Year 9 Drugs Revision Notes

Year 9 Drugs Revision Notes

Drug Use Statistics

  • More than 7 million people suffer from illicit drug use disorder.
  • One in four deaths can be attributed to alcohol, tobacco, and illicit or prescription drug use.

Assessment Task Details

  • One period test.
  • Short answer questions.
  • 40 marks total.
  • Week 9-10 Assessment.

Revision Topics

  • Categories of Drugs
  • Illicit and non-illicit drugs
  • Statistics of drug use
  • Reasons why people do drugs
  • Refusal skills
  • Drugs and their effects on the body
  • Vaping
  • Addiction and alcohol
  • Costs of drug use
  • Dimensions of health and wellbeing

Categories of Drugs

  • Depressants: Slow down the brain and Central Nervous System (CNS).
    • Examples: Alcohol, cannabis, tranquillisers, methadone, codeine, morphine, heroin.
  • Stimulants: Speed up the brain and CNS.
    • Examples: Caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, ecstasy, amphetamines.
  • Hallucinogens: Alter the brain and CNS.
    • Examples: LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, high doses of cannabis and ecstasy.

Legal and Illegal Drugs

  • Legal: Caffeine, codeine, prescription cough medicines, Valium, morphine, alcohol (over 18), tobacco (over 18).
  • Illegal: Marijuana, methamphetamines, opioids, heroin.

Trends in Drug Use

  • Figure 9: Consumed 11 or more drinks at least once in the last year, by age, 2010 to 2016 (per cent).

Reasons Why Young People Take Drugs

  • Curiosity
  • Peer pressure
  • To fit in
  • Try something new
  • Don’t know risks

Refusal Skills

  • Make a joke
  • Give reasons why it’s a bad idea
  • Make an excuse of why you can't
  • Just say no, plainly and firmly
  • Suggest an alternate substance free activity
  • Ignore the suggestion
  • Repeat yourself if necessary
  • Leave the situation
  • Shrug it off and say ‘no thanks I’m good’
  • The power of numbers

Drugs and Their Effects on the Body (Alcohol Example)

  1. Alcohol is processed by the liver; excessive alcohol can disrupt liver function, leading to high rates of liver disease.
  2. Excessive alcohol use impairs balance, coordination, vision, and reflexes, impacting various parts of the body and brain.
  3. Excessive alcohol use can cause significant memory loss and, in serious cases, can lead to coma and death from overdose.

Costs of Drug Use

Financial
  • Individual: Cost of the drugs, medical bills, inability to pay costs associated with shelter, food, clothing.
  • Community: Cost of drug education programs, prisons, police and parole services, increase in cost of healthcare services, loss of productivity at work.
Non-Financial
  • Decrease in mental health, increase in high-risk behavior such as burglary and drug trafficking, increase in violent and antisocial behavior, drug-related vandalism, increase in crime and violence, stress, grief, and responsibility placed on family and friends.

Dimensions of Health and Wellbeing

  • PMSES represents the dimensions: Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional, Spiritual.
  • Holistic Health considers all dimensions: Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional, Spiritual.
Physical
  • Body weight
  • Freedom from illness, disease, and injury
  • Adequate energy levels
  • Ability to complete daily tasks
  • Appropriate levels of fitness
  • Strong immune system
  • Well-functioning body, systems, and organs
Mental
  • Low levels of stress and anxiety
  • Positive self-esteem
  • Ability to process information and solve problems
  • High levels of confidence
  • Use logic and reasoning
  • Positive thought patterns
Social
  • Network of friends
  • Well-functioning family
  • Ability to manage social situations
  • Effective communication with others
  • Productive relationships with other people
Emotional
  • Recognize and understand emotions
  • Effectively respond to and manage emotions
  • Experience appropriate emotions in different scenarios
  • High level of resilience
Spiritual
  • A sense of belonging
  • Positive meaning and purpose in life
  • Peace and harmony
  • Developed personal values and beliefs
  • Acting according to those values and beliefs