Drug Awareness
Cocaine: Cocaine is a purified extract from the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca bush. This plant grows in the Andes region of South America. Different chemical processes produce the two main forms of cocaine: • •
Powdered cocaine -- commonly known on the street as "coke" or "blow" - dissolves in water. Users can snort or inject powdered cocaine. Crack cocaine -- commonly known on the street as "crack" or "rock" -- is made by a chemical process that leaves it in its "freebase" form, which can be smoked. About 14% of U.S. adults have tried cocaine. One in 40 adults has used it in the past year. Young men aged 18 to 25 are the biggest cocaine users, with 8% using it in the previous 12 months.
The reality of cocaine hits after the high. Cocaine has powerful negative effects on the heart, brain, and emotions. Many cocaine users fall prey to addiction, with long-term and life threatening consequences. Even occasional users run the risk of sudden death with cocaine use. Read on for the not-so-glamorous truth about cocaine use and its effects. Cocaine: Anatomy of a High
Smoking or injecting cocaine results in nearly instantaneous effects. Rapid absorption through nasal tissues makes snorting cocaine nearly as fast-acting. Whatever the method of taking it in, cocaine quickly enters the bloodstream and travels to the brain. Deep in the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers -neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting chemical buildup between nerves causes euphoria or feeling "high." What's so great about being high on coke? Cocaine users often describe the euphoric feeling as: • • •
an increasing sense of energy and alertness an extremely elevated mood a feeling of supremacy
On the other hand, some people describe other feelings tagging along with the high: • • • •
irritability paranoia restlessness anxiety Signs of using cocaine include:
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dilated pupils high levels of energy and activity excited, exuberant speech Cocaine's immediate effects wear off in 30 minutes to two hours. Smoking or injecting cocaine results in a faster and shorter high, compared to snorting coke.
Physiological Effects of Cocaine Cocaine produces its powerful high by acting on the brain. But as cocaine travels through the blood, it affects the whole body. Cocaine harms the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs -- and can even cause sudden death. Here's what happens in the body: •
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Heart. Cocaine is bad for the heart. Cocaine increases heart rate and blood pressure while constricting the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The result can be a heart attack, even in young people without heart disease. Cocaine can also trigger a deadly abnormal heart rhythm called arrhythmia. Brain. Cocaine can constrict blood vessels in the brain, causing strokes. This can happen even in young people without other risk factors for strokes. Cocaine causes seizures and can lead to bizarre or violent behaviour. Lungs and respiratory system. Snorting cocaine damages the nose and sinuses. Regular use can cause nasal perforation. Smoking crack cocaine irritates the lungs and, in some people, causes permanent lung damage. Gastrointestinal tract. Cocaine constricts blood vessels supplying the gut. The resulting oxygen starvation can cause ulcers, or even perforation of the stomach or intestines. Kidneys. Cocaine can cause sudden, overwhelming kidney failure through a process called rhabdomyolysis. In people with high blood pressure, regular cocaine use can accelerate the long-term kidney damage caused by high blood pressure.
Effects in your body:
Heroin: Whtat is it? Heroin is an opiate and a highly addictive drug. It's produced from morphine, a naturally occurring substance that comes from the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. People abuse heroin by injecting, snorting or smoking it. All three ways can cause the same level of addiction, as well as serious health problems.
Risks Heroin enters the brain very quickly. This effect makes it very addictive. And each time you use heroin, the more you need to get high. One of the greatest risks with this drug is how extremely easy it is to become dependent. It's estimated that almost one-fourth of the people who try heroin become addicted. It's nearly impossible to know the actual strength or purity of heroin because it's often combined with toxic ingredients. This is one of the reasons why using heroin always carries the risk of infection, overdose and death. Also, heroin often has additives that will not dissolve in the bloodstream. This can easily cause a blood clot to form and travel to the lungs, liver, heart or brain, which is instantly fatal.
Addiction Another dangerous effect of heroin use is the highly addictive nature of the drug. All heroin users, even those who only snort or smoke the drug, can become addicted with repeated use. Over time, heroin users develop a tolerance for the drug requiring them to use increasingly larger amounts to achieve the same feeling they experienced when they first began to use. After awhile, the tolerance level to the drug rises to the level that heroin use in any amount stops producing the euphoric effect the user once experience altogether. When this occurs, the addict continues to seek and take the drug just to feel "normal." They become physically dependent upon the drug.
Short-term effects Shortly after using, a feeling of euphoria will come over users, in which they have a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth and the feeling of having "heavy" arms and legs. After the initial rush, users will go into an alternately wakeful and drowsy state sometimes called "on the nod." Because heroin suppresses the central nervous system, the user experiences "cloudy" mental function. Users will begin to breathe at a slower rate and their breathing can reach a point of respiratory failure.
Long-term effects In a short amount of time, regular heroin use destroys the body. Common conditions that plague heroin users include infection of the heart lining and valves, liver disease, lung disease, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, from needle use. Repeated and chronic heroin users who fail to use sterile technique or share equipment will begin to experience the long-term effects of such practices: - Infection of the heart lining and valves, normally due to lack of sterile technique. - Liver disease - approximately 70-80% of new hepatitis C infections in the U.S. each year are the result of injection drug use, and even sharing snorting straws has been linked to hepatitis transmission. - Kidney disease. - Pulmonary complications, which are often infection related - Skin infections and abscesses, especially among chronic injectors who suffer scarred or collapsed veins. In addition to the risk of contracting the hepatitis virus, heroin users also have an increased risk of catching human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other blood-borne viruses.
The bottom line It is a fats high, the high risk of addiction should make you stop and think before ever giving it a try. One time could lead to a lifetime of chasing a high that can ruin your body and your life.
Effects Not all side effects of heroin are pleasant. Sometimes the initial rush can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting or itching. Even worse, taking too much of the drug
at once can result in depressed breathing, a slow heart rate and unconsciousness. A heroin overdose is a potentially fatal event if not treated quickly. Fortunately, there are effective medical remedies for a heroin overdose. A quick injection of adrenaline will counteract the depressant effects of the drug, speeding up the heart and returning respiration rates to normal.
Effects in your body:
Synthetic or designer drugs What is it? Designer drugs are synthetic (man-made), illegal drugs produced in underground labs and sold on the street. Many of these drugs are used by youth and young adults at dance parties and clubs, and are also known as “club drugs.” Although users may think these drugs are harmless, they can be dangerous. It is impossible to know exactly what chemicals were used to produce them, and they are often used in combination with other drugs or alcohol with unpredictable and dangerous results. Most common • • •
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crystal meth (jib, crank, speed, meth) – commonly used drug in today’s club and rave scene for the high-energy rush it produces. ecstasy (X, E, XTC, Adam, MDMA) – a drug popular for feelings of general well-being and emotional closeness that result from use. gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB, G) – a drug that causes relaxation and sleep. It can make people feel like everything is “okay with the world” and is sometimes described as a cross between alcohol and ecstasy. ketamine (K, ket, special K, vitamin K, cat valium) – a general anesthetic used mainly for animal medicine. It is a strong pain reliever that is known to produce out-of-body experiences.
Risk • • • • • • • • • • • • •
death addiction criminal charges and prison terms heart and breathing failure blood vessel damage and stroke raised or lowered pulse or blood pressure aggressive or suicidal behaviour jaw clenching and teeth grinding nausea and vomiting muscle cramping or seizures panic attacks or feeling paranoid overheating and dehydration blackouts or passing out
Short-term effects
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Designer Drug Effects | eHow.com
Alcohol
What is it? Alcohol is a depressant derived from the natural fermentation of fruits, vegetables and grains. These are brewed and distilled into a wide range of beverages with various alcohol contents.
The Risks You may hear that it will loosen you up and help you relax. What you may not hear is that it can damage the part of your brain that controls coordination, memory, judgment and decision-making. Straight up, drinking makes you dumber—you may slur your words and lose coordination, and your reactions will become slower. If you drink a lot and drink fast (binge drinking) you really put yourself in danger. With binge drinking, the depressant (or dumbing) effects of alcohol can overwhelm the body's defenses. Unable to move and think clearly, you can do stupid, risky and reckless things that are unsafe, or even lethal. Each year, approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This includes about 1,900 deaths from car accidents, 1,600 homicides, 300 suicides, and hundreds of other deaths due to accidents like falls, burns and drownings.
Short-term effects Depending on how much is taken and the physical condition of the individual, alcohol can cause: - Slurred speech - Drowsiness - Vomiting - Diarhea - Upset stomach - Headaches - Breathing difficulties - Distorted vision and hearing - Impaired judgment - Decreased perception and coordination - Unconsciousness - Anemia (loss of red blood cells) - Coma - Blackouts (memory lapses, where the drinker cannot remember events that occurred while under the influence)
LONG-TERM EFFECTS Alcohol travels through your bloodstream and damages your brain, stomach, liver, kidneys and muscles. As a teenager, your body is still developing, so damage done to it now will affect the rest of your life. Over time, drinking destroys your body and your looks, so all that work you've done to look good, keep strong and stay fit goes down the drain fast. Drinking and continued alcohol use in large amounts are associated with many health problems, including: - Unintentional injuries such as car crash, falls, burns, drowning - Intentional injuries such as firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence - Increased on-the-job injuries and loss of productivity - Increased family problems, broken relationships - Alcohol poisoning - High blood pressure, stroke, and other heart-related diseases - Liver disease - Nerve damage - Sexual problems - Permanent damage to the brain - Vitamin B1 deficiency, which can lead to a disorder characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation - Ulcers - Gastritis (inflammation of stomach walls) - Malnutrition - Cancer of the mouth and throat
Addiction Alcoholism is a serious medical disease with signs and symptoms that vary depending on the amount and frequency of consumption. Progressing alcoholism will significantly disrupt the lives of users and their families. It is possible for a person to reach a level of intoxication that becomes life-threatening (alcohol poisoning). The respiratory system becomes depressed, and the person will stop breathing. Progressive increases in the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption can begin to produce more serious medical symptoms of alcoholism. Someone abusing alcohol makes drinking a central activity of her life, displacing healthy activity and relationships, and resulting in negative consequences. Alcohol abusers often maintain some capacity to recognize situations that lead to over-consumption, and to regulate their alcohol intake.
Untreated alcohol abuse can progress to an addiction to alcohol characterized by physical dependency and/or inability to stop despite serious consequences. Once they begin drinking, alcoholics have little to no control over the amount they consume. Alcohol dependence indicates that the user has made obtaining and consuming alcohol a predominant focus of her life. Signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence represent a serious medical illness: - Significant hangovers, and increase in time needed to recover from after-effects of alcohol use - Increased amount of alcohol consumed because of increased tolerance; or, decrease in the effects of alcohol use without substantial increases in the amount consumed - Reduced attention to personal and professional responsibilities - Acknowledgement of side effects of medical complications from alcoholism - Repeated unsuccessful efforts to reduce alcohol consumption
BiBLIOGRAPHY:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/cocaine-use-and-its-effects http://alcoholism.about.com/od/coke/a/effects.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsheroin