All about Social Drugs and Warning Signs of Too Much
Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs in this society. It is accepted as a part
of social life. Its use is widely promoted via sponsorship of sporting events.
Advertising infers that drinking is the path to happiness, success, romance, etc. There
are references to alcohol and its effects from earliest known writings. Alcohol is
consumed in the beverage form and sold legally in this state to persons over 21.
Alcohol is absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the stomach and small
intestine. It is distributed by the blood throughout the body, affecting literally every
organ it touches in a matter of minutes. Enzymes in the liver metabolize alcohol at a
rate of 10-15 ml (less than one half ounce) per hour. Hence, only time can sober someone
up. Coffee, cold showers, or exercise do not work.
The warm glow of disinhibition, "letting go" is a major desired effect of alcohol.
People feel more sociable and talkative with small amounts of the drug. Alcohol is a
relaxant, so many people drink to unwind from the demands of life. Because alcohol has
been around for so long, its effects are well-known.
Two key concepts to understand in dealing with alcohol use and abuse are impairment and
tolerance. They are both problems in themselves and signals of possible additional
difficulties.
IMPAIRMENT refers to the deficits in performance, judgment, memory, and motor skills
which occur because of alcohol consumption. Impairment becomes noticeable at blood levels
of 0.05%, which can occur when as few as two drinks are consumed in an hour by a 160
pound person. The deceptive part about impairment is that, by definition, impaired
judgment cannot recognize its own impairment. The individual thinks he or she is
functioning well, when actually s/he is not. Later, there is impaired memory of the
impaired performance.
TOLERANCE means that a drug loses some of its effect with repeated use, and that higher
and higher doses are needed. It is the body's way of adapting to having a foreign
substance in the system.
People develop a high tolerance to alcohol when they drink a great deal over an extended
length of time. "WHILE TOLERANCE MAY SEEM TO SOME TO BE A DESIRABLE STATE, IT
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES THE RISK OF ALCOHOLISM AND LONG-TERM HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS".
For example, a heavy drinker could still be lucid at 0.25%, whereas the average person
would barely be able to function. Even so, the heavy drinker would be extremely dangerous
on the highway.
Thirteen percent of male and five percent of female college students nationwide are
alcoholic. Persons are considered alcoholic if they exhibit three or more of the
following symptoms for more than one month, or if the symptoms get repeated over a longer
period of time:
1.Alcohol is consumed in greater quantities or for longer periods of time than the
person intended; 2.The individual has a persistent desire to control or eliminate
drinking, or has made one or more unsuccessful efforts to do this (for example, there are
resolutions to "cut down," but these efforts disappear after a period of time);
3.Considerable time is spent in obtaining, using, or recovering from alcohol and its
effects; 4.Intoxication or its aftereffects (e.g., hangovers) frequently occur at times
when the person is expected to fulfill work, family or school obligations; or there is
physically hazardous use (e.g., while driving); 5.The individual gives up or reduces
social, recreational or job-related activities because of alcohol use; 6.Drinking
continues despite the knowledge that alcohol causes the person to have social,
psychological or medical problems; 7.Significantly increased tolerance has developed;
8.Withdrawal symptoms occur when initially attempting abstinence (e.g., flu-like
symptoms, headaches, gastrointestinal distress, sweatiness, mood swings, irritability,
anxiety); 9.Alcohol or other drugs are used to ward off the withdrawal.
Other long-term medical problems include high blood pressure, increased risk of heart
attack, pancreatitis, various cancers, cirrhosis of the liver. Chronic heavy drinking in
men is associated with testicular atrophy and breast enlargement. In women, as little as
one drink a day greatly increases the risk of breast cancer. Drinking during pregnancy
can cause birth defects and mental retardation.
Alcohol is also fattening. One glass of wine daily added to the diet can result in a
weight gain of ten pounds a year.
Cocaine and Crack
Cocaine is an alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a stimulant
and euphoric substance that has powerful effects on the human brain. The practice of
sniffing ("snorting") cocaine actually dates back to the beginning of this century as
knowledge spread about cocaine's ability to induce feelings of well-being and increased
energy. At that time, cocaine was also available in over-the-counter tonics and potions.
Crack is cocaine that has been processed so that it can be smoked. It is generally sold
in small quantities and distributed in small glass vials or small plastic bags. When
crack is smoked, it produces an immediate, short-lived effect. Intravenous use ("shooting
up") also results in rapid onset of effects, while the effects of sniffing are delayed
several minutes.
The onset of the high, or rush, from cocaine and crack is reported by users to be
intense and pleasurable. Some users have called the rush "an orgasm of the brain." The
rush lasts only a few seconds, followed by a 20 minute high. Individuals report an
increased sense of well-being and self-confidence, along with a decrease in fatigue and
hunger. Some people report that they experience cocaine as an "aphrodisiac". There is a
social aspect to cocaine use as well, as cocaine is frequently obtained from "friends"
and consumed in small get-togethers.
Cocaine (and in particular "crack") is one of the most addictive drugs known to
humankind. Laboratory studies have shown that animals, when offered the option to
self-administer cocaine, will continue to administer the drug until they die, ignoring
their needs for food and water.
It is reported that as many as one out of every three crack users become addicted to
cocaine. There is no scientific way to predict who will become addicted. However, there
has been a good deal of news media attention given to stories of successful people who
have lost themselves, their jobs, fortunes, and families because of their involvement
with cocaine. The problems cocaine causes in people's lives are so severe and the pull to
use the drug again is so strong that it generally takes people two years of
rehabilitation to recover from a cocaine addiction, once they seek treatment.
Crack is a very rapidly addicting form of cocaine, with addiction often becoming
apparent within a matter of weeks. Some users have reported becoming addicted after their
first experience with this form of cocaine. Thus crack is an especially dangerous form of
the drug.
Cocaine can be quite toxic to the cardiovascular system and cause death. Death occurs
from one of two primary effects. Cocaine can cause a spasm of the coronary arteries,
which supply the heart with blood, and cocaine can also disrupt the rhythm of the heart
by interfering with its electrical conduction. There is no way to tell who is sensitive
to these effects. As in the cases of these athletes, being in excellent physical shape is
no protection. Furthermore, what is a non-lethal dose for one person may be lethal for
another, and this makes the question of dosage a risky one for the novice users. In high
dose or prolonged use (binges) users often exhibit extreme irritability (which may
explode to violence), and paranoia.
While the high from cocaine is generally well understood by the general public, less
well-known is the withdrawal or "crash": fatigue, prolonged sleep and severe depression.
These symptoms escalate as the frequency of use or the dose increases, leading many
people to use the drug again soon. This sets up the addictive cycle, and people have been
known to go on "cocaine binges" to cope with such crashes. During a binge, an individual
may use up hundreds and even thousands of dollars' worth of cocaine, and put them selfs
in significant risk. For those injecting cocaine, this could mean 10 or more injections
in a night, with increased risk for AIDS if sterile needles are not used. To complicate
matters medically, users often consume large quantities of alcohol to handle their
crashes.
Other "Speed" Drugs
Two other stimulants are known to be abused locally. They have many similarities to the
cocaine drugs, but have some important differences. Methamphetamine (meth, crank,
crystal) has the stimulant properties of cocaine, but lasts from four to six hours. It
can be taken orally or injected. Recently a drug called "ice" known in Japan and other
countries has come to Oregon. Ice is a smokable form of methamphetamine, just as crack is
a smokable form of cocaine. The effects of ice last for a long time, 14 hours or more,
with a similar potential for addiction, irritability and paranoia as cocaine.
The other stimulant of concern is a prescription drug called Ritalin (Methly Phenidate).
It is prescribed by physicians for hyperactive children, but is often diverted by drug
abusing parents. This drug is a powerful stimulant. When abused, the tablets are crushed
and mixed with water, then injected. The problem associated with Ritalin abuse, besides
the typical stimulant problems, has to do with the chemicals used to make the tablet.
Talc (like talcum power) is used to hold the pill together. Talc does not dissolve in the
body or bloodstream, and can clog veins, causing embolisms and strokes.
LSD
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is an extremely powerful hallucinogen--100 times as
potent as psilocybin and 4000 times as potent as mescaline. LSD or "acid" saw its heyday
in the late 1960s and early 1970s but is still used today. It is usually taken orally, in
tablets, capsules or on blotter paper.
The attraction. The effects of LSD begin within an hour of ingestion and last from 2 to
12 hours. The effects taper off gradually. Users provide a variety of reasons for taking
the drug, including a desire to experience something profoundly beautiful, a wish to
achieve a transcendent state, enhance their creativity or take a vacation without going
anywhere.
Sights and sounds may be merged and intensified, and the sense of time may be altered.
Visual hallucinations often occur and can be novel and fascinating . Because LSD
diminishes an individual's capacity to differentiate the boundaries of one object from
another, and oneself from the environment, some users report a pleasant feeling of
oneness with the world.
The description above is one side of the coin, the so-called "good trip." The other side
of the coin is the "bad trip," in which hallucinations, loss of boundaries, and
perceptual changes are experienced as unpleasant and scary . This can cause paranoid
feelings, extreme anxiety and/or panic, and in some cases a psychotic reaction,
triggering a process which, in some, is not always reversible. There is no way to predict
which individuals will have good or bad trips. Even expe rienced users can have an
unanticipated bad trip, some even requiring psychiatric hospitalization.
Another problem with LSD is the occasional occurrence of flashbacks, strong evoked
memories of the LSD experience. Flashbacks often cause fear in the user and are
especially dangerous if the individual is driving a car or operating machinery.
Short-term effects on the body can include increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat,
muscular weakness, trembling, nausea, chills, hyperventilation, and impairment of motor
coordination.
Another drug, PCP (Angel Dust) is sometimes marketed as LSD. It is cheaper and easier to
make, and it is potentially lethal.
Ecstasy
Like cocaine, Ecstasy (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is not a new drug. It was
synthesized in 1914 by a pharmaceutical company for use as an appetite suppressant, but
was never marketed. It has been "rediscovered" in recent years and goes by the name of
MDMA, ADAM, XTC, X, "the love drug," and the "hug drug." It is chemically similar to but
less potent than MDA.
The drug is taken orally and produces a high which lasts two to four hours. After the
initial onset of symptoms, which can be seriously unpleasant, some users report a period
of relaxation and emotional openness, where problems seem to disappear and the user feels
receptive to those around him. He or she may feel self-assured, friendly, and sociable.
Such feelings are, of course, obtainable without drugs, but Ecstasy seems to provide a
shortcut for some who may have problems in these areas. Users report that the drug has a
"mind-expanding" effect without the extreme reactions found in some of the hallucinogens,
such as LSD.
One of the problems with Ecstasy is the initial onset of symptoms, which usually begins
with a jittery feeling accompanied by teeth-gnashing, sweating, blurred vision, and an
increase in pulse rate and blood pressure. These latter two symptoms have been implicated
in seizures and heartbeat irregularities, and the drug effect on certain brain centers
has led to psychotic reactions in some individuals (hallucinations, paranoid delusions,
misinterpretation of reality). There is no way to predict in advance who will be affected
in this way. Because this drug appears to have milder effects than some of the other
drugs discussed, some users double or triple their dose, creating serious medical
problems. Repeated use of the drug produces tolerance (that is, the drug becomes
ineffective), and it can produce a crash.
A recent study found that one of the by-products created when Ecstasy is metabolized is
a toxic substance harmful to nerve endings. This seems to cause Parkinson's disease-like
symptoms in persons as young as 30 years of age. These symptoms do not appear
immediately, but may occur after a period of time. They are apparently non-reversible.
Mushrooms
There are a number of plant materials which have LSD-like effects and which come under
the heading of mushrooms or "shrooms" as they are often called. These include the
psilocybe mexicana and several other species which have the active ingredient psilocybin.
Mushrooms are generally dried and then eaten. Mescaline originally came form the
"buttons" which grow on the top of peyote cactus. Several varieties of psilocybin
mushrooms grow and are illegally marketed in the Northwest.
The initial effects of psilocybin are experienced in 30 minutes and the high generally
lasts several hours. Small doses can reportedly produce feelings of physical and mental
relaxation and pleasant changes in mood and perception. Larger doses can produce marked
changes in perception, with the user experiencing effects similar to those found with
LSD.
With mescaline, the effects appear slowly and last from 10-18 hours. Commonly reported
effects include euphoria, heightened sensory perception, visual hallucinations,
alterations in body image, and some muscular relaxation.
With regard to perceptual processes, the unpleasant effects of these drugs are similar
to those found with LSD. In addition, psilocybin can cause dizziness, light-headedness,
abdominal discomfort, numbness in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, shivering, facial
flushing, sweating, and fatigue. With mescaline, nausea and vomiting frequently occur,
and high doses can produce low blood pressure, cardiac depression, slowed respiration,
and headache. These side effects have the potential to be medically serious.
Both psilocybin and mescaline can be manufactured in the laboratory.
Marijuana
Marijuana consists of the dried leaves and flowering tops of the hemp plant (cannabis
sativa). The plant's principal psychoactive ingredient is delta-9 THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol). Hashish or "hash" is the dried resin from the tops and leaves of
the female plant. It contains a higher concentration of the THC and is therefore more
potent. Both marijuana and hash are usually smoked.
When smoked, the effects of marijuana produces a feeling of euphoria which gives rise to
a tendency to talk and laugh more than usual. Color, sound, and taste, touch and/or smell
may be enhanced and experienced as pleasant and fascinating. Muscular relaxation may
occur, as well as a sense of well-being and relief from tension.
Cannabis impairs the ability to perform complex motor tasks such as driving a car. It
also impairs short-term memory and logical thinking. At very high doses, effects can be
similar to those of hallucinogens, and the user can experience confusion, restlessness,
hallucination, paranoia, and anxiety or panic. These problems have become more noted in
recent years, as the strains of marijuana now available are many times more potent than
the marijuana of the early 1970s.
Heavy use appears to interfere with brain cell functioning, producing problems with
sequencing ability, time sense, depth perception, memory storage, and recall. Chronic
heavy users sometime demonstrate apathy, loss of energy, confusion, and memory problems.
Long-term use of THC is also associated with lower sperm counts in males and alterations
in sperm shape and mobility. In women, irregularities in menstruation and ovulation
occur. Pregnant women who are heavy marijuana smokers have higher levels of miscarriages,
still-births and genetic disorders.
Marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke. Laboratory
studies have shown pre-cancerous cellular changes in the lung tissue of long term users.
Warning Signals
Signs That The Chemical Has Taken Control
The following symptoms and behaviors, when related to chemical use (including alcohol,
of course), indicate that a person has seriously overindulged. Beyond this, these
symptoms could indicate a more serious problem or addiction:
MEDICAL
?Accidents or injuries ?Nausea and vomiting ?Mysterious bruises ?Gastritis ?Blackouts
(cannot remember something while drinking) ?Passing out (unconsciousness) ?Emergency room
visits
ACADEMIC/EMPLOYMENT
?Academic failure/poor work performance ?Missing classes/absenteeism from work ?Not
living up to one's potential ?Difficulties with deadlines or procrastination
SEXUAL
?Impotence ?Sexual assault ?Inability to resist unwanted sexual advance ?Engaging in
sexual activities that are contrary to values
SOCIAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL
?Loss of self-respect ?Mood swings ?Panic and unexplained fears ?Depression ?Property
damage ?Paranoia ?Fights and arguments ?Social isolation and withdrawal ?Problems with
legal or college authorities ?Causing emotional pain to friends or loved ones
DRINKING/USING BEHAVIOR
?Sneaking drinks or drugs or using alone ?Hiding bottles/drugs ?Consuming more than
intended ?Inability to predict how much one will consume ?Using again right after
sobering up ?Using to relieve anxiety, insomnia, pain or depression ?Using to feel more
confident in social situations ?Spending substantial amounts of money on alcohol and
drugs ?Preoccupation with next high ?Centering one's recreational activities around
chemicals ?Family members or friends expressing concern about one's drinking or other
drug use ?Feeling annoyed or angry when one's chemical use is discussed ?Inability to
carry out an intention to "cut down"
State Laws
The following chart describes the penalties for POSSESSION of key drugs (the schedules
are more inclusive) according to the Federal Drug Schedules:
Max. Prison Time Max .Fine SCHEDULE # Class
Heroin, LSD, other hallucinogens
marijuana, others 10 years $100,000 SCHEDULE II Class C Felony
Methadone, morphine, amphetamines
cocaine, PCP5 years $100,000 SCHEDULE II Class A Misdemeanors
Non-amphetamine stimulants, 1 year $2,500 SCHEDULE IV Class C
Misdemeanors
some depressants1
Valium-type tranquilizers, some
less potent depressants 30 days $500 SCHEDULE V Violation
Dilute mixtures, compounds
with small amounts of controlled drugs None $1,000
Delivery of less than five grams or possession or less than one ounce of marijuana is a
violation. established mandatory evaluation, education and treatment services for those
under 18 years old. If services are successfully completed, the charge will be dropped.
Alcohol is an illegal drug for those under 21 years of age. For a driver under 18 ANY
detectable amount of alcohol (above .00 BAC) is grounds for losing the license.
That pretty much sums it up for psychodelic drugs. I hope this proved to you that if you
use a psychodelic drug that you should stop, unless it is alchol because it is not as bad
as LSD, pcp, or anything you have to inject or snort. So I sign out with I hope you
learned something, I mean you had to you could'ent have know all of this information.
Biblyography
Name Year Type
Microsoft Encarta 96' Encyclopedia
Dartmouth collage 95' Brochure
White House 97' Internet
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