DRUG EDUCAT

IONDrugs and their effects

DRUGSA DRUG IS ANY SUBSTANCE

OTHER THAN FOOD WHICH

CHANGES THE WAY THE BODY OR MIND

FUNCTIONS.

TYPES OF DRUGSStimulants➤ Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system and speed

up the messages between the brain and body. Stimulants increase alertness and awareness, as well as raise your body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Stimulants can cause anxiety, sleeplessness and even heart failure.

Examples: Nicotine, caffeine, pseudoephedrine (cold and flu tablets), amphetamines and meth amphetamines (speed and ice)

Depressants➤ Work the opposite way to stimulants, affecting the

central nervous system by slowing down activity in the brain. Depressant slow breathing and heart rate, which can cause you to relax. Depressants slow your reflexes and reaction time, which can be very dangerous for certain activities such as driving, and if taken in large doses can cause nausea, unconsciousness and even death.

Examples: Alcohol, sedatives (sleeping tablets, GHB), cannabis, opiates and opioids (herion, morphine and codeine)

TYPES OF DRUGS

Hallucinogens➤ These are drugs that distort your sensory perceptions

and can make you see and hear things that do not exist. The effect of hallucinogens are not easy to predict and experiences can differ between individuals ranging from pleasant to disturbing. If you are happy and relaxed the drug will enhance this, however if you are anxious or depressed the drug intensifies these feelings.

Examples: Acid, magic mushrooms, mescaline, ketamine, cannabis (has some hallucinogenic effects)

TYPES OF DRUGS

STIMULANTSNicotineCaffeinePseudoephedrine (cold and flu tablets)Amphetamines and meth amphetamines➤ Speed➤ Ice➤ Ecstasy Cocaine

STIMULANTS Nicotine➤ Nicotine is the drug that is found in tobacco and

makes cigarettes addictive. Some of the health problems associated with nicotine are:

➤ Effects: Stained teeth, bad breath, dizziness, increased blood pressure, heart disease, emphysema and cancer.

Caffeine➤ Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the

world. There is caffeine in coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks like V and red bull, also in some medicines and tablets.

➤ Effects: increased alertness, improved concentration, increased body temperature, delayed or shortened sleep.

STIMULANTS Amphetamines and meth amphetamines Amphetamines and meth amphetamines are often know as party drugs and are taken to give the user energy or feelings of euphoria. Can be in liquid (injectable) or most commonly tablet form➤ Effects: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate,

decreased appetite, increased body temperature, can affect the mood of the user dramatically

➤ Examples: Speed, ice, ecstasyCocaineUsually taken by snorting or injecting, usually mixed or “cut” with other substances.Effects: increase in energy blood, pressure and heart rate, talkativeness and sense of euphoria and can cause numbing of face and nose.

DEPRESSANTS AlcoholSedatives and Tranquillisers➤ Sleeping tablets and prescription drugs➤ GHB MarijuanaOpiates and opioids➤ Heroin➤ Morphine➤ Codeine

DEPRESSANTSSedatives and TranquillisersDrugs with a calming or sleep-inducing effect. Slow the nervous system, often prescription drugs. Used as date-rape drugs.➤ Effects: drowsiness, relief from anxiety, muscle

relaxation, sleepiness, a sense of being disconnected or detached from reality, dizziness and loss of inhibitions.

➤ Examples: Valium, sleeping tablets, GHB, rophenolMarijuanaComes from the cannabis plant, can be smoked like a cigarette called a joint or in bong or ingested when cooked into biscuits or cakes.➤ Effects: feeling happy or relaxed, laughing a lot, craving

food, paranoia, anxiety, vomiting, hallucinations, memory loss or slowed thinking

DEPRESSANTSOpiates and opioidsDrugs which come from the opium poppy. Can be smoked and snorted, however are usually injected. ➤ Effects: a rush of pleasurable feelings/euphoria,

cessation of pain or discomfort, decreased body temperature, sleepiness, narrowing of pupils, loss of sex drive and death if taken in large doses. Increases risk of HIV and hep B and C due to injectable drugs.

➤ Morphine used in hospitals for surgery➤ Examples: Heroin, Morphine, Codeine

HALLUCINOGENSAcidMagic mushroomsMescalineKetamineCannabis (has some hallucinogenic effects)

HALLUCINOGENSAcid or LSDVery powerful hallucinogenic drug which changes sensory perception and causes the user to have vivid delusions. Comes in the form of “tabs”, paper-soaked in LSD, tablets, powered and liquid Effects: hallucinations and distorted perception, loss of appetite, dizziness, increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, agitation and sleeplessnessMagic mushroomsA variation of mushrooms which contain psilocybin a strong hallucinogenic drug. Usually eaten but can be cooked into food or brewed in tea. VeryEffects: hallucinations and distorted perception, loss of appetite, dizziness, increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, numbness

HALLUCINOGENSMescaline or PeyotePeyote, a small cactus found in parts of the desert in the Mexico region can cause hallucinogenic effects when chewed or boiled into a tea.➤ Effects: hallucinations and distorted perception,Synesthesia: perception of

seeing music or hearing colours, altered space and time perception, joy, exhilaration, panic, extreme anxiety, or terror.

KetamineKetamine is used by medical practitioners and veterinarians as an anaesthetic. It is sometimes used illegally by people to get ‘high’. When it’s sold illegally, ketamine usually comes as a white crystalline powder. It can also be made into tablets and pills, or dissolved in a liquid.

➤ Effects: It can produce hallucinogenic effects, causing a person to see, hear, smell, feel or taste things that aren’t really there or are different from how they are in reality.

Synthetic DrugsSynthetic drugs are relatively new and are designed to mimic/copy effects of many illicit drugs. This means many can be marketed and purchased as ‘legal’, safe and acceptable alternatives to illicit drugs. However, the effects are unknown to the user and their safety is questionable as they have been linked to the deaths of many young people.The three most common types of synthetic drugs are:

• ‘herbal highs’ or ‘party pills’• synthetic cannabinoids• research chemicals and drug analogues.