ALCOHOL, TABACCO, AND OTHER DRUGS

Drug

a substance other than food or vitamins, that when taken in small quantities alters one’s physical, mental, or emotional state.

Psychoactive drugs

drugs that alter sensory perceptions, mood, thought processes, or behavior.

Drug use

a nonevaluative term referring to drug-taking behavior in general; regardless of whether the behavior is appropriate.

Physical dependence

a physiological state in which discontinued drug use results in clinical illness.

Drug abuse

is use of a drug when it is detrimental to one’s health or well-being.

Drug abuse

occurs when one takes a prescription or nonprescription drug for a purpose other than that for which it is medically approved.

Drug abuse

the use of alcohol and nicotine by those under the legal age is considered drug abuse.

Drug misuse

inappropriate use of prescription or nonprescription drugs

Drug (chemical) dependence

a psychological and sometimes physical state characterized by a craving for a drug.

Drug (chemical) dependence

occurs when a user feels that a particular drug is necessary for normal functioning.

Psychological dependence

a psychological state characterized by an overwhelming desire to continue use of a drug.

Two types of factors that contribute to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse

1. Risk Factor

2. Protective factor

Risk Factors

these are factors that increases the probability of drug use.

Protective Factors

these are factors that lower the probability of drug use.

vulnerable

People with a high number of risk factors are said to be __________ to drug abuse or dependence

resistant

those who have few risk factors and more protective factors are said to be _________ to drug abuse.

Risk and protective factors can be either:

genetic (inherited) or

environmental.

4 types of Environmental Risk Factors

1. Personal Factors

2. Home and Family life

3. School peer and group

4. sociocultural environment

Personal Factors

include personality traits, such as impulsiveness, depressive mood, susceptibility to stress, or possibly personality disturbances.

Home and Family Life

Family structure, family dynamics, quality of parenting, and family problems can all contribute to drug experimentation by children and adolescents.

School Peer and Groups

Perceived and actual drug use by peers influences attitudes and choices by adolescents.

School Peer and Groups

Perceived support of drinking by peers is the single most important factor in an adolescent’s choice to drink.

Sociocultural Environment

The notion of environmental risk includes the effects of sociocultural and physical settings on drug-taking behavior

Sociocultural Environment

Environmental risk for drug-taking can stem from one’s immediate neighborhood or from society at large.

Two Types of Drug

1. legal drug

2. Illegal drug

Legal Drug

drugs that can be legally bought and sold in the marketplace, including those that are closely regulated, like morphine; those that are lightly regulated, like alcohol and tobacco; and still others that are not regulated at all, like caffeine.

morphine

closely regulated

alcohol and tobacco

lightly regulated

caffeine

not regulated at all

Alcohol -

is the number one problem drug by almost any standard of measurement

• the number of those who abuse it

• the number of injuries and injury deaths it causes

• the amount of money spent on it

• and its social and economic costs to society through broken homes and lost wage.

Problem drinker

one for whom alcohol consumption results in a medical, social, or other type of problem. They begin to experience personal, interpersonal, legal, or financial problems because of their alcohol consumption.

Alcoholism

a disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with drinking, and continued use of alcohol despite adverse consequences.

Alcoholism

a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations.

Two (2) important characteristics of alcoholism

1. Physical dependence on alcohol

2. Loss of control over one’s drinking

Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)

the percentage of concentration of alcohol in the blood.

Community Health Problems resulting from drinking:

1. Underage drinking

2. Vehicular accident

3. Unintentional injuries

4. Intentional violence

5. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

a range of disorders caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.

FAS

fetal alcohol syndrome

ARBD

alcohol-related birth defects

ARND

alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

People with ___have central nervous system (CNS) problems, minor facial features, and growth problems.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

People with ___ can have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, or hearing. They might have a mix of these problems

Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)

People with ____ might have problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones or with hearing

Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)

People with ____ might have intellectual disabilities and problems with behavior and learning.

Nicotine

the psychoactive and addictive drug present in tobacco products such as cigarettes, e- cigarettes, cigars, smokeless or “spit” tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff), and pipe tobacco.

Tobacco use

the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death

Health consequences of tobacco use

1. Increased risks for heart disease

2. Lung cancer

3. Chronic obstructive lung disease

4. Stroke,

5. Emphysema and other conditions

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS; secondhand smoke)

indicated that adults and children who inhale the tobacco smoke of others (passive smoking) are also at increased risk for cardiac and respiratory illnesses.

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs

(nonprescription drugs) drugs (except tobacco and alcohol) that can be legally purchased without a physician’s prescription.

Prescription Drugs

can be purchased only with a physician’s (or dentist’s) written instructions (prescription).

misuse and abuse

prescription drugs are also subject to ____ and _____

Types of Misuse

1. Re-use of previously prescribed OTC drugs

2. Giving of one person’s prescription drug to another.

Controlled substances

are drugs regulated by the “Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002” including all illegal drugs and prescription drugs that are subject to abuse and can produce dependence.

Illicit (illegal) drugs

drugs that cannot be legally manufactured, distributed, or sold, and that usually lack recognized medicinal value

Illegal Drug (Controlled Substances)

1. Marijuana

2. Synthetic marijuana

3. Narcotics (Opium, Morphine, Heroin)

4. Cocaine and crack cocaine

5. Stimulants (Amphetamines)

6. Depressants (Barbiturates, Benzodiazapines)

7. Club drugs and designer drugs

8. Anabolic drugs (Steroids)

9. Inhalants (psychoactive breathable chemicals)

Prevention and Control of Drug Abuse

The prevention and control of alcohol and other drug abuse require a knowledge of the:

1. causes of drug-taking behavior

2. sources of illicit drugs

3. drug laws

4. treatment programs

5. community organizing skills

6. persistence

7. cooperation among a vast array of concerned individuals and official and unofficial agencies

Levels of Prevention

1. primary prevention

2. secondary prevention

3. tertiary prevention

Levels of Prevention

programs are aimed at those who have never used drugs, and their goal is to prevent or forestall the initiation of drug use

1. Drug education programs that stress primary prevention of drug and alcohol use are most appropriate.

2. Any activity that would reduce the likelihood of primary drug use

Example of primary prevention

1. raising the price of alcohol

2. increasing cigarette taxes

3. arresting a neighborhood drug pusher

Secondary prevention

programs are aimed at those who have begun alcohol or other drug use but who have not become chronic abusers and have not suffered significant physical or mental impairment from their drug or alcohol abuse.

Tertiary prevention

programs are designed to provide drug abuse treatment and aftercare, including relapse prevention programs.

Four basic elements play a role in drug abuse prevention and control

1. Education

2. Treatment

3. Public Policy

4. Enforcement

Education

The purpose of drug abuse _________ is to

1. limit the demand for drugs by providing information about drugs and the dangers of drug abuse.

2. changing attitudes and beliefs about drugs

3. providing the skills necessary to abstain from drugs

4. and ultimately changing drug abuse behavior

Treatment

The goal of _________ is to remove the physical, emotional, and environmental conditions that have contributed to drug dependency.

• Treatment

aims to reduce demand for drugs.

It also aims to save money.

Aftercare

the continuing care provided to the recovering former drug abuser. Involves peer group or self-help support group meetings.

Public Policy

embodies the guiding principles and courses of action pursued by governments to solve practical problems affecting society

Public policy

____ ____ should guide the budget discussions that ultimately determine how much a community spends for education, treatment, and law enforcement.

Law Enforcement

___ ___________ in drug abuse prevention and control is the application of federal, state, and local laws to arrest, jail, bring to trial, and sentence those who break drug laws or break laws because of drug use

The primary roles of law enforcement in a drug abuse prevention and control program are to

1. Control drug use;

2. To control crime, especially crime related to drug use and drug trafficking—the buying, selling, manufacturing, or transporting of illegal drugs;

3. To prevent the establishment of crime organizations; and

4. To protect neighborhoods. Law enforcement is concerned with limiting the supply of drugs in the community by interrupting the source, transit, and distribution of drugs

Governmental Drug Prevention and Control Agencies and Programs

Governmental agencies involved in drug abuse prevention, control, and treatment include a multitude of federal, state, and local agencies. It aim is to reduce either the supply of or the demand for drugs.

Nongovernmental Drug Prevention and Control Agencies and Programs

1. Community-Based Drug Education Programs

2. School-Based Drug Education Programs

3. Workplace-Based Drug Education Programs

4. Voluntary Health Agencies

Community-Based Drug Education Programs

can occur in a variety of settings, such as child care facilities, public housing, religious institutions, businesses, and health care facilities

Community-based drug education programs are most likely to be successful when they include six key features

1. A comprehensive strategy

2. An indirect approach to drug abuse prevention

3. The goal of empowering youth

4. A participatory approach

5. A culturally sensitive orientation

6. Highly structured activities

School-Based Drug Education Programs

Most health educators believe that a strong, comprehensive school health education program—one that occupies a permanent and prominent place in the school curriculum—is the best defense against all health problems, including drug abuse.

Workplace-Based Drug Education Programs

It had also become apparent to all that drug abuse is not just a personal health problem and a law enforcement problem, but that it also is a behavior that affects the safety and productivity of others, especially at work.

Voluntary Health Agencies

Drug prevention and control programs are carried out at the local level with the cooperation and effort of many community members.

Voluntary Health Agencies

A large number of voluntary health agencies have been founded to prevent or control the social and personal consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse