Chapter 11 Making Informed Decisions About Drug Use
Drug • Any absorbed substance, other than food, that changes or enhances any physical or psychological function in the body
Definitions Drug use • The taking of a drug for its intended purpose in an appropriate amount, frequency, strength, and manner
Drug therapeutics • The proper use of drugs in treating and preventing diseases and preserving health
Definitions Drug misuse • The taking of a substance for its intended purpose, but not in the appropriate amount, frequency, strength, or manner
Substance abuse • The deliberate use of a substance for other than its intended purpose, in a manner that can damage health or ability
Definitions Psychoactive drug • A chemical substance that alters one’s thinking, perceptions, feelings, and behavior
Drug dependence • A chronic, progressive, and relapsing disorder that applies to all situations in which drug users develop either a psychological or physical reliance on a drug
Drug Use Chronic drug use • Can disrupt the body’s normal balance or homeostasis
Tolerance • Adaptation of the body to a drug in such a way that repeated exposure to the same dose results in less effect on the body
Drug Dependence Psychological dependence • Craving for a drug for primarily psychological or emotional reasons
Physical dependence • The body’s biological adaptation to a drug, in which the drug has become necessary to maintain a balance in certain body processes
Drug Withdrawal Withdrawal illness • Recognizable physical signs and symptoms that result from withdrawing drug use
Symptoms • Irritability, depression, dizziness
Commonly Used and Misused Psychological Drugs
Alcohol Alcohol and society • Most widely used psychoactive social drug in the United States • Drug of choice among college students (ages 18–25) • Some health benefits with proper use Misuse and abuse • One of the most significant health problems • Costs the United States $150 billion in health and social expenditures
Alcohol Social drinking • Use of alcohol that consists of an occasional drink or two in the company of friends Moderate drinking • Drinking that causes no problems, either for the drinker or society • One drink a day for most women, and no more than two drinks a day for most men
Standard Drink of Alcohol
Reproduced from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Rethinking drinking: Alcohol and your health. Online: http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/whatcountsdrink/wh atsastandarddrink.asp.
Alcohol Alcohol should not be consumed by • Those who cannot restrict alcohol intake • Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant • Pregnant or lactating women • Children and adolescents • Individuals taking medications that can interact with alcohol • Certain specific medical conditions
Alcohol Binge drinking • A pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration to 0.08 percent or above. For males, having five or more drinks in a row at any one time
Heavy drinking • Consumption of more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 per week for women and more than 4 drinks on day or more than 14 per week for men
Alcohol Ethyl alcohol • The common psychoactive ingredient in all alcoholic beverages • A direct central nervous system depressant that causes a decreased level of consciousness and decreased motor control function
Alcohol Absorption
Major Factors Influencing BAC • Amount of alcohol consumed • Rate of consumption • Effect of food
Alcohol Elimination • Liver is responsible for eliminating 95 percent of ingested alcohol. • Remainder is eliminated through urine, sweat, breath.
Immediate Effects of Alcohol • Alcohol, memory, and learning • Sleep • Sexual function • Unintentional injuries • Alcohol poisoning
Long-Term Effects of Alcohol
Tobacco Use: An Enduring Health Threat • Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in the United States. • It causes more than 443,000 deaths annually.
Cigarette Smoking Is the Leading Cause of Preventable Death
Š Corbis
More Than 443,000 Deaths Annually from Cigarette Smoking
–Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 57(45):1226–1228. Online: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/publications/aag/osh.htm.
Age at Which Adults Say They Started Smoking
Constituents in Tobacco Smoke Tars • •
Yellowish-brown solid, sticky materials that are inhaled as part of smoke Carcinogenic—cancer causing
Nicotine • • •
Dynamic psychoactive stimulant Short-term increase in heart rate and BP Narrowing of peripheral blood vessels and bronchial airways—heart has to work harder
Constituents in Tobacco Smoke Carbon monoxide (CO) • Odorless, tasteless, colorless, poisonous gas • Impairs oxygen transportation to body tissues • Competes with oxygen molecules for attachment to red blood cells
Cigar Smoking • Magnitude of risk from cigar smoking is similar to that for cigarette smoking • Smoke results from incomplete combustion of tobacco • Both have the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents
Smokeless Tobacco • Snuff and chewing tobacco • Many detrimental health risks
Smoking and Physical Activity • Smoking before or during exercise decreases performance • Undesirable effects of carbon monoxide become obvious – Muscle fatigue – Heart and lungs have to work harder
Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2004). The benefits of quitting. Online: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/2004/posters/benefits/i
Quitting Smoking Staying trim after quitting • Most people are concerned about gaining weight when they quit. • People in an intensive physical activity program are more likely to succeed at quitting smoking and less likely to gain weight.
National Groups to Help You Quit Smoking