1

DRUG
AND ITS
EFFECTS .
BY
KIRANTHULASIRAMANREDDY

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 INDEX

S.N TOPIC
O
1 What is a drug ?
2 How Illicit Drugs Affect Society ?
3 Drug use
4 Its relationship with violence and crime
5 The Health Effects
6 Effecting change
7 The Economic Impact
8 Effect of psychoactive drugs on animals
9 How drugs affect plants ?
10 How drugs affect our body ?
11 Different drugs , different effects
12 Risk factors for drug – related harm

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13 Effect of common drugs
14 Types of drugs

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 VELAMMAL VIDYALAYA

CERTIFICATE
This is hereby certifies that the Biology project
had been solely, sincerely and satisfactorily
completed by KIRAN THULASIRAMAN
REDDY of class XII for the practical
examination of Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE) in the academic year 2019-
2020 .

Internal Examiner External Examiner

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What is a Drug?
A drug is any substance (other than food that provides nutritional support) that,
when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved under
the tongue causes a physiological (and often psychological) change in the body.

In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance of known structure, other than a nutrient of an

essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a
biological effect. A pharmaceutical drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical
substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being.
Traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from medicinal plants, but more recently
also by organic synthesis. Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a limited duration, or on a
regular basis for chronic disorders.

Pharmaceutical drugs are often classified into drug classes—groups of related drugs that have
similar chemical structures, the same mechanism of action (binding to the same biological
target), a related mode of action, and that are used to treat the same disease. The Anatomical
Therapeutic Chemical Classification System (ATC), the most widely used drug classification
system, assigns drugs a unique ATC code, which is an alphanumeric code that assigns it to
specific drug classes within the ATC system. Another major classification system is the Bio
pharmaceutics Classification System. This classifies drugs according to their solubility and
permeability or absorption properties. Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the
function of the central nervous system, altering perception, mood or consciousness. These drugs
are divided into different groups like: stimulants, depressants, antidepressants, anxiolytics,
antipsychotics and hallucinogens.

These psychotropic drugs have been proven useful in treating wide range of medical
conditions including mental disorders around the world. The most widely used drugs in the
world include caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, which are also considered recreational drugs, since
they are used for pleasure rather than medicinal purposes. Abuse of several psychoactive drugs
can cause psychological or physical addiction. It's worth noting that all drugs can have

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potential side effects. Excessive use of stimulants can promote stimulant psychosis. Many
recreational drugs are illicit and international treaties such as the Drug sexist for the purpose of
their prohibition.

How Illicit Drugs Affect Society ?

Illicit drug use can refer to the use of illegal drugs—including heroin, methamphetamine, and
MDMA—or the illegal use of legal drugs. Both methods of drug use can have a massively
negative impact on society, and both are occurring at high rates.

In 2015, more than 27 million people in the U.S. used illicit drugs in a way that was harmful to
their health and that caused problems in their work, family, and community at large. Globally,
approximately 275 million people, between the ages of 15 and 64, used drugs at least once
during 2016, and approximately 31 million of the people who use drugs suffer from substance
use disorders. Yet only one in six people with a substance use disorder got treatment in 2016.2

Drug Use
The non-medical use of prescription opioids has become a major public health issue in the
United States. In a study conducted in 2014, 10.3 million people reported abusing prescription
opioids non-medically - and that number has only grown. More than 130 people in the United
States die every day after an opioid overdose. More than 47,00 American died in 2017 from
opioid overdose - including prescription opioids, heroin, and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. It’s
estimated that around the world, a little more than 35 million people abuse meth or
amphetamines, 15 million abuse cocaine, and around 10 million regularly abuse
opioids. Additionally, abuse of illicit stimulants, such as methamphetamine and “crank,” are
widespread epidemics in the Southwest and Northwest regions of the U.S.

From the effects illicit drug users have on people in their family, including children, to the
burden the drugs place on local and national economies, the negative impact is challenging to
quantify but impossible to avoid. The statistics above relate directly to those who are using illicit
drugs, but they neglect to demonstrate how the people behind those numbers cause a kind of
ripple effect of damage on society at large. From the effects illicit drug users have on people in
their family, including children, to the burden the drugs place on local and national economies,

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the negative impact is challenging to quantify but impossible to avoid. The effects of illicit drug
use on society can be best understood by examining the overarching impacts on violence and
crime, health, and finances.

Its Relationship with Violence and Crime

Illicit drug activity can increase crime and brutality, particularly gun violence, which poses a real
danger to a peaceful society. Users often commit crimes to obtain money for drugs, and drug
users, in turn, may become unstable, causing outbursts that lead to violence.

That said, rates of drug-related violence and crime in the United States tend to fluctuate
depending on the illicit substances that are most popular in a given era. For example, illicit drug-
related crime peaked in the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of crack cocaine. In the 1990s, rates of
violent crime decreased, and the change is attributed to the increased popularity of marijuana.

Incarceration rates due to non-violent drug offenses are on the rise. Looking deeper into this
increase, you can see that there are also racial implications. People of color comprise 60% of the
imprisoned population - African Americans make up 62.6% of drug offenders in state prisons. In
the entire U.S., the prison admission rates on drug charges for black males is 13 times higher
than the admission for white males.

Men and women who have served extensive prison sentences for nonviolent drug offenses are
not only left with little or no social support once released, but they also suffer high rates of
recidivism. Many convicted felons are not able to secure legitimate employment upon release.
Thus, the prison system can become a revolving door without sufficient rehabilitation strategies.
If policy makers wish to decrease rates of illicit drug-related violence and crime, this system may
require further examination and change

The Health Effects

Illicit drugs lead to negative health effects and the health risks increase with the frequency and
quantity of the use. Unfortunately, people are often not aware of the health consequences their
drug use has caused until it is too late. Due to the magnitude of these health effects, policy

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makers have passed some legislation that attempts to minimize the overall impact of illicit drug
use on society.

Adverse health outcomes in illicit drug users can include:

 Mental disorders.

 Psychosis.

 Road traffic accidents.

 Blood-borne bacterial and viral infections (HIV & Hepatitis C).

 Violence.

 Drug overdose.

 Suicides.

 Death.

Most deaths from drug overdose are unintentional or accidental in nature, and this risk increases
when drugs are combined, such as when illicit drugs like heroin are combined with additional
respiratory-depressing substances like alcohol or benzodiazepines. Illicit opioid use is also a
significant cause of fatality from overdose, accounting for more than triple the amount of deaths
in 2009 than 1999.

Illicit drugs have harmful and sometimes unpredictable effects, since their production is not
regulated. Short-term effects of MDMA use include restlessness, anxiety, hyperthermia, and
swelling in the brain. More severe health consequences of MDMA use, such as liver dysfunction,
cardiovascular problems, psychosis, coma, and death, are rare and are more reflective of impure
street MDMA.

Illicit drugs have harmful and sometimes unpredictable effects, since their
production is not regulated.
Stimulant drug overdoses can lead to arrhythmia, stroke, and cardiac arrest. This only touches on
the short-term outcomes, but a drug like cocaine, for example, can lead to long-term defects
ranging from liver, kidney, and lung damage to mental issues like psychosis. Illicit drug use

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further impacts the health of pregnant women and their developing fetuses. A higher incidence
of fetal exposure to methamphetamine has been shown to lead to prenatal complications, such as
“intraventricular hemorrhage, fetal growth restriction, decreased birth weight, cardiac
abnormalities, cleft palate, and behavioral effects in neonates.”

Effecting Change?
These serious outcomes related to illicit drugs have led policy makers and providers to come up
with more effective treatment goals. In response to the opioid and heroin epidemic and
associated public health problems, federal, state, and other vested parties are implementing a
series of policies and programs focused on eliminating the inappropriate or over-prescribing of
opioids. These efforts include educating health professionals and the public about substance
misuse, implementing prescription drug monitoring programs, and enforcing regulatory actions
to stop haphazard prescribing.

In response to the issues associated with methamphetamine, Congress passed the Comprehensive
Methamphetamine Control Act, which limits access to precursor chemicals and amps up
consequences for the manufacturing and trafficking of methamphetamine.

The public health system in the United States is made up of a network of private and public
entities that coalesce on national, state, and local levels, so the responsibility for establishing
conditions that allow individuals to thrive is shared among these 3 levels. At the federal level, the
White House revealed a $1.1 billion budget proposal to Congress in early 2017 that included a
request for more funding for health care services needed to combat the addiction crisis. This
request represents the largest increase in direct federal funding for treating substance use
disorders in decades.

The Economic Impact

To get a sense of the societal costs of illicit drug use, a recent Surgeon General report estimated
the yearly economic impact on the United States at $193 billion. Drug-related crime costs are
measured at $61 billion, while more than 60% of those arrested have illicit substances in their
system when detained. Environmentally, methamphetamine use cost California $5.5 million to
clean up in 2001. Add in the more than $11 billion in costs to the healthcare system for drug

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intervention and treatment and an estimated $120 billion hit on workplace productivity, and the
impact becomes painfully evident.

Drug-related crime costs are measured at $61 billion, while more than 60% of those arrested
have illicit substances in the sir system when detained. Hospital and ER visits, inpatient stays,
outpatient costs, primary care, and total medical costs all factor into the complicated financial
situation exacerbated by illicit substance abuse. Medicaid and Medicare often insure most people
who don’t otherwise have access to healthcare or treatment coverage.

Detox and rehab (outpatient and inpatient) can be costly, depending on the length of stay and
what amenities are offered in the facility. Often, people who are severely addicted go through a
detox facility first and then enter an inpatient or outpatient treatment program for an extended
time. Most insurance companies will only pay for a portion of the treatment (usually 30 days),
yet effective treatment often requires lengthier care. All of these interventions can incur separate
costs.

Many people don’t realize some of the other hidden costs of illicit drug use, such as the toll it
takes on work productivity. Businesses can suffer from the illicit drug problem by losing
employees or from theft, which lowers productivity. It takes time and resources to train staff,
especially when there is high turnover due to such issues. Communities that are overtaken by
addiction, violence, and drug-related crimes suffer economically.

Effect of psychoactive drugs on animals

Psychoactive drugs, such as caffeine, amphetamine, mescaline, LSD, marijuana, chloral hydrate,
theophylline, IBMX and others, can have strong effects on certain animals. At small
concentrations, some psychoactive drugs reduce the feeding rate of insects and molluscs, and at
higher doses some can kill them. Spiders build more disordered webs than before after
consuming most drugs. It is believed that plants developed caffeine as a chemical defense against
insects.

Spiders

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In 1948, Swiss pharmacologist Peter N. Witt started his research on the effect of drugs on
spiders. The initial motivation for the study was a request from his colleague, zoologist H. M.
Peters, to shift the time when garden spiders build their webs from 2am–5am, which apparently
annoyed Peters, to earlier hours. Witt tested spiders with a range of psychoactive drugs,
including amphetamine, mescaline, strychnine, LSD, and caffeine, and found that the drugs
affect the size and shape of the web rather than the time when it is built. At small doses of
caffeine (10 µg/spider), the webs were smaller; the radii were uneven, but the regularity of the
circles was unaffected. At higher doses (100 µg/spider), the shape changed more, and the web
design became irregular. All the drugs tested reduced web regularity except for small doses (0.1–
0.3 µg) of LSD, which increased web regularity.

The drugs were administered by dissolving them in sugar water, and a drop of solution was
touched to the spider's mouth. In some later studies, spiders were fed with drugged flies. For
qualitative studies, a well-defined volume of solution was administered through a fine syringe.
The webs were photographed for the same spider before and after drugging.

Witt's research was discontinued, but it became reinvigorated in 1984 after a paper by J.A.
Nathanson in the journal Science, which is discussed below. In 1995, a NASA research group
repeated Witt's experiments on the effect of caffeine, benzedrine, marijuana and chloral hydrate
on European garden spiders. NASA's results were qualitatively similar to those of Witt, but the
novelty was that the pattern of the spider web was quantitatively analyzed with modern statistical
tools, and proposed as a sensitive method of drug detection.

In the latest investigation, Hamidreza Namazi followed the works done by Witt and NASA
research group and employed fractal theory to investigate the correlation between the complex
structures of spider's brain signal and web in case of non-stimulation and also stimulation by
feeding using caffeine, Benzedrine and chloral hydrate. Based on the results, drugs make the
spider brain signal and web less complex. He found out that by moving from “no drug” condition
to Benzedrine, Caffeine, Chloral hydrate respectively, spider’s brain activity yields bigger
decrements in the complexity of the spider’s web that mirrors the trend in reduction of
complexity of spider’s brain signal in case of these drugs. Namazi also analyzed the information
contents of spider brain signal and web in different conditions. The results demonstrated the

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relation between the information contents of the spider’s web and brain signal, as the trend
across the decrements of information content of the brain signal is mirrored on the trend across
the decrements of information content of the spider’s web.

Other arthropods and molluscs

In 1984, Nathanson reported an effect of methylxanthines on larvae of the tobacco hornworm.

He administered solutions of finely powdered tea leaves or coffee beans to the larvae and
observed, at concentrations between 0.3 and 10% for coffee and 0.1 to 3% for tea, inhibition of
feeding, associated with hyperactivity and tremor. At higher concentrations, larvae were killed
within 24 hours. He repeated the experiments with purified caffeine and concluded that the drug
was responsible for the effect, and the concentration differences between coffee beans and tea
leaves originated from 2–3 times higher caffeine content in the latter. Similar action was
observed for IBMX on mosquito larvae, mealworm larvae, butterfly larvae and milkweed bug
nymphs, that is, inhibition of feeding and death at higher doses. Flour beetles were unaffected by
IBMX up to 3% concentrations, but long-term experiments revealed suppression of reproductive
activity.

Further, Nathanson fed tobacco hornworm larvae with leaves sprayed with such psychoactive
drugs as caffeine, formamidine pesticide didemethylchlordimeform (DDCDM), IBMX or
theophylline. He observed a similar effect, namely inhibition of feeding followed by death.
Nathanson concluded that caffeine and related methylxanthines could be natural pesticides
developed by plants as protection against worms: Caffeine is found in many plant species, with
high levels in seedlings that are still developing foliage, but are lacking mechanical protection;
caffeine paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding upon the plant. High caffeine levels have also
been found in the soil surrounding coffee bean seedlings. It is therefore understood that caffeine
has a natural function, both as a natural pesticide and as an inhibitor of seed germination of other
nearby coffee seedlings, thus giving it a better chance of survival.

Coffee borer beetles seem to be unaffected by caffeine, in that their feeding rate did not change
when they were given leaves sprayed with caffeine solution. It was concluded that those beetles

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have adapted to caffeine. This study was further developed by changing the solvent for caffeine.
Although aqueous caffeine solutions had indeed no effect on the beetles, oleate emulsions of
caffeine did inhibit their feeding, suggesting that even if certain insects have adjusted to some
caffeine forms, they can be tricked by changing minor details, such as the drug solvent.

These results and conclusions were confirmed by a similar study on slugs and snails. Cabbage
leaves were sprayed with caffeine solutions and fed to Veronicella cubensis slugs and Zonitoides
arboreus snails. Cabbage consumption reduced over time, followed by the death of the molluscs.
Inhibition of feeding by caffeine was also observed for caterpillars.

Cats

About 70% of domestic cats are especially attracted to, and affected by the plant Nepeta cataria,
otherwise known as catnip. Wild cats, including tigers, are also affected, but with unknown
percentage. The first reaction of cats is to sniff. Then, they lick and sometimes chew the plant
and after that rub against it, with their cheeks and the whole body by rolling over. If cats
consume concentrated extract of the plant, they quickly show signs of over-excitement such as
violent twitching, profuse salivation and sexual arousal. The reaction is caused by the volatile
terpenoids called nepetalactones present in the plant. Although they are mildly toxic and repel
insects from the plant, their concentration is too low to poison cats.

How drugs affect plants?

The impacts of a range of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on edible crops and found
that, even at very low concentrations, the growth of plants like lettuce and radish can be affected by
familiar medicines including diclofenac, tolfenamic acid, meclofenamic acid, mefenamic acid and
ibuprofen. The potential for these chemicals to influence plants is becoming increasingly
relevant, particularly as waste management systems are unable to remove many compounds from
our sewage. Drugs for human use make their way into soil through a number of routes, including
the use of sewage sludge as fertiliser and wastewater for irrigation.

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In addition, there is a need on health grounds for our populations to eat more plants, indeed to
base diets increasingly on plants. Given that the UK imports significant quantities of fruit and
vegetables and that few of us consume our five-a-day, eating more fruit and vegetables poses
questions about how and where they should be produced should people increase their intakes.
Anything that prejudices edible plant growth is of concern.

This recent study looked for a number of changes in edible plants, assessing factors such as
water content, root and shoot length, overall size and how effectively the plants
photosynthesised. Each drug was shown to affect the plants in very specific ways, with marked
differences between drugs that are closely related. For example, drugs from the fenamic acid
class affected the growth of radish roots, whilst ibuprofen had a significant influence on the early
root development of lettuce plants.

Use of medicines continues to increase and the pharmaceuticals we use ultimately end up in the
environment. The study authors say that relatively little is still known about the effects of
pharmaceuticals in the environment, particularly on flora and fauna. The understanding of
pharmaceuticals in the environment needs to increase, including the impact of pharmaceuticals in
the environment on public health, so that appropriate monitoring and controls can be put in
place.

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment has attracted research attention particularly
as evidence emerges of the effects they can have on the development of animals and antibiotic
resistance in bacteria. Yet their ability to affect plant growth is poorly understood. This study
marks an important step in an emerging research field attempting to assess how very low
concentrations of drugs can affect the growth of crucial crop plants. It specifically considered the
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, naproxen and ibuprofen.

How drugs affect our body?

Different types of drugs affect your body in different ways, and the effects associated with drugs
can vary from person to person. How a drug effects an individual is dependent on a variety of
factors including body size, general health, the amount and strength of the drug, and whether any

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 other drugs are in the system at the same time. It is important to remember that illegal drugs are
not controlled substances, and therefore the quality and strength may differ from one batch to
another.

Drugs can have short-term and long-term effects. These effects can be physical and
psychological, and can include dependency. You may act differently, feel differently and think
differently if you have taken drugs. And you may struggle to control your actions and thoughts.

You might begin to use drugs without thinking about any harm to your body. You might think
drugs won't become a problem because you are only a casual user. The more you take a drug, the
more likely you are to build up a tolerance to its effects. This can lead to the need to take larger
doses to obtain the effects of the drug. For this reason, evidence suggests that after prolonged
use, many drugs can cause dependence. Drug dependence can quickly begin to affect your
psychological and physical health, and can also affect your work and social life. It is important to
remember that there is no safe level of drug use. Be careful when taking any kind of drug.

Different drugs, different effects

Drugs affect your body's central nervous system. They affect how you think, feel and behave.
The three main types are depressants, hallucinogens and stimulants:

 Depressants slow or 'depress' the function of the central nervous system. They slow the
messages going to and from your brain. In small quantities depressants can cause a person to feel
relaxed and less inhibited. In large amounts they may cause vomiting, unconsciousness and
death. Depressants affect your concentration and coordination, and slow your ability to respond
to situations. It is important to not operate heavy machinery while taking depressants. Alcohol,
cannabis, GHB, opiates (heroin, morphine, codeine) and benzodiazepines (minor tranquillisers)
are examples of depressants.

 Hallucinogens distort your sense of reality. You may see or hear things that are not really
there, or see things in a distorted way. Other effects can include emotional and psychological
euphoria, jaw clenching, panic, paranoia, gastric upset and nausea. Ketamine, LSD, PCP, 'magic
mushrooms' and cannabis are examples of hallucinogens.

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 Stimulants speed or 'stimulate' the central nervous system. They speed up messaging to
and from the brain, making you feel more alert and confident. This can cause increased heart
rate, blood pressure and body temperature, reduced appetite, agitation and sleeplessness. In large
amounts stimulants may cause anxiety, panic, seizures, stomach cramps and paranoia. Caffeine,
nicotine, amphetamines (speed and Ice), cocaine and ecstasy (MDMA) are examples of
stimulants.

Risk factors for drug-related harm

The effects of a drug, and how long they last, depend on a number of factors:

 The type and strength of drugs that you use

 How the drug was made -- substances manufactured in home labs may contain bacteria,
dangerous chemicals and other unsafe substances, and have an unknown strength. Even
one dose may cause an overdose that leads to brain damage or death

 Your physical characteristics (including height, weight, age, body fat and metabolism)

 The dose that you take

 How often and for how long you have been using drugs

 How you ingest the drug (by inhalation, by injection or orally). Compared with
swallowing a drug, inhalation and injection are more likely to lead to overdose and
dependence. If you are injecting drugs, sharing injecting equipment will increase your risk
of contracting serious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. It will also increase your risk of
serious infection

 Your mental health, mood and environment (that is, whether you are in a secure, happy
place or an unsafe place) can affect the experience you have when taking drugs. If you
have a mental health condition, drugs may exacerbate or complicate the symptoms of that
condition

 Whether you mix drugs, including alcohol. In particular, alcohol use may lead to high risk
behaviour (such as drink driving) which can result in the serious injury or death of
yourself or others.

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 Effects of common drugs

Cannabis (hash, pot, dope, weed, grass, skunk, marijuana):

 May cause relaxation and altered perception

 Can lead to increased heart rate and low blood pressure

 Can make you feel relaxed and happy, but can also cause lethargy, anxiety, paranoia, and
psychosis in extreme cases. A history or family history of mental illness may increase the
possibility of more extreme psychotic reactions

 Affects how your brain works. Regular use can make it hard for you to concentrate, learn
and retain information

 Reduces your fertility

 When mixed with tobacco, is likely to increase the risk of heart disease and lung cancer.

Cocaine (powder cocaine, coke, blow, Charlie, crack):

 Gives you increased energy

 Makes you feel happy, awake, confident and less inhibited, but has a nasty 'come down'
that makes you feel depressed and unwell. (Using depressant drugs to help with the severity of
come downs can increase the chances of the development of negative cycles of dependence.)

 Can over-stimulate the heart and nervous system and lead to a seizure, brain hemorrhage,
stroke or heart attack (people have died from cocaine-induced heart failure)

 Reduces your pain perception and may result in injury

 Carries greater risk if mixed with alcohol or other stimulants, especially if you have high
blood pressure or if you have an existing heart condition

 Can harm your baby during pregnancy, and may cause miscarriage

 Can increase the risk of mental health issues such a s anxiety, paranoia and psychosis

 If snorted, can cause damage to the lining of the nasal passage and nose

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 If injected, can cause vein collapse and increased risk of HIV and hepatitis infection.

Mephedrone (meow meow, m-cat, plant food, bubble, meph):

 Can induce feelings of happiness, euphoria and confidence, but can also cause anxiety
and paranoia

 Causes vomiting, sweating and headaches in some users

 Can overstimulate your heart and nervous system

 Can cause periods of insomnia

 Can lead to fits and agitated and hallucinatory states

 If used in large amounts, can cause tingling of the hands and feet, seizure and respiratory
failure

 Has been linked to a number of deaths

 If injected, can cause vein collapse and increases the risk of HIV and hepatitis infection.

Ecstasy (MDMA, pills, E, eckies):

 Can make you feel alert, warm and chatty

 Can make sounds and colours seem more intense

 May cause anxiety, confusion, paranoia and even psychosis

 Is linked (in cases of long-term use) to memory loss, depression and anxiety

 Can lead to overheating and dehydration

 Tends to stop your body producing enough urine, so your body retains fluid.

Speed (amphetamine, billy, whizz):

 Can make you feel alert, confident and energetic

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 Can reduce appetite

 May make you agitated and aggressive

 May cause confusion, paranoia and even psychosis

 Can make you very depressed and lethargic for hours or days, when used a lot

 Can cause high blood pressure and heart attacks

 Is more risky if mixed with alcohol, or if you have blood pressure or heart problems

 Puts you at risk of overdose, vein and tissue damage, and infectious disease (such as
hepatitis C and HIV), if you inject speed.

Ice (crystal meth, shabu, crystal, glass, shard, P):

 May create feelings of pleasure and confidence

 Can make you feel alert and energetic

 Can cause you to repeat simple things like itching and scratching

 Can cause enlarged or dilated pupils and a dry mouth

 May make you grind your teeth

 Can cause excessive sweat

 Can increase your heart rate and breathing

 May reduce your appetite

 May increase your sex drive

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 Puts you at risk of infectious diseases (such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV) if you
inject it

 Can damage your nasal passages and cause nose bleeds if you snort it.

Effects of a 'come down'

A 'come down' is your body's reaction to the substances that you have taken, after the initial
reaction. In other words, it is the after effect. How long it lasts, and how bad it is, depends on the
type of drug (stimulant or depressant) and your age, sex and tolerance.

Common after effects are flatness, depression and exhaustion. Or you may feel:

 Shaky, dizzy, sweaty

 Headache

 Nauseous

 Fatigued

 Not hungry

 Sleepy or unable to sleep.

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TYPES OF DRUGS

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1. What is Alcohol?

Alcohol is a depressant drug, which means it slows down the messages travelling between the
brain and the body.

Other names

Booze, grog, piss, liquor, charge, nip.

Effects of alcohol

There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk. It’s important to be
careful when taking any type of drug.

Alcohol affects everyone differently, based on:

 Size, weight and health

 Whether the person is used to taking it

 Whether other drugs are taken around the same time

 The amount drunk

 The strength of the drink

You may experience:

 Feeling relaxed

 Trouble concentrating

 Slower reflexes

 Increased confidence

 Feeling happier or sadder, depending on your mood1,2

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If you consume a lot of alcohol, you might experience:

 Confusion

 Blurred vision

 Clumsiness

 Memory loss

 Nausea, vomiting

 Passing out

 Coma

 Death

Hangovers

The following day, you may have a hangover, which is:

 Headache

 Diarrhea and nausea

 Tiredness and trembling

 Increased heart rate and blood pressure

 Dry mouth

 Trouble concentrating

 Anxiety

 Poor or decreased sleep

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Long term effects

Regular use of alcohol may eventually cause:

 Difficulty getting an erection

 Depression

 Poor memory and brain damage

 Difficulty having children

 Liver disease

 Cancer

 High blood pressure and heart disease

 Needing to drink more to get the same effect (Addiction)

 Physical dependence on alcohol

Drinking alcohol with other drugs

The effects of drinking and taking other drugs − including over-the-counter or prescribed
medications − can be unpredictable and dangerous, and could cause:

 Alcohol + cannabis: nausea, vomiting, panic, anxiety and paranoia.

 Alcohol + energy drinks (with caffeine), ice, speed or ecstasy: more risky behaviour,
body under great stress, overdose more likely.

 Alcohol + GHB or benzodiazepines: decreased heart rate, overdose more likely.5

Withdrawal

Giving up alcohol after drinking it for a long time is challenging because the body has to get
used to functioning without it. Please seek advice from a health professional. Withdrawal
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symptoms can start within a few hours after the last drinks and can last for 2 – 7 days. These
symptoms can include:

 Sweating

 Tremors

 Nausea

 Anxiety, irritability, difficulty sleeping

 Seizures or fits

 Delusions and hallucinations

 Death

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2. What is Tobacco?

Products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and wet and dry snuff contain
dried leaves from the tobacco plant. The main chemical in tobacco is nicotine, which is a
stimulant drug that speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and body. It may be
more addictive than heroin. Tar and carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) are also released when
tobacco is burned, such as when it’s smoked.

Electronic cigarettes (also known as E cigarettes) don’t contain dried tobacco leaves, but they
may still contain nicotine.

Street names

Ciggies, darts, durries, rollies, smokes, fags, butts, cancer sticks

How is Tobacco used?

Tobacco is usually smoked in cigarettes. It is also smoked in cigars and pipes.

Effects of tobacco

There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk. It’s important to be
careful when taking any type of drug. Tobacco affects everyone differently, based on:

 Size, weight and health

 Whether the person is used to taking it

 Whether other drugs are taken around the same time

 The amount taken

 The strength of the tobacco and how much is contained in the product

The following effects may be experienced:

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 o Feeling more alert, happy and relaxed

o Coughing

o Dizziness, headaches

o Fast heart beat

o Bad breath

o Tingling and numbness in fingers and toes

o Reduced appetite, stomach cramps and vomiting

If a large amount of tobacco is taken the following effects may also be experienced:

o Confusion

o Feeling faint

o Seizures

o Fast breathing

o Respiratory arrest (stop breathing) and death

Some people believe that smoking ‘light’ or ‘low tar’ cigarettes is less harmful than regular
cigarettes. However, there is little difference between the amount of chemicals inhaled by people
who smoke ‘light’ cigarettes and those who smoke regular ones.

Long-term effects

Regular use of tobacco may eventually cause:

o Shortness of breath

o Coughing fits, asthma and lung diseases

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o Regular colds or flu

o Loss of taste and smell

o Yellow, rotting teeth

o Yellow finger tips

o Early wrinkles

o Back pain

o Slower-healing wounds

o Mood swings

o Eye disease and hearing loss

o Stomach ulcers

o Difficulty having children (males and females)

o Irregular periods and early menopause (females)

o Difficulty getting an erection (males)

o Cancer (in many areas of the body)

o Stroke and brain damage

o Heart attack and disease

o Needing to use more to get the same effect

o Dependence on tobacco

o Financial, work and social problems

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Passive smoking

Passive smoking is when someone breathes in smoke from other people smoking. Passive
smoking can cause many of the health problems listed above, so it’s important not to smoke near
other people, particularly babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with
chronic respiratory conditions.

Using tobacco with other drugs

The effects of using tobacco with other drugs – including over-the-counter or prescribed
medications – can be unpredictable and dangerous, and could cause:

 Tobacco + benzodiazepines: reduced effectiveness of benzodiazepines.

 Tobacco + contraceptive pill: increased risk of blood clots forming.7

 It’s important to check with a medical professional about whether nicotine might affect
any medications you are taking.

Withdrawal

Giving up tobacco after using it for a long time is challenging because the body has to get used
to functioning without it. Withdrawal symptoms usually start within 2–3 hours after you last use
tobacco. The symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. These symptoms can include:

 Cravings for a cigarette

 Irritability, anxiety and depression

 Restless sleep

 Eating more and putting on weight

 Trouble concentrating

 Headaches

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 Coughing and sore throat

 Aches and pains

 Upset stomach and bowels

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3. What are opioids?

Opioids include any drug that acts on opioid receptors in the brain, and any natural or synthetic
drugs that are derived from or related to the opium poppy. Opiates are a subset of opioids, which
are naturally derived from the opium poppy plant, rather than synthetic substances.

The opioid receptor system

Opioids bind to opioid receptors which depress the central nervous system, and slow down
messages between the brain and the rest of the body. This causes breathing and heart rate to slow
down. Opioid receptors also stimulate the release of dopamine, which leads to sensations of
pleasure and pain relief.

If breathing and heart rate slow down to a certain point, someone may stop breathing, and
overdose can occur.1 Opioid overdose can result in death and other injuries, but can be reversed
by CPR and naloxone administration.2Naloxone also binds to opioid receptors, but has the
opposite effect than other opioids. It blocks the receptors from attaching to other opioids, and
acts to reverse an overdose. Naloxone has been used in Australia for a number of years in clinical
and ambulance settings, and has recently been made available over-the-counter.

How are they used?

Opioids can be used in various ways – opioid-based medications are usually found in tablet form
and are often swallowed; opiate-substitution treatment is found in liquid, tablet and film
formations and is used orally and by dissolving the film under the tongue; and, heroin is usually
injected but is also snorted or smoked.

Types of commonly used opioids

General

Opioids include certain types of pain killers, known as ‘opioid pain medications’ and illegal
drugs, such as heroin. Some opioids are plant-based and come from the opium poppy (opiates),
whilst others are synthetic or ‘man-made’. Common types of opioid include codeine

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(Panadeine®, Panadeine Forte® and Nurofen Plus®), fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone (Endone®
or OxyContin®), buprenorphine (Subutex® or Suboxone®), methadone (Methadone Syrup®
and Biodone Forte®), tramadol and heroin. Newer psychoactive opioid substances include: U-
47700, AH-7921, O-desmethyltramadol, MT-45, acetylfentanyl and furanyl-fentanyl.

Opioid-based medications

Common types of opioid-based medications include codeine (Panadeine®, Panadeine Forte®

and Nurofen Plus®), fentanyl, morphine, buprenorphine (Subutex® or Suboxone®), methadone
and tramadol. They act in the same way as other opioids such as heroin to produce feelings of
pain relief. Opioid-based medications are commonly prescribed by doctors, and until recently
(2018), some lower strength opioids were available to buy over the counter. However opioid-
based medications are now only available with a prescription, or can be purchased illegally.

Many people do not realize that many medications prescribed for pain relief can cause
dependence. If they are overused, or combined with other drugs that depress the central nervous
system, such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, they may also cause overdose. Pharmaceutical
opioids now account for more drug-related deaths in Australia than any other drug category.

Heroin

Heroin is the common name for diecetylemorphine or diamorphine. Diamorphine is used in

clinical settings and is the substance used in prescription heroin programs internationally. Heroin
is an opiate, meaning it is a naturally occurring substance of the opium poppy.

Opiate substitution treatments

Methadone (Methadone Syrup® and Bio done Forte®) and buprenorphine (Sub oxone® or Sub
utex®) are opioid-based medications used to treat addiction to heroin or other opioids, also
known as pharmacotherapy or opiate substitution treatment (OST). OST is prescribed by a doctor
to assist people using opioids to reduce or stop their use. They are used to manage cravings and
withdrawal symptoms. Methadone is also used in clinical settings following heart attacks, trauma
and surgery.

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 Naloxone

Naloxone is classified as an opioid as it binds to opioid receptors; however it acts in the opposite
way of most opioids. Naloxone blocks other opioids from binding to receptors, and can reverse
opioid overdoses within minutes. It does not have the same effect as other opioids and does not
produce feelings of pain relief and pleasure.

Naloxone is only useful to reverse overdoses of other opioids, and will not effect overdoses due
to alcohol, benzodiazepines, stimulant or hallucinogenic drugs, or non-opioid based medications.

Effects of opioids

There is no safe level of drug use.

Use of any drug always carries some risk. It’s important to be careful when taking any type of
drug.

Opioids effect everyone differently, based on:

 The person’s size, weight and health

 Whether the person is used to taking it

 Whether other drugs are taken around the same time

 The amount taken

 The strength of the drug.

Generally speaking, people who use opioids may experience the following:

 Extreme relaxation

 Drowsiness and clumsiness

 Confusion, slurred speech,

 Slow breathing and heartbeat.

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 If a large dose is consumed, someone may develop:

 Cold, clammy skin

 Slow breathing

 Blue lips and fingertips

 Falling asleep (‘going on the nod’)

 Death by respiratory depression.

Long-term effects include:

 Increased tolerance

 Constipation

 Dependence

 Damage to vital organs such as the lungs, brain and heart.

Using opioids with other drugs

The effects of taking opioids with other drugs – including over-the-counter or prescribed
medications – can be unpredictable and dangerous, and could cause
• Opioids + alcohol, cannabis or benzodiazepines: slow down breathing and brain activity, and
increased risk of overdose.
• Opioids + ice, speed or ecstasy: enormous strain on the heart and kidneys, and increased risk of
overdose.

Opioids and other drugs

Health and safety

Use of opioids is likely to be more dangerous when:

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 Taken in combination with alcohol or other drugs, in particular benzodiazepines, or other
opiates as these can slow breathing and increase the risk of overdose6

 Driving or operating machinery, as a person’s ability to judge distance and space is

extremely limited

 Alone (in case medical assistance is required). It is recommended that a person

unaffected be at hand in case assistance is required

 Injecting equipment is not sterile.

If you or someone you know is using opioids, it would be good idea to talk with your doctor
about accessing naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdoses. Your friends or family
members can be trained in overdose reversal in case of an emergency.

Pain management plans

If you are prescribed opioid-based medications, ask your doctor about a ‘pain management plan’
and other non-medicine (such as physical therapy) and non-opioid strategies (such as
paracetamol) you can use to complement your treatment and reduce your reliance on opioid-
based medications.

Tolerance and dependence

There is evidence that after prolonged use, many drugs can cause dependence. People who use a
drug regularly can develop dependence and tolerance to it. This means they need to take larger
amounts of the drug to get the same effect. Dependence on a drug can be psychological, physical,
or both. People who are dependent on the drug find that using the drug becomes far more
important than other activities in their life. They crave the drug and find it very difficult to stop
using it.

People who are psychologically dependent on a drug may find they feel the urge to use it when
they are in specific surroundings, such as socializing with friends. Physical dependence occurs
when a person’s body adapts to a drug and gets used to functioning with the drug present.

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