Drug Categories

What is a Drug?

• A substance other than food that changes the way the body or brain works.

• Illegal drugs, but also caffeine, cough syrup, aspirin, ibuprofen, anasthetics

Central Nervous System (CNS)

• CNS is the part of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord. o Affects thinking, learning, memoryo Affects coordination of muscle activityo Affects involuntary actions like heart rate and

breathing

Drug Abuse/Misuse

• Drug Abuse: The intentional use of a harmful drug on purpose.o Examples: illegal drugs, alcohol, prescriptions

• Drug Misuse: Harmful use of drugs that is not done on purpose.

OTC vs Prescription

• Over the Counter (OTC) Drug: Drug that you can buy off the shelf at the store.

• Prescription Drug: Medicine that you can only get with a written order from a doctor.

• Is it illegal to use someone else’s prescription?

Withdrawal:

• Unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms that occur when an addict stops using the drug. This includes legal drugs such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.

Tolerance:

• A condition in which the body becomes used to a drug and larger amounts are needed to produce the same effect.

4 Ways to take Drugs

• Smoked• Eaten/Orally (food, pill)• Injected• Absorbed into the skin

Drug categories:

Stimulants: Drugs that increase activities of the Central Nervous

System (CNS). Increase Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Alertness

Drug Categories

• Depressants: Drugs that decrease activities of the CNS. Decrease heart rate, blood pressure, make you sleepy

• Hallucinogens: Drugs that interfere with your senses (sight, hearing). Cause people to see and hear things that aren’t real.

Nicotine

• Definition: Stimulant; Chemical in cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco that gets a person addicted.

Cocaine/Coke

• Definition: stimulant; extremely addictive

• Administration – snorting, injecting, smoking

• Short term effects – increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, anxiety, restlessness

• Long term effects – paranoia, nose bleeds, aggressive behavior, cardiac arrest

Crack

• Definition: (stimulant) A purified form of cocaine.

• Named from the sound it makes when smoked

• The effects of crack that is smoked is 10 times greater than cocaine that is snorted

Caffeine

• Definition: Stimulant – A bitter white alkaloid found in tea leaves, coffee beans, coca and other various plants. Found in coffee, tea, tonics analgesics and even chocolate!

Methamphetamine (Meth)

• Definition: Stimulant; extremely addictive drug that strongly activates certain systems in the brain.

• Administration: orally, injected, snorted, or smoked

• Short-term effects: irritability/aggression, anxiety, nervousness, convulsions, insomnia

• Long-term effects: paranoia, hallucinations, dangerously low body temperature, confusion, and even death.

Ice, Crank, Crystal, Speed

• Definition: Crank is a stimulant from the amphetamine family. Effects last longer than crack or cocaine.

• Ice: stimulant; smokeable form of pure meth. Can become immediately addicted.

Amphetamines

• Definition: Stimulant; Chemically manufactured drug that is highly addictive.

Marijuana(Weed, grass, pot)

• Definition: Depressant/Hallucinogen- most commonly abused illegal drug in the U.S.

• Administration – smoked, eaten in food

• Short term effects – slowed thinking and reaction time, impaired balance/coordination

• Long term effects – frequent respiratory infections, impaired memory and learning

Hashish

• Definition: Depressant/Hallucinogen• Made from the roots of the marijuana

plant.• Stronger effects than marijuana.

Opium

• Definition: Depressant; a narcotic used to control pain.

• Found in the poppy seed plant

Heroin

• Definition: Depressant, highly addictive (also considered a narcotic or pain killer)

• Administration – smoke, snorted, or injected

• Short term effects – feeling of euphoria, dry mouth, confusion

• Long term effects – collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining, liver disease

Morphine

• Definition: Depressant; a narcotic used to control pain; makes you very drowsy. Is addictive so not used much anymore.

Codeine

• Definition: Depressant; a narcotic pain killer produced from morphine.

• It is weaker than morphine.• Used in prescription cough syrups and

pain relievers

Sleeping Pills

• Definition: Depressant; Prescribed drugs used to help you sleep better.

Alcohol

• Definition: Depressant; All types of alcohol are depressants (wine, beer, liquor)

Sedatives/Tranquilizers

• Definition: Depressant; a group of drugs that depress the CNS. Have a calming effect and are prescribed to treat anxiety.

Rohypnol/Roofies

• Definition: depressant • Date Rape Drug

• Administration – liquid that is swallowed

• Short term effects – reduced pain, lowered inhibitions

• Long term effects – impaired memory, respiratory arrest

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide )

• Definition: Hallucinogen; powerful mood-altering drug

• Administration – usually by mouth after being added to absorbent paper

• Short term effects – altered sense of perception, increased body temperature

• Long term effects – flashbacks, chronic mental disorders

Mushrooms

• Definition: Hallucinogen; powerful mood-altering drug

• Sometimes call Magic Mushrooms• Found in certain types of mushrooms

Ecstasy

• Definition: Hallucinogen; popular club drug

• Administration – swallowed as a pill

• Short term effects – rapid or irregular heart beat, feelings of exhilaration, dehydration

• Long term effects – impaired memory and learning, heart failure

Peyote

• Definition: Hallucinogen; mind altering drug

• Found in a cactus in Mexico and the southwest U.S.

PCP (Phencyclidine)

• Definition: hallucinogen

• Administration – snorted, smoked, or ingested

• Short term effects – increased breathing rate, increased heart rate

• Long term effects – delusions, disordered thinking, seizures