Psychology
Drug Addiction
I.
Drug Addiction pg.
116
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Some drugs slow the nervous system
causing numbness and sleepiness while others spur the nervous system into rapid
action.
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Addiction means that a person
craves a substance, after he or she has consumed it several times, just to feel
“normal”.
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Drugs have a number of effects on
consciousness and may distort perception, change mood, and/or cause people to
hallucinate. Drugs that have the aforementioned effects are categorized as:
Depressants, Stimulants, and Hallucinogens.
II.
Substance Abuse pg.
266-268
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Abuse usually begins with
experimentation in adolescence.
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Reasons include curiosity,
response to peer pressure, parental abuse, rebelliousness, escape from boredom,
or pressure and looking for excitement/pleasure.
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The number of drug abusers
worldwide has been doubling annually since 1990.
-
People usually are oblivious that
their consumption rates are considered abusive.
Five drinks or more in a row in one sitting are considered alcohol-abuse
(binge drinking) there for linked to aggressive behavior and soon no longer
suppress anxiety.
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6 million people die each year
from diseases linked to smoking such as lung cancer and heart attacks.
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Cocaine for example, narrows blood
vessels, thickens blood and quickens heart rate resulting in sudden deaths.
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Marijuana contains more tar than
cigarettes which is a main factor in lung cancer. Marijuana is also known to
halt understanding and decrease alertness.
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Intense cravings begin when the
feeling has worn off. Drug abusers usually have to take more and more of the
substance to reach the same effect they used to obtain with smaller doses,
which eventually leads to addiction.
III.
Defensive Coping
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Substance abuse, suicide and
running away are ways considered to reduce the immediate effects of a stressor.
-
Referring to either to suppress
stress is called defensive coping. It is usually the root to newer and bigger
future problems.
IV.
Depressants pg.
117-118
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Drugs that slow the activity of
the nervous system.
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Give people a sense of relaxation.
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Include alcohol and narcotics.
A.
Alcohol
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Only a few other drugs are used as
widely as alcohol worldwide
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Small amounts have relaxing
effects and consuming enough can put the consumer to sleep.
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Too much (over 5 drinks per
sitting) is lethal on both short and long terms.
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Intoxication: the medical term for
drunkenness. Effects of intoxication or poisoning, slurs speech, blurs vision,
impairs coordination and affects brain cells.
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Alcohol makes people do things
they do not do when sober because intoxication makes people less able to focus
on judging the consequences of their behavior.
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Withdrawal symptoms may include
trembling and tension which often leads people to consume more to feel relaxed.
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Alcohol is linked to fatal liver
diseases, heart problems and cancer.
B.
Narcotics
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Narcotics come from the Greek word
“narke” or numb.
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Narcotics are addictive
depressants that are used to reduce pain and induce sleep (originally used
medically).
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Morphine, heroin, and codeine are
narcotics derived from the opium poppy plant.
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Morphine was introduced during the
civil war to deaden the battle wound pains. Therefore, morphine addiction was
known as “soldiers’ disease”.
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Heroin was hailed as the “hero”
that would cure addiction to morphine in the 1800s. It received its name due to
the common belief that it made people heroic for being powerful at making its
users feel pleased. However, heroin is known to plunge its consumers into
depression.
-
Narcotics impair judgements and
memory, causes drowsiness and stupor (unconsciousness and insensibility)
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High doses depress respiratory
system which leads to unconsciousness, coma and sometimes death.
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Narcotics are often consumed intravenously
which increases the risk for transfer of blood diseases such as AIDS.
-
Withdrawal symptoms of narcotics
include tremors, chills, rapid heartbeat, insomnia and bowel irritability.
V.
Stimulants pg.
118-120
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In contrast to depressants,
stimulants increase the activity of the nervous system. It speeds up breathing
and heart rate.
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Stimulants include nicotine,
amphetamines and cocaine.
A.
Nicotine:
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The drug found in tobacco leaves.
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One of the most commonly used stimulants.
Legally smoked and/or chewed in most countries.
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Spurs the release of the hormone
adrenaline which increases heart rate.
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As a stimulant, nicotine may make
people feel more alert and attentive
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Does no help improve the ability
to perform complex tasks.
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Reduces appetite and changes the
rate at which the body changes food into energy thus the common fear of gaining
weight upon quitting.
-
Through regular use, people can
become addicted to nicotine
-
Evidence suggests that cigarette
smokers experience symptoms such as insomnia, nervousness, drowsiness, loss of
energy, headaches, cramps, heart problems, sweating, and tremors… however they
usually link it to other causes.
-
Nonetheless, all people can
successfully quit whenever they are truly motivated to.
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Associated with serious health
risks; the numbers of people who die from smoking-related disease each year is
more than those who die from accidents, suicide, homicide, drug over dose and
AIDS all combined.
B.
Amphetamines
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A stimulant especially known for helping
people stay awake and reducing appetite
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First used by soldiers during WWII
to help them remain awake and alert during the night
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Market names: Tramadol, Speed,
Uppers.
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Produces feelings of pleasure in
high doses.
-
Commonly consumed as pills,
however injections are also common.
-
Large doses may result in a
“many-days high”. Consumer could remain awake for as long as the prolonged high
continues, however it eventually leads to “crashes”.
-
Crashes are episodes of long hours
of restless deep sleep, depression, and may sometimes lead to suicide.
-
Symptoms of Amphetamines include
but are not limited to: restlessness, insomnia, loss of appetite. It may also
affect consciousness and cause frightening hallucinations.
-
May also cause users to have delusions,
or false ideas that seem real.
C.
Cocaine
-
Derived from the coca plant
-
Produce feelings of pleasure,
reduces hunger, deadens pain and boosts self-confidence.
-
Raises blood pressure and decrease
the supply of oxygen to the heart while speeding its beats’ rate which can lead
to death
-
Introduced in the 1800s by Freud
to cure depression and as a painkiller.
-
Freud published an article named
the “Song of Praise” praising the effectiveness of the drug.
-
His excitement about cocaine’s
healing powers soon faded by his awareness that the drug was dangerous and
addictive.
-
Symptoms include restlessness,
insomnia, trembling, headaches, delusions, nausea, hallucinations, and
convulsions.
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Crack is the most harmful form of
cocaine because it is usually impure and therefore more dangerous.
-
The strain crack and other forms
of cocaine put on the heart is fatal.
VI.
Hallucinogens pg.
120-121
-
A drug that produces hallucinations,
a perception of an image or a sound that is non-existent.
-
Causes relaxation and sometimes
pleasure. Reported to cause panic attacks in some users.
-
Include: Marijuana and LSD
A.
Marijuana:
-
A hallucinogenic drug produced
from the leaves of cannabis
-
Produces relaxation and mild
hallucinations
-
Hash (Hashish) comes from the
sticky roots of the plan and has stronger effects.
-
Impairs perception and
coordination making operating machines (including driving cars) difficult.
-
Impairs memory and learning,
causes anxiety and confusion.
-
Increases Heart Rate up to 140
beats per minute (normal rate 80), which is a particular threat to people with
blood pressure problems.
-
100 years ago, it was used as
commonly and for the same causes as aspirin is used today.
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Distinct effect on consciousness
especially in terms of time awareness; users usually feel that time passes
slowly.
-
Visual hallucinations give smokers
frights
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Symptoms include confusion, loss
of sense of self, and increased consciousness of body functions like Heart
Beats.
B.
LSD/Acid
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Produce intense hallucinations.
However effects are unpredictable.
-
Users claim it expands consciousness
and “open new worlds”
-
They also claim that their
discoveries during trances are forgotten when the effects wear off.
-
Experience could also be extremely
frightening which induces panic attacks, confusion, self-injuries or death.
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Some user experience lasting side
effects which include memory loss, violent outburst, nightmares and feelings of
panic.
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Another distinct effect is
experiencing “Flashbacks” to the hallucinations’ trance after a week, a month
or even a year of the first experience.
-
Flashbacks stem from LSD-induced
chemical changes in the brain after the first use.
VII.
Treatments
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Treatments vary depending on the
drug abused and the severity of addiction.
1.
Detoxification: The
removal of the harmful substances from the body as a way of weaning addicts
from the drug while restoring their health. Best method and most commonly used.
2.
Maintenance programs:
sometimes used for narcotic’s addicts. Least effective method and very
controversial because the users never actually become drug-free. Participants
are given controlled and less doses of the drug or a less-addictive substitute.
3.
Counseling:
conducted individually or in a group. Used for treating stimulant and
depressant abuse.
4.
Support Groups: (in
Egypt: Narcotics Anonymous) usually consists of people sharing common
experiences, concerns and problems. They meet to provide one another with the
emotional and moral support as well as encourage each other to live without
drugs for the rest of their lives.
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