Know! what substances kids are exposed to
Alcohol
Form: Liquid
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
Though alcohol is not often thought of as a drug because
it is a legal substance and is acceptably consumed by adults
in social settings, it is a drug by definition.
It is an addictive sedative, slowing activity in parts
of the brain and spinal cord.
The short-term effects of alcohol do not depend on
the type of alcohol consumed, but rather on the amount consumed
in a given period of time.
They can range from mild intoxication to stupor to
death. Heavy
drinking usually results in a –hangover,” which may include
nausea, headache, shakiness and vomiting.
The long-term effects of alcohol abuse may include
heart and liver disease, stomach inflammation, vitamin deficiencies,
alcohol poisoning and depression.
Route
of administration: Ingested.
Medical uses: For appetite stimulation and mild sedation.
Legal status: Legal for those of established drinking
ages.
Tobacco
Form: Dried
and ground brown leaves
Use: Smoked
and chewed
Dangers & Effects:
Tobacco is a disguise for the drug nicotine.
Cigarette smoking is the most popular method for taking
nicotine. Nicotine
is highly addictive and acts as both a stimulant and a sedative.
Because its initial stimulant boost is followed by
fatigue and depression, the tobacco user continually seeks
more nicotine. In
addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke carries tar, carbon
monoxide and other gasses.
It exposes the user and others to stroke and heart
disease, as well as lung disorders such as cancer and emphysema.
Smoking is the third-leading cause of death in America.
Route of administration: Smoked or chewed.
Medical use: None
Legal status: Most products available in retail stores.
Cocaine
Also Known As: Coke,
blow, crack
Form: A white
powdery substance (cocaine) or small crystalline rock (crack)
Use: Sniffed
or snorted, injected or smoked
Dangers & Effects:
Cocaine is an extremely addictive drug with a powerful
high. If abused
or mixed with alcohol or other drugs, it can be deadly.
Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac
arrest or seizures, followed by respiratory arrest.
It constricts the blood vessels, dilates the pupils,
and increases the useręs body temperature, heart rate and
blood pressure. The
effects vary, but cocaine can make the user restless, irritable,
anxious and paranoid.
It has been known to promote a feeling of supremacy,
which can lead to dangerous behavior.
Snorting cocaine for a long period of time can severely
damage the nose, while stopping use can lead to depression.
Route of administration: Sniffed and smoked.
Medical use: None.
Legal status: Illegal.
Ecstasy
Also Known As: XTC,
MDMA, Adam or Doves
Form: Powder,
capsule or tablet (often with a symbol printed on it)
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
Ecstasy is a mind-altering synthetic drug widely used
at parties and nightclubs.
It can make people feel calm or excited, confused,
depressed, anxious or paranoid for days after using it.
The user may also have trouble sleeping and experience
hallucinations. Some
users may demonstrate physical symptoms like muscle tension,
nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, chills
or sweating. Using
Ecstasy increases the heart rate and blood pressure and poses
a big risk for people with heart problems.
It also may damage areas of the brain critical to thought
and memory.
GHB
Also Known As: Gamma-hydroxybutyric
acid
Form: Clear
liquid, white powder, tablet or capsule
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
Though initially used by body builders to stimulate
muscle growth, GHB has become a recreational drug among kids
and partygoers. Known
as a –designer” drug, it is often used in combination with
other drugs, or in cases of date rape.
It is odorless and nearly tasteless and produces a
state of relaxation that can last for several hours.
Effects of GHB range from nausea and vomiting to breathing
problems, liver failure, seizures and comas.
It has been linked to a number of deaths and is now
considered an illegal controlled substance.
Heroin
Also Known As:
Smack, H, skag and junk
Form: White
or brown powder
Use: Injected,
snorted or smoked
Dangers & Effects:
Extracted from morphine, heroin is a dangerous, addictive
drug that many kids believe is low-risk.
In fact, it carries a very high risk of overdose and
death. Using
heroin results in a –rush” of euphoria, followed by intermittent
drowsiness. Brain
function is clouded as the drug depresses the bodyęs nervous
system. In addition
to fatal overdoses, heroin has been linked to collapsed veins,
infectious diseases, pneumonia, heart problems and liver disease.
Route of administration: Injected and ingested.
Medical use: For pain relief (except heroin and methodone).
Legal status: Illegal or prescription only.
Inhalants
Form: Common
household and industrial products
Use: Sniffed
or –huffed”
Dangers & Effects:
Since many common inhalants are found right in the
home, they are easily accessible, inexpensive and very popular
among young people.
About one in five kids nationally report having used
inhalants by 8th grade.
Inhalants can result in death from the very first use.
Fumes from nail polish remover, art and office solvents,
glues, aerosols, cleaning fluids, gasoline and spray paint
are among the substances inhaled. They slow the bodyęs functions and have intoxicating effects
that can last several minutes or several hours. Users may lose consciousness, and sniffing highly concentrated
amounts can induce heart failure, suffocation and death.
Other irreversible effects include hearing loss, spasms,
and damage to the nervous system, brain, liver, kidneys and
bone marrow.
Route of administration: Sniffed.
Medical use: Nitrous oxide only, for anesthesia.
Legal status: Most products available in retail stores.
Ketamine
Also Known As: Ketamine
hydrochloride, –Special K”
Form: Powder
Use: Snorted
or smoked
Dangers & Effects:
Used primarily as an animal tranquilizer, Ketamine
produces powerful hallucinations among users that include
visual distortions and a lost sense of time and identity. The high can last up to two hours. It is usually snorted, but often is sprinkled on tobacco or
marijuana and smoked.
It also is frequently used in combination with other
drugs. Serious physical and mental problems can result from using
Ketamine, including delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function
and fatal breathing problems.
LSD
Also Known As: Acid
Form: Added
to absorbent paper, divided into small decorated squares
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
LSD is a colorless, odorless, bitter-tasting substance
that can alter the useręs personality and mood.
It is a terribly unpredictable drug with wide-ranging
effects depending on the amount taken and other factors.
The period of intoxication can be long, with users
having dilated pupils, a high body temperature, increased
heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, sleeplessness and
tremors. Some users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings
while –tripping” and can have unnatural fears of losing control,
insanity, despair and death.
These have been known to lead to fatal accidents.
Many users have flashbacks and experience some form
of mental illness.
Marijuana
Also Known As: Grass,
pot, weed
Form: Dried
and ground green leaves
Use: Smoked
Dangers & Effects:
Smoked as a cigarette or joint, in a pipe, bong or
blunt (emptied cigar wrapper), marijuana is widely available.
Because it is smoked like tobacco, marijuana can have
the same negative effects on the lungs. However, the amount of tar and carbon monoxide inhaled while
smoking marijuana are three to five times higher than tobacco.
The main active chemical in marijuana, THC, can cause
memory and learning problems, distorted perception, loss of
coordination, decreased attention span, increased heart rate,
anxiety and panic attacks.
Heavy users often have a daily cough, chronic bronchitis
and frequent chest colds.
Routes
of administration: Ingested and smoked.
Medical uses: Research.
Legal status: Illegal.
Methamphetamine
Also Known As:
Speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, glass
Form: Powder
or crystalline chunks
Use: Swallowed,
snorted, injected or smoked
Dangers & Effects:
Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant that affects
the brain and central nervous system. It produces an immediate –rush” or sense of euphoria that lasts
only a few minutes and can be extremely addictive. It enhances mood and mobility, then may produce irritability,
confusion, tremors, decreased appetite, hyperthermia, insomnia,
anxiety, paranoia, aggressiveness and convulsions.
By causing convulsions, increased heart rate and blood
vessel damage, methamphetamine can lead to heart attacks,
strokes and death.
Ritalin
Also Known As:
West Coast, Methylphenidate
Form: Tablets
or powder
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
A valuable medication when taken in treatment doses
as prescribed by children with hyperactivity or ADHD, Ritalin
is a stimulant that is potentially addictive at higher doses.
Abuse has been reported among middle school and high
school students crushing and inhaling the tablets, and among
adults who abuse their childrenęs prescriptions.
Some stimulant users mix Ritalin with heroin or with
cocaine and heroin for a more potent effect.
Rohypnol
Also Known As: Rophies,
roofies, roach, rope
Form: Tablet
Use: Swallowed
Dangers & Effects:
Known as the –date rape drug” for its use in numerous
sexual assaults, Rohypnol is a sedative with hypnotic effects
including muscle relaxation and amnesia.
People can be given the drug without knowing it and
may be briefly incapacitated.
It is addictive and can be lethal when mixed with alcohol
or other depressants.
Steroids
Form: Liquid
Use: Injected
Dangers & Effects:
Anabolic steroids gained use among athletes to build
muscle and improve performance.
A synthetic version of the male sex hormone testosterone,
steroids are now known to generate more than 70 physical and
psychological side effects, many of which are irreversible.
Steroids can cause serious damage to the liver, cardiovascular
and reproductive systems.
Young people may experience stunted bone growth.
Many users experience depression and increased aggression. All are subject to infectious disease from dirty or shared
needles.
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