Chapter 7 Living Drug-Free
Principles of Personal Health
I. Prevention: The Best Solution
A. The U.S. combats the drug problem on the demand side and the supply side
B. Prevention efforts
1. Primary Prevention
a. Primary prevention- Measures intended to deter first-time drug use
b. Targets individuals, families, peer groups, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, colleges, and the community
2. Secondary Prevention
a. Secondary prevention- Measures aimed at early detection, intervention, and treatment of drug abuse
b. Targets those who are beginning to experiment with drugs
c. Methods: Telephone hotlines, peer counseling, individual and family counseling, etc.
3. Tertiary Prevention
a. Tertiary prevention- Treatment and rehabilitation of drug-dependent people to limit deterioration or prevent death
b. Targets drug-dependent individuals
c. May require temporary hospitalization
II. Addictive Behavior
A. Addictive behavior includes addictions to shopping, eating, gambling, sex, television, video games, work, and drugs
B. The Process of Addiction
1. Addictive behavior has three common aspects:
a. Exposure
~An addiction begins after a person is exposed to a drug or behavior that he or she finds pleasurable
b. Compulsion
~More energy, time, and money are spent pursuing the drug use or behavior
c. Loss of Control
~The search for highs changes to a search to avoid the effects of withdrawal
~Addicted people lose their ability to control their behavior
C. Intervention and Treatment
1. Help is available
2. Programs include inpatient or outpatient treatment, family counseling, and long-term aftercare counseling
D. Codependence
1. Codependent- Anyone who is close to an individual addicted to any type of behavior
2. Programs are available to help the codependent person
III. Drug Terminology
A. Introduction
1. Drug- Any substance, other than food, that alters structure of function in the living organism
2. Psychoactive drugs alter the user’s feelings, behavior, perceptions, or moods
B. Dependence
1. Psychoactive drugs have a potential for the development of dependence
2. Psychoactive drugs- Any substance capable of altering feelings, moods, or perceptions
3. If use continues, the user can develop a dependence of the drug
4. Physical Dependence
a. The body cells have become reliant on a drug
b. If the drug is not taken, the user develops withdrawal illness
c. Withdrawal illness- Response of the body as it attempts to maintain homeostasis in the absence of a drug
d. Continued use of most drugs can lead to tolerance
e. The user needs larger doses to receive previously felt sensations
f. Cross-tolerance- Transfer of tolerance from one drug to another within the same general category
5. Psychological Dependence
a. Possessing a strong desire to continue using a particular drug
b. The user craves the drug for emotional reasons
C. Drug Misuse and Abuse
1. Use- An all-encompassing term describing drug-taking
2. Misuse- The inappropriate use of legal drugs
3. Abuse- Any use of a drug in a way that is detrimental to health
IV. Dynamics of the Addictive Personality
A. Individual Factors That Influence Drug Abuse
1. Genetic Predisposition
a. Inherited vulnerability
b. Genetic factors play a role
2. Personality Traits, Attitudes, and Beliefs
a. Correlations have been noted with certain aspects of personality
3. Interpersonal Skills and Developmental Task Mastery
a. Drug abusers are usually deficient in interpersonal skills and often have lower self-esteem
b. When people lack positive experiences they may attempt to compensate through heavy drug use
B. Environmental Factors That Influence Drug Abuse
1. Home and Family
a. Children seem to be at greater risk when parents exhibit poor management skills, antisocial behavior, and criminality
b. In many cases, adult family members abuse drugs themselves
c. Parents can be the best or worst models children can have
2. School
a. Children often have difficulty adjusting to the school
3. Peers
a. There is a relationship between peer group drub abuse and drub abuse among individual members
4. Community
a. Drug abuse rates differ from one community to another
C. Societal Factors That Influence Drug Abuse
1. Youth Subculture
a. People from twelve to seventeen years of age
b. Has its own expectations, roles, and standards
2. Modeling and Advertising
a. Modeling- The influence others have on us by example of there own behavior
b. Movie stars, musicians, and athletes serve as models
c. Advertising is an important factor fostering drug use
d. Celebrities participate in events sponsored by alcohol or tobacco companies
3. The Self-Care Movement
a. The ability to engage in self-care makes drug use easier and more acceptable than in the past
V. Effects of Drugs on the Central Nervous System
A. Neuron- A nerve cell
B. The neuron is the nervous system’s basic unit
C. First, stimuli from the environment are received
D. Stimuli are then converted into electrical impulses
E. Neurons function in a coordinated fashion to send information to the brain
F. Psychoactive drugs have the ability to alter some aspect of neurotransmitter function
VI. Drug Classifications
A. Psychoactive drugs fall into six general categories:
1. Stimulants (uppers)
a. Drugs that stimulate the function of the central nervous system
b. Increase heart rate, blood pressure, and the rate of brain function
c. Stimulant drugs include:
· Caffeine
¨ Tasteless drug found in coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, and over-the-counter drugs
¨ Users show evidence of tolerance and withdrawal
¨ For the average adult, moderate consumption is unlikely to pose a health threat
· Amphetamines
¨ Produce increased activity and mood elevation in most users
¨ Completely manufactured in the laboratory
¨ Can be ingested, injected, or snorted
¨ Can increase heart rate and blood pressure to dangerous levels
¨ Produce rapid tolerance and strong dependence
· Crystal Methamphetamine (Ice)
¨ Among the most recent and dangerous forms of methamphetamine
¨ A psychological dependence is quickly established
· Ritalin
¨ Typically prescribed to help elementary children focus their attention
· Cocaine
¨ Perhaps the strongest of the stimulant drugs
¨ Substance found in the leaves of the South American coca plant
¨ The effects last from 5-30 minutes
¨ Can be inhaled, injected, or smoked
¨ Psychological dependence is developed
· Crack Cocaine
¨ Convulsions, seizures, and cardiac failure have been reported
¨ Dependence develops within a few weeks
· Freebasing
¨ Powdered cocaine dissolved in a solvent, heated to evaporate
¨ This leaves the freebase cocaine in a powder that can be smoked
· Cocaine and Society
¨ Users may turn to crime to pay for their crack cocaine
¨ Users cease to be productive members of society
2. Depressants
a. Depressants slow down the Central Nervous System
b. Drugs included in this category:
· Barbiturates
¨ Depress the Central Nervous System to the point where the user drops off to sleep
¨ Used in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy
¨ Depressants quickly produce a tolerance
· Tranquilizers
¨ Depressants that are intended to reduce anxiety
· Rohypnol
¨ Causes a drunk, sleepy feeling that lasts up to eight hours
¨ Has been used to incapacitate women before raping them
¨ A recent law adds up to twenty years to the sentences of rapists who use Rohypnol
3. Hallucinogens
a. Produce hallucinations- perceived distortions of reality
b. Produce mild levels of psychological dependence
c. Examples of this drug:
· LSD
¨ The best-known, most powerful hallucinogen
¨ Its effects last an average of 10-12 hours
¨ Deaths resulting from behavior after taking LSD has been reported
¨ Users develop a high tolerance to LSD
· Designer Drugs
¨ Newly synthesized products similar to outlawed drugs but against which no law exists
¨ The effect of these homemade drugs can be very dangerous
· Phencyclidine (PCP, Angel Dust)
¨ Can be injected, inhaled, taken orally, or smoked
¨ PCP is an extremely unpredictable drug
4. Cannabis (marijuana)
a. Wild plant whose fibers were once used to make hemp rope
b. Can remain in the body for up to a month
c. Users have trouble paying attention and retaining new information
d. The effects of marijuana smoke on lung tissue are more pronounced than those of cigarette smoke
e. Use leads to damage to the immune system and the reproductive system
5. Narcotics
a. Among the most dependence-producing drugs
b. Examples of this drug:
· Natural Narcotics
¨ Naturally occurring substances derived from the Oriental poppy plant
· Quasisynthetic Narcotics
¨ Compounds created by chemically altering morphine
¨ The best known is heroin (extremely addictive)
¨ Strong physical and psychological dependence and tolerance develops
· Synthetic Narcotics
¨ Opiatelike drugs manufactured in medical laboratories
¨ Do not originate from the Oriental Poppy plant
¨ Can rapidly induce physical dependence
6. Inhalants
a. Psychoactive drugs that enter the body through inhalation
b. Can cause damaging, sometimes fatal effects on the respiratory system
VII. Combination Drug Effects
A. Synergistic effect- A heightened, exaggerated effect produced by use of two or more drugs
B. Additive effect- The combined (not exaggerated) effect produced by the use of two or more drugs
C. Antagonistic effect- The effect produced when one drug reduces or offsets the effects of a second drug
XIII. Society’s Response to Drug Use
A. Most adults see drug abuse as a clear danger to society
B. Starting drug education in preschool
C. Focus on reducing young people’s exposure to gateway drugs
D. Some support legalizing all drugs
E. $12 billion is spent to fight the drug war in the U.S. ($8 billion on law enforcement/$4 billion on education, prevention, and treatment
F. Drug Testing
1. One of society’s responses to drug use
2. The federal government instituted drug testing policies for federal employees
3. More than half of Fortune 500 companies us drug testing
4. Drug tests are likely to identify 90% of recent drug users
5. Scientists have been refining procedures that use hair samples to detect drugs
IX. College and Community Support Services for Drug Dependence
A. Confrontation- Confronting chemically dependent people directly about their addiction
B. This helps them realize the effect their behavior has on others
C. Treatment
1. College settings for drug dependence programs are commonly found in the counseling center
2. Trained counselors and psychologists will work with students to:
a. Analyze their particular concerns
b. Establish ways to cope with stress
c. Search for alternative ways to achieve "highs"
3. Treatment may be on an inpatient or outpatient basis
4. Costs of Treatment for Dependence
a. Programs administered by colleges usually require no fees
b. Local agencies may provide either free services or services based on a sliding scale
c. Sliding Scale- A method of payment by which patient fees are scaled according to income
d. Private hospitals, physicians, and clinics are the most expensive forms of treatment