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Introduction:
Drugs are bad. Every child knows that. Just don't ever get in touch with drugs. They will destroy your life. Of course, we say.
But why are there 1000s of juveniles dying each year. Their deaths caused directly or indirectly by drugs
Didn't we tell them drugs were bad!?
But when children develop into young adults, when they start to form their own opinion, when they dont believe the sensible, narrow minded grown ups anymore, when they choose to make their own experience, when they want to have fun or when they feel miserable, misundertood, when they want to escape their lives then drugs seem very seductive. And friends do it too. They said it's cool. So life is short. Who cares what they tell you? They don't understand you anyway. . .
1. FACTS
What is a drug?
A drug is any substance, solid, liquid or gas that changes the functions or structures of the body in some way. This excludes food and water, which are required to maintain normal body functioning.
The drugs of most concern to the community are those that affect a person's central nervous system. These are the psychoactive drugs. They act on the brain and can change the way a person thinks, feels or behaves.
History of drugs:
Drugs are chemical compounds that modify the way the body and mind work. Most people think that these biological activities should help or heal sick people or animals.
There is, however, no known drug that is not harmful or even poisonous at high doses, and much of the scientific work on drugs has attempted to widen the gap between effective and toxic doses.
The word drug has acquired bad connotations in recent years because the widespread abuse of a few chemicals that affect the central nervous system has become a serious sociological problem. Nevertheless, drugs act on many other organs in the body, can benefit as well as harm the nervous system, and have made possible a revolution in the way modern doctors treat disease.
Just as there is no health benefit without potential toxicity, there is no absolute goodness about drugs. However, their enormous health benefits outweigh the drawbacks in individual cases. It used to be said that what distinguishes humans from animals is that people take drugs. This old adage is no longer quite true. Rats and monkeys that have been addicted experimentally to some drugs will inject themselves with those drugs to support their addictions. But otherwise the old saying still holds.
The history of drugs is shrouded in the beginnings of the human race. Alcohol was made, drunk, and used to excess as far back as memory and records go. Tobacco (Nicotiana), hemp (Cannabis sativa), opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), and other plants containing drugs have been chewed and smoked almost as long as alcohol, and coffee has been served in the Middle East throughout that area\'s history.
Where do drugs come from?
Drugs are derived from a range of sources. Many are found in plants, for example nicotine in tobacco; caffeine in coffee; and cocaine from the coca plant. Morphine and codeine are derived from the opium poppy, while heroin is made from morphine or codeine. Marijuana is the leaf, buds and seed heads of the cannabis plant, whilst hashish and hash oil are the plant's resin.
Alcohol is a product of the natural process of fermentation, which happens when fruit, grain or vegetables decompose. Certain fungi, such as magic mushrooms, and cactus plants are considered drugs because of their hallucinogenic properties. Medicines are manufactured from both natural and artificial chemicals.
Different kinds of drugs and their effects:
There are a range of harms that can result from excessive or inappropriate use of psychoactive substances. Loss of life is one extreme and tragic possibility. Negative health effects, family and social problems, psychological and emotional difficulties, and legal and economic problems are more common experiences. It should be kept in mind that many people start and continue to use drugs to find relief or escape from these sorts of problems. People use drugs to change how they feel; because they want to feel better or different. They use drugs for their perceived or experienced benefits, not for their potential harm.
The three main types of drugs, classified by their effects on the central nervous system are:
. depressants;
. stimulants
. hallucinogens.
Depressants
Depressant drugs slow down, or depress, the central nervous system. They don\'t necessarily make you feel depressed. Depressant drugs include:
. alcohol
. opiates and opioids, including (heroin), morphine, codeine, methadone, and cannabis , including marijuana, hashish and hash oil;
. tranquillisers and hypnotics (used to calm down the organism)
. barbiturates (sleeping drugs)
. some solvents and inhalants, including petrol, glue, paint thinners and lighter fluid.
Stimulants
Millions of Americans use stimulants every day.
Coffee, tea and cola drinks contain caffeine which is a mild stimulant.
The nicotine in tobacco is also a stimulant, despite many smokers using it to relax.
Other stimulant drugs, such as ephedrine, are used in medicines for bronchitis, hay fever and asthma.
Stronger stimulant drugs include amphetamines speed and cocaine, which are illegal.
Slimming tablets are also strong stimulants.
Stimulants speed up or stimulate the central nervous system and can make the user feel more awake or confident. Stimulants increase heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure. Other physical effects include reduced appetite, dilated pupils, talkativeness, agitation, and sleep disturbance.
Higher doses of stimulants can \'over stimulate\' the user, causing anxiety, panic, seizures, headaches, stomach cramps, aggression and paranoia.
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogenic drugs distort the user as perceptions of reality. These drugs include:
. LSD(lysergic acid diethylamide): \'trips\', \'acid\', microdots;
. magic mushrooms (psilocybin): gold tops, \'mushies\'
. mescaline (peyote cactus);
. exctasy(MDMA/methylenedioxymethamphetamine): X, XTC, eccies;
The main physical effects of hallucinogenic drugs are dilation of pupils, loss of appetite, increased activity, talking or laughing, jaw clenching, sweating and sometimes stomach cramps and nausea. Drug effects can include a sense of emotional and psychological euphoria and wellbeing. Visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations may occur, causing users to see or hear things that do not actually exist. The effects of hallucinogens are not easy to predict. The person may behave in ways that appear irrational or bizarre. Psychological effects often depend on the mood of the user and the context of use.
Negative effects of hallucinogens can include panic, paranoia and loss of contact with reality. In extreme cases, this can result in dangerous behaviour like walking into traffic or jumping off a roof
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