Ch. 12 Illegal Drugs Study Guide

  • CH. 12 STUDY GUIDE – ILLEGAL DRUGS

     

    -          KNOW THE FOLLOWING TERMS:  Hallucinogen, Inhalant, GHB, Opiate, Ecstasy, Anabolic Steroids

    -          ALL illegal drugs are addictive.

    -          People who use marijuana/hashish often experience loss of balance and coordination.

    -          The MOST dangerous effect of Rohypnol is the inability to remember what happened while on the drug.

    -          Crack/Cocaine are dangerous because they are addictive, can cause violent behavior, and can be fatal.

    -          Anabolic steroids are dangerous and illegal.  It is not okay to take them just because you hear about professional athletes abusing them.

    -          Drug Classifications:  Cocaine is a stimulant.  Heroin & Oxycontin are opiates.  Mushrooms are a hallucinogenic.  Marijuana is a depressant.

    -          Abusing drugs to help you relax due to a stressful job and family life is a problem.

    -          Drug abusers who steal from stores & family hurts all of society.

    -          All illegal drugs can result in abuse and addiction.

    -          All illegal drugs have serious health consequences.

    -          Drug abusers, who are in the dependency stage, experience withdrawal symptoms, such as restlessness, irritability, & nausea, when the drug is not in their system anymore.

    -          All illegal drugs affect the brain, are dangerous to your health, and can result in abuse or addiction.

    -          A parent questioning their child about how often they are engaging in drug abuse is an example of Intervention.

    -          The Path to Addiction:

    Drug Use (experimenting with drugs) to Tolerance (needing more of the drug reach the same high) to Dependency (experience withdrawal symptoms when not on the drug) to Addiction (lose control of your behavior/can’t hold a job/steal/etc.)

    -          Know some refusal skills other than just saying no.

    -          Stimulants – increase energy & altertness, hyperactivity, increased anxiety, increased heart rate & breathing rate.  May experience heart failure, liver damage, aggressive behavior & death, etc.

    -          Depressants – reduced anxiety, loss of inhibitions, drowsiness, slows your body down.  May experience loss of coordination, slowed heart rate & dangerously low breathing rate, coma, death.

    -          Drug abuse is linked to increased crime rates.  Buying, selling, and/or possessing drugs is illegal.  People get arrested every day for that.  Abusers often make poor decisions when under the influence because their judgment is inhibited, they may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms and they tend to make poor choices, like stealing and robbing banks, to support their drug habit.

    -          Drug Abuse is intentionally misusing a drug (legal or illegal) for recreational use.  Drug Misuse is unintentionally using a legal drug/medicine in a way other than directed.  Both misuse and abuse can lead to health problems, addiction, and death.

    -          Teens are susceptible to trying drugs due to their desire to fit in, peer pressure, curiosity, and to escape from depression, boredom, and stress.

    -          Teens have a higher risk of addiction than adults due to the fact that teen brains are not fully developed yet.  That puts them more at risk for drugs to have irreversible effects on the function of their brain leading to lifelong struggles with addiction.