psci addiction how do drugs and alcohol work

What is the problem with seeking help for drugs and alcohol

Most likely that the client knows more about drugs , and the info can be wrong with what the doctors think

What are the different routes of administration when it comes to drugs

Ingestion, inhalation, intranasal, and injection

Ingestion

Far most common

Eat and chew

Passes through gas system into blood stream

Slowest route

Inhalation

Smoking or vaping

Oxygen in lungs, blood supply faster than injection

Tobacco, marijuana, crack

Intranasal

Snorting

Coke or heroin

Injection

Through vein, muscle, or under skin

Rapid

Most dangerous to overdose, collapse, infection HIV and hep

Where does the drug go once taken

Based on where its entered in the bloodstream by absorption through the IV drugs

Usually one minute to circulate

Psychoactive drug effects and into brain interacts with neurons

How does the body react to drugs (metabolism)

First broken down in liver and excerpted through the kidneys and urine

Speed of elimination is called half life

1 half life eliminates 50%

2 half life 75%

What is alcohol metabolism

Metabolized by 2 enzymes which break it down into things that are safe

Alcohol dehydrogenases

Metabolizes alcohol to acetalehyde

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)

Broken in water and carbon dioxide

How do men and women body react to alcohol differently

Women have more body fat compared to men

Concentration of alcohol is increased In the female blood stream (shows why women drink less than men)

Stomach ADH/ liver adh

Women have less active form of enzymes compared to men

Women can’t metabolize alcohol that efficiently

Blood alcohol content

Measure amount of alcohol in ones blood

.1 = 1 mg / 100 ml blood

One standard drink = .02-.05

.015/ hour is what the body metabolizes

Beer goggles

When wearing the goggles harder to catch ball because everything is blurry

As well as walking in a straight line

this is based on vision through the eyes 

Neurotransmitters

Drugs that can mimic the effects of a naturally occurring neurotransmitter against agonist

Opiates and endorphins receptors

Tolerance

Drugs tend to lose their potency after their first dose

Ur system of natural neurotransmitter activity reduced in response to artificial activation

What do you call a drug that binds to the receptor and blocks the activation

Agonist / antagonistt

agonist is the peak

antagonist is the valley

How does alcohol act when it comes to the neurons

Impacts the entire brain by altering nerve cell membranes is only partially understood at present

What is peaks and valleys

Peak is the high point, after effects of intoxication

Valley is the low point , rebound period

Stimulants

activitates the brain making people want to do drugs again , stimulates people 

Peak is euphoria, remain alert suppress hunger, speed up

Valley - anxiety , depression, fatigue drowsiness

Sedatives

Enhance neurochemicals that close down CNS and interfere with neurohemicals that activate CNS

Peak reduce anxiety and mild euphoria

Interfered with memory and sense of well being

Valley - anxiety and insomnia , the withdrawals can be life threatening

Impaired driving

Alcohol impaired driving accounts for 31% of all traffic related deaths

121 million self reported incidents of alcohol driving

Marijuana use is increasing and 13% of night time

Impaired driving stats

Nation wide 32% fatalities were involved a driver with BAC greater than .08

California 33% of fatalities were involved a driver with greater than BAC of .08

Impaired driving locations

73% in urban areas

27% in rural areas

Impaired driving at times

Fatal crashes happen between 9pm -3 am

Peak periods is Saturday PAST midnight

44.3% of fatal crashes occurred on the weekend

^^ so basically impaired driving is increased at night 

What are the stats of someone getting injured with impaired driving

74% were male fatally injured

67% were male and seriously injured

Race of fatalities 80% white

How does alcohol affect memory

sensory memory then goes to short term memory to long term memory. With this alcohol primarily interferes with the transfer of info from short term to long term storage

why was opiates needed in the first place??

Post civil war many needed amputations and surgery leading to needing pain medication

Some thought it would be less addictive

What drugs were government regulation

1906 pure food and drug act

1914 Harrison narcotic act

Opiates

stimulates body pain system (analgesic)

peak : relief pain

valley: bad case of the flu

Psychedelics

Primates will self administer most drugs not this one

Peak - loss of control and hallucinations

Valley - virtually no withdrawals

Cannabis

Peak - dream like state — higher doses = negative emotions

Valley insomnia, and nausea

think : marijuana

Drug interactions

Effects are more complicated when more than one is combines

Cross tolerance : if someone has high tolerance to alcohol can also have high tolerance to the sedatives

when under anesthetiza because develop tolerance towards the drug

What are the features of a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome

Low nasal bridge, minor ear,, smooth Phil trim, thin upper lip