Drug Guidelines 51 and 52

Lesson 51 Drug Use

• Responsible drug use: correct usage of legal drugs
• Drug Misuse: incorrect use of prescription drugs
• Drug Abuse: intentional use of a drug without medical or health reasons
• Ways Drugs Enter The Body:

1. By Mouth: Most common, pill, capsule, or liquid.
2. By Injection: Use needle into blood vessel, produces effects very quickly, risk factor for HIV
3. By inhalation: Through nose or mouth, enters the bloodstream in the lungs, can cause respiratory disease. Snorting is a type of inhalation, they are absorbed through the mucous membranes
4. By Absorption: drug enters through the skin or mucous membranes.
   1. Skin Patch: absorbed through skin
   2. Suppository: Inserted into the anus and absorbed into the bloodstream
   3. Buccal Absorption: Between the cheek and gum, chewing tobacco
   4. Sublingual Absorption: under the tongue
5. By Implantation: Some cancer treatments

• Dose: The amount of drug taken
• Prescription: can be obtained with a written medical order
• Over the Counter Drugs: can be purchased without a prescription

Lesson 52

• Drug Dependence: continued use of the drug even though it harms you
• Risk Factors involved with Drug Use:

1. Using drugs can lead to overdose: can happen at any time
2. Using drugs can cause accidents: Drugs slow reaction time, impair coordination, and affect judgment
3. Using drugs increases the risk of STD’s: Affect responsible decision making, also needle use can spread HIV
4. Using Drugs can harm relationships: Say and do things you might regret
5. Using drugs can prevent you from developing social skills: May use drugs to get through social settings
6. Using drugs can lead to violence and illegal behaviors: Homicides, abuse, suicides
7. Using drugs can lead to drug dependence: Brain releases dopamine: a chemical that triggers a feeling of pleasure.

• Drug Dependence:

1. Physical Dependence: Drug becomes necessary or the person has withdrawal symptoms
2. Tolerance: Body becomes used to the substance
3. Withdrawal Symptoms: Unpleasant reactions that a person experiences when no longer taking a drug
4. Psychological Dependence: Strong desire to continue using a drug for emotional reasons

• Progression to Drug Dependency:

1. Experimentation
2. Desired Effect
3. Tolerance
4. Denial
5. Drug Dependence

• How to resist pressure to do drugs

1. Say No with confidence
2. Give reasons for saying NO
3. Use the broken record technique: Repeat the same response several times
4. Use Non-Verbal behavior
5. Avoid situations in which there will be harmful drugs
6. Avoid being around people that use drugs
7. Resist pressure to engage in illegal activities
8. Influence others to choose responsible behavior

• Being High is never an excuse for a wrong behavior