Drug and Genes Lecture 5

Overprescribing and Inappropriate Use

- Unnecessary Prescriptions

- Premature medication use

- Polypharmacy (7 medications) and Adverse Effects

Why the Opioid Epidemic?

1. Misinformation about Addiction (assurance from medical companies that the patients wouldn't become addicted)

2. Misinformation about Opioids (12 hour schedule does not control pain)

3. Supply and Mischief (pharmaceutical companies distributed 3.4 billion opioids

Attitude Towards Alcohol

- Widespread use and cultural integration (embedded in social norms)

- Youth and Underage Drinking

- Normalization and Risk Perception ( underestimation of risks)

Attitude Towards Marijuana

- Rapidly Shifting Norms and Legalization

- Perception of Safety vs. Reality (many do not perceive it as harmful, despite evidence linking it to dependence)

Attitude Towards Hallucinogens

- Historic Rise in Use Among Adults

- Changing Perceptions of Risk

- Therapeutic Rebranding (mental health treatment?)

- Concerns About Misuse and Safety

Mental Health Disorders and Drug Use

- Mental health problems and substance use disorders sometimes occur together

- 1 in 4 adults living with serious mental health problems also have substance use problems

Commercial Media and Drugs

- Movies and music often contain alcohol, tobacco, and drug use

- Celebrities often boost the use of substances due to their influence

Misinformation and Drug Behaviors

- Dangers of saying some drugs are safe or non-addictive when they are

- Natural = safe myth

- Overprescribing and misuse of antibiotics (antibiotic resistance)

Cultural Shaping of Substance Use

- What substances are accepted

- When and how substances are used

- Attitudes towards addiction and treatment