PS 333 Unit 1

Substance use disorder (SUD)

mental health condition that affects brain and behavior, leading to a person’s inability tp control use of substances

Drug

1. Non-nutritional substance 

2. Alters physiology or behavior

Psychoactive substances/drugs 

Compounds thought to affect our thoughts, mood, perception, behavior, and sometimes our state/level of consciousness 

Examples of ancient substance use

1. Mesopotamians — opium

2. beer brewing

3. vikings — henbane and mushrooms

4. chinese ppl — caffeine and ephedra

Cocaine

Vin Mariani — wine made with cocaine

used by many popes, thomas edison, ulysses grant

coca-cola

Heroin

promoted as non-addicting and as a treatment for other addictions and illnesses

USA examples of drug control

1. Harrison Narcotics tax - opiates and coca products

2. prohibition - alcohol and cigarettes

3. Nixon war on drugs - imprisoned a ton of ppl

drug scheduling

Nixon admin created 5 categories of controlled substances

schedule 1

1. High potential for misuse and have no medical use

2. Cant be prescribed 

3. Heroin, weed, and LSD 

schedule 2

1. Severe psych/physical dependence and high potential for misuse 

2. Some medical value and can be prescribed 

3. Morphine, methamphetamine, cocaine, methadone

schedule 3

1. Moderate or low dependence and can be prescribed 

2. Anabolic steroids, codeine, some barbituates

schedule 4

1. Limited dependence and can be prescribed 

2. Valium and xanax 

schedule 5

1. Lowest potential for misuse 

2. Cough medicine with codeine and antidiarrheal meds

modern day examples of SUD

1. cigarette use making a cultural comeback

2. ecigs and vaping

3. alcohol use has declined

4. growing cannabis use

5. methamphetamine use on the rise

harm reduction

focuses on limiting the dangers of drugs v getting users to abstain from use

1. empirical evidence that it does reduce overdose deaths

2. but policy makers believe that it causes prevailing drug use

harm reduction strategies examples

1. Narcan recently became available wo a prescription 

   1. Opioid receptor antagonist in the brain

2. More ppl being trained to identity overdose 

3. Needle exchange programs and safe injection sites

4. Decriminalization of possession