"That's all drugs and alcohol do, they cut off your emotions in the end." ~Ringo Starr
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Addiction
-Anyone can become an addict!!! - Addiction is strongly connected to the dopamine pleasure cycles of the brain. Drugs can replace an individuals ability to produce its own pleasure. Parts of the addicts brain shut down and don't produce pleasure. Addicts can only rely on drugs to feel good. They will do anything to get the drugs - Uncontrolled Drug Seeking Behavior (steal, lie, kill etc...). |
Family and Addiction
- Enabling is when you are trying to help an addict and you take over their responsibilities. This makes the situation worse. Addicts selfishly take advantage of enablers. - Codependency is when enablers give up their dreams and emotions to take care of addict. Codependents become “addicted” to helping the addict and their lives are destroyed also. - There are many steps friends and family can take to help addicts. Stop enabling is #1 rule!! |
Drug Classification
- All recreational drugs can be grouped into specific classifications. - Stimulants speed up body - Crystal meth, nicotine, caffeine, and cocaine - Depressants slow body down - Alcohol, Rohypnol “roofies”, barbituates - Narcotics kill pain, strong euporhia - opium, heroine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone - Hallucinogens produces altered states of consciousness - LSD, shrooms, ecstacy, ketamine - Cannabis relaxes, pain relief, euphoria - pot, hash, THC - Inhalants block oxygen from the brain - glue, butane, chemical vapors. --Using inhalants (chemical vapors or fumes) to get drug effects is dangerous because it keep oxygen from getting to the brain. |
Alcohol - 12 oz. of Beer, 5 oz. of Wine, and 1.5 oz of hard liquor are equal in alcohol content. They are considered to be one drink. - The liver can remove about one drink per hour from the body. - Binge drinking is consuming 4-5 drinks in a row over a short period of time (1 hour). - Binge drinking often leads to dangerous, destructive behaviors. - Responsible drinking includes knowing limits, sipping, eating food while drinking, choosing small amounts of quality alcohol vs large amounts of cheap alcohol, Designated drivers . |
Tobacco
- Tobacco products (cigarettes, dip, cigars) contain many harmful chemicals used to make them more addictive, taste better, burn better. - Tobacco companies spend large sums of money on very diverse, deceptive advertising. Advertising especially targets people in their late teens and early twenties. - The Nicotine in tobacco is among the most addictive recreational drugs . - Cigars and dip are not a safe substitute for cigarettes. --A sore throat that won’t go away, decreased tongue movement, sores in mouth , a bump in throat that won’t go away are all signs of oral cancer from chewing tobacco use. -- Leukoplakia is precancerous scar tissue that forms on the inner cheeks of chewing tobacco users. |