air traffic controllers, risk endangering the public.

4. Factory and office workers using drugs perform inefficiently and make mistakes.

Treatment of Drug Abuse

Some doctors use medication to treat drug dependence. Such medication relieves craving or blocks the effect of habit-forming drugs. Doctors often use methadone, a drug with effects similar to opiates, to relieve an addicts craving for heroine during withdrawal. (Withdrawal is the reaction of the body when regular drug use is stopped. The symptoms for withdrawal can range from headaches and muscle cramps to death.) Desulfiran, also known as Antabuse, is a drug used to treat alcoholism.

Any professionals who treat drug dependence believe that users can profit from treatment in groups of drug users. In such groups, drug abusers share experiences and learn from one another. Counseling=g methods include individual psychotherapy and treatment communities where members must follow strict rules of conduct.

Detoxification is a treatment used to eliminate a persons physical dependence on a drug by eliminating the drug from the body. One method involves decreasing the daily doses of a drug gradually over a period of weeks to reduce the severity of withdrawal illness. Effective detoxification methods include counseling and other support to help users fight craving and solve the problems that first led them to drugs.

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