WHAT IS DRUG?

A drug is, in the broadest of terms, a chemical substance that has

known biological efects on humans or other animals.
[5]
Foods are generally
excluded from this defnition, in site of their hysiological efects on animal
secies.
!n harmacology, a drug is "a chemical substance used in the treatment,
cure, re#ention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance
hysical or mental well$being." %rugs may be used for a limited duration, or
on a regular basis for chronic disorders.
&ecreational drugs are chemical substances that afect the central
ner#ous system, such as oioids or hallucinogens. Alcohol, nicotine, and
cafeine are the most widely consumed sychotroic drugs worldwide.
['(]
)hey may be used for efects on ercetion, consciousness, ersonality,
and beha#ior.
[*]['']
+any recreational drugs are also used in medicine.
[5]
,ome drugs can cause addiction and habituation and all drugs
ha#e side efects.
['-]
+any drugs are illegal for recreational uroses and
international treaties such as the ,ingle .on#ention on /arcotic %rugs exist
for the urose of legally rohibiting certain substances.
WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF DRUGS?
)o satisfy curiosity.
)o coe with boredom.
)o ha#e something to do.
)o rebel or defy arents.
)o get re#enge )o gain attention from family.
)o a#oid loneliness.
)o deal with stress0to sur#i#e.
)o forget disaointments.
)o a#oid family arguments or family roblems.
)o forget family 1or friends2 for awhile.
WHAT IS DISADVANTAGE OF DRUGS?
.uriosity gets satisfed $ then what3 +ay or may not try something
else.
4xcitement le#els of.
+ay get the "wrong" tye of attention.
+ay lose control of emotions, i.e., may become angry or #iolent,
deressed or anxious.
Against family0religious #alues.
.reates roblems with family, e.g., loss of trust.
%oes not resol#e family or ersonal roblems.
+ay lose leasure in e#eryday acti#ities.
+ay lose self$esteem.

EFFECTS OF DRUGS:
%rugs are chemicals. %iferent drugs, because of their chemical structures,
can efect the body in diferent ways. !n fact, some drugs can e#en change a
erson5s body and brain in ways that last long after the erson has stoed
taking drugs, maybe e#en ermanently.
%eending on the drug, it can enter the human body in a number of ways,
including in6ection, inhalation, and ingestion. )he method of how it enters the
body imacts on how the drug afects the erson. For examle7 in6ection
takes the drug directly into the blood stream, ro#iding more immediate
efects8 while ingestion re9uires the drug to ass through the digesti#e
system, delaying the efects.
+ost abused drugs directly or indirectly target the brain5s reward system by
:ooding the circuit with doamine. %oamine is a neurotransmitter resent
in regions of the brain that regulate mo#ement, emotion, cognition,
moti#ation, and feelings of leasure. ;hen drugs enter the brain, they can
actually change how the brain erforms its 6obs. )hese changes are what
lead to comulsi#e drug use, the hallmark of addiction.
Injuries
+ore deaths, illnesses and disabilities stem from substance abuse than from
any other re#entable health condition. )oday, one in four deaths is
attributable to illicit drug use. <eole who li#e with substance deendence
ha#e a higher risk of all bad outcomes including unintentional in6uries,
accidents, risk of domestic #iolence, medical roblems, and death.
Healt !r"#le$s
)he imact of drug abuse and deendence can be far$reaching, afecting
almost e#ery organ in the human body. %rug use can7
;eaken the immune system, increasing suscetibility to infections.
.ause cardio#ascular conditions ranging from abnormal heart rate to
heart attacks. !n6ected drugs can also lead to collased #eins and
infections of the blood #essels and heart #al#es.
.ause nausea, #omiting and abdominal ain.
.ause the li#er to ha#e to work harder, ossibly causing signifcant
damage or li#er failure.
.ause sei=ures, stroke and widesread brain damage that can imact
all asects of daily life by causing roblems with memory, attention and
decision$making, including sustained mental confusion and ermanent
brain damage.
<roduce global body changes such as breast de#eloment in men,
dramatic :uctuations in aetite and increases in body temerature,
which may imact a #ariety of health conditions.
E%e&ts On Te 'rain
Although initial drug use may be #oluntary, drugs ha#e been shown to alter
brain chemistry, which interferes with an indi#idual5s ability to make
decisions and can lead to comulsi#e cra#ing, seeking and use. )his then
becomes a substance deendency.
All drugs of abuse $ nicotine, cocaine, mari6uana, and others $ efect
the brain5s "reward" circuit, which is art of the limbic system.
%rugs hi6ack this "reward" system, causing unusually large amounts of
doamine to :ood the system.
)his :ood of doamine is what causes the "high" or euhoria
associated with drug abuse.
'ea(i"ral !r"#le$s
<aranoia
Aggressi#eness
>allucinations
Addiction
!maired ?udgment
!mulsi#eness
@oss of ,elf$.ontrol
'irt De)e&ts
/early A ercent of regnant women in the Bnited ,tates use illicit drugs
such as mari6uana, cocaine, 4cstasy and other amhetamines, and heroin
'
.
)hese and other illicit drugs may ose #arious risks for regnant women and
their babies. ,ome of these drugs can cause a baby to be born too small or
too soon, or to ha#e withdrawal symtoms, birth defects or learning and
beha#ioral roblems. Additionally, illicit drugs may be reared with
imurities that may be harmful to a regnancy.
Finally, regnant women who use illicit drugs may engage in other unhealthy
beha#iors that lace their regnancy at risk, such as ha#ing extremely oor
nutrition or de#eloing sexually transmitted infections.
USES OF DRUGS:
<re#ent disease.
%iagnose disease.
)o treat symtoms, signs, conditions, and disease.
)o ft in
)o escae or relax
)o relie#e boredom
)o seem grown u
)o rebel
)o exeriment
I*!ORTANCE OF DRUGS:
'. )he drug is or was used to treat a large number of eole with a range of
roblems," ,tone tells ;eb+%. "
-. A drug has led the way, showing it is ossible to treat a disease.
WHAT IS DRUG A'USE?
$ %rug abuse is defned as the recreational use of rescrition drugs, illegal
narcotics and other controlled substances. %rug abusers en6oy the hysical,
mental and emotional sensations that drugs ro#ide, any many 9uickly
become addicted. .ommonly abused drugs include7 alcohol, cocaine, heroin,
@,% 1acid2, mari6uana, steroids, methamhetamine 1oularly called "meth"2,
club drugs like &ohynol 1also known as the date rae drug2, <.<, and
4cstasy, rescrition drugs, nicotine and steroids.
HOW TO !REVENT A DRUG A'USE
$ Families7
4#idence$based family skills training rogrammes ha#e been found to be the
most efecti#e way to re#ent substance use among children and
adolescents. )hese rogrammes target the whole family and ofer skills$
building for arents on monitoring and suer#ision of children5s acti#ities,
communication and setting age aroriate limits. &ead more.
,chools7
,chools ha#e been an imortant setting for B/C%. to reach many children
and adolescents with re#ention acti#ities. 4#idence$based drug education
based on life skills that ofer ersonal, social, resistance and communication
skills, as well as information about the short$term efects of drugs through a
series of session ofered by trained teachers. &ead more.
;orklace7
B/C%. has many years of exerience in working with emloyers and
emloyees together to de#elo and imlement olicies against substance
abuse in the worklace. ,uch olicies are designed to romote the health of
emloyees by re#enting substance abuse and assisting those with a drug
deendence roblem.&ead more.
+onitoring and 4#aluation7
For ractitioners who want to imro#e the monitoring and e#aluation of their
rogrammes for the re#ention of substance and drug abuse, we ro#ide
some useful guidelines and training materials
WHAT ARE THE T+!ES OF DRUGS?
%eressants
Darbiturates
Den=odia=eines
Euaaludes
>allucinogens
%imethyltrytamine 1%+)2
@ysergic Acid %iethylamide 1@,%2
<hencyclidine 1<.<2
<eyote
<silocybin
!nhalants
+ari6uana
+ari6uana ;etsticks
/arcotics
.odeine
>eroin
+orhine
Cium
<rescrition %rugs
,teroids
,timulants
Amhetamines
.afeine
.ocaine
%iet <ills
+ethamhetamine
WHAT ARE THE C,ASSIFICATIONS OF DRUGS?
De-ressants
%eressants slow normal brain function. Decause of this efect,
deressants are often used to treat anxiety and slee disorders.
Although the diferent deressant drugs work uni9uely in the brain, it is
through their efect on FADA acti#ity that roduces a drowsy or
calming efect. FADA works to decrease brain acti#ity.
%esite their rescrition for treatment of anxiety and slee disorders,
deressants also carry high addicti#e otential. )he withdrawal efects
from long$term deressant use can be life$threatening and roduce
some of the worst conse9uences of any other drug
classifcations. .ee- in $ind: tis in&ludes al&""l/
4xamles include7 alcohol, Galium, Hanax, @ibrium, and barbiturates.
Hallu&in"gens
>allucinogens are drugs which cause altered ercetion and feeling.
>allucinogens ha#e owerful mind$altering efects and can change how
the brain ercei#es time, e#eryday reality, and the surrounding
en#ironment. )hey afect regions of the brain that are resonsible for
coordination, thought rocesses, hearing, and sight. )hey can cause
eole to hear #oices, see things, and feel sensations that do not exist.
>allucinogens change the way the brain works by changing the way
ner#e cells communicate with one another. .lick here for more
information about how the brain is imacted by hallucinogen use.
>allucinogens ossess a moderate otential for addiction with #ery
high otential for tolerance, moderate le#el of sychological
deendence, and low otential for hysical deendence. +ost of the
risks associated with hallucinogen use are associated with the risk for
ersonal in6ury and life$threatening accidents.
4xamles include7 @,%, <.<, +%+A 14cstasy2, mari6uana, mescaline,
and silocybin.
O-iates
Ciates are owerful ainkillers. )hey are made from oium, a white
li9uid in the oy lant. Ciates roduce a 9uick, intense feeling of
leasure followed by a sense of well$being and calm.
@ong$term oiate use changes the way the brain works by changing
the way ner#e cells communicate with one another. !f oiates are
taken away from oiate$deendent brain cells, many of them will
become o#eracti#e. 4#entually, cells will work normally again if the
erson reco#ers, but they cause wide range of withdrawal symtoms
that afect the mind and the body.
As with many other drugs, oiates ossess #ery high addicti#e
otential.
4xamles include7 heroin, morhine, codeine, and Cxycontin.
Sti$ulants
,timulants are a class of drugs that ele#ate mood, increase feelings of
well$being, and increase energy and alertness. ,timulants can cause
the heart to beat faster and will also cause blood ressure and
breathing to ele#ate. &eeated use of stimulants can result in
aranoia and hostility.
,timulants change the way the brain works by changing the way ner#e
cells communicate with one another. .lick here for more information
about how the brain is imacted by stimulant use.
As with many other drugs, stimulants ossess #ery high addicti#e
otential.
4xamles include7 cocaine, methamhetamine, amhetamine, +%+A
14cstasy2, nicotine, and cafeine.
DRUG OF CHOICE
.linical theraeutics A theraeutic that is regarded as being the best agent o
r frst agent to use when treating a articular condition8 %C.susually ha#e th
e lowest toxicity and the widest theraeutic range of the a#ailable agents.
CONC,USION 0 RECO**ENDATION
Inowledge gi#es you the ower to make ositi#e decisions for yourself, and
to hel other eole when they don5t know what to do. ,ome eole think
using drugs can be fun, but it can bring more than its fair share of roblems.
%rugs can cause roblems with your arents, your friends and your health.
Jou risk getting addicted and e#en sudden death, not to mention the stuid
things you might do when you are under the in:uence, including getting in
trouble with the law.
)he best way to a#oid the otential roblems that you could get yourself into
using both legal and illegal drugs is not take any at allK )hat said, here at
Dreakthru we are aware that curiosity and exerimentation is a natural
element of human de#eloment and drug use can be art of that for many
young eole.
Re)eren&es:
htt700www.breakthru.co.uk0index.h3
otionLcomMcontentN#iewLarticleNidLAO7why$is$information$on$drugs$
imortantNcatidL'P7young$eoleN!temidL'-5
htt700www.drug$abuse.co.=a0ad#antages$and$disad#antages$of$drugs0
htt700reco#ergateway.org0resources0indi#iduals0drug$addiction$efects0
htt700www.talktofrank.com0fa90what$are$efects$drugs
htt700www.nlm.nih.go#0medlinelus0drugabuse.html
htt700www.castlecraig.co.uk0resources0drugs0tyes$drugs