Table of contents

Page
1. Definition of drugs 2

2. Useful drugs 2 -3

3. Harmful drugs 4-5

4. Antibodies 6-7

5. Heroine abuse & associated problems 8-9

6. Alcohol & associated problems 10 - 12

7. Tabacco smokes 13 – 18

8. Conclusion 18

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1.0 Definition of drugs

Figure 1.0 drugs

A drug is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters
normal bodily function .Drugs are used in hospital to diagnose, cure, prevent the occurrence of
diseases and disorders, and prolong the life of patients with incurable conditions .Unfortunately
there are people who use it in an inconvenient way an takes it every day, they are called drug
addicts .Drugs can be classified into two ways useful drugs and harmful drugs.

2.0 Useful drugs

Drugs which are use in hospitals are called antibiotics. It is a drug used to treat infections
caused by bacteria and other micro-organisms. There are some antibiotics used in hospitals like
Penicillins, Tetracyclines, and Erythomycins.

Penicillines:

Penicillin, any one of a group of antibiotics derived from the fungus Penicillium or created by
using partially artificial processes. Penicillin acts both by killing bacteria and by inhibiting their
growth. It does not kill organisms in the resting stage but only those growing and reproducing.
Penicillin is effective against a wide range of disease-bearing microorganisms like syphilis. It is
use to treat different kinds of infections, such as skin infections, dental infections, ear infections,
respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections and other infections caused by bacteria.

Tetracyclines:

Tetracycline is an antibiotic drug used to treat various bacterial infections, including urinary tract
infections, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, trachoma (a chronic eye infection), and gonorrhea.
Tetracycline is also sometimes used to treat early stages of Lyme disease, acne, gum disease,
and certain gastrointestinal ulcers. It works by interfering with the invading bacteria’s ability to
form essential proteins, thereby halting their growth. Tetracyclines has many disadvantages as
the patient may develop some side effects like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, skin rash, itching,
light sensitivity, facial swelling, headache, blurred vision, chest pain, sore throat, difficulty
swallowing, or in infants, a bulging soft spot on the head. Children may develop discoloured
teeth with long-term use.

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Erythomycins:

Erythromycins are medicines that kill bacteria or prevent their growth. It is use to treat infections
caused by microorganisms. Physicians prescribe these drugs for many types of infections
caused by bacteria, including strep throat, sinus infections, pneumonia, ear infections, tonsillitis,
bronchitis, gonorrhea, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and urinary tract infections. Some
medicines in this group are also used to treat Legionnaires' disease and ulcers caused by
bacteria. These drugs will not work for colds, flu, and other infections caused by viruses.

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3.0 Harmful drugs
There are differents types of harmful drugs like cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens inhalants.Here
is some notes of drugs that I have mentioned:

Cannabis:

Cannabis is a drug obtained from the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of the Cannabis sativa
plant. Cannabis is a depressant that has some mild hallucinogenic properties. As a depressant
it slows the activity of the central nervous system.

The effects of cannabis are unpredictable. The drug's typical effect is to make the user feel
relaxed and less inhibited. It causes increased appetite and bloodshot eyes and can affect
sensory perception. Cannabis can affect coordination, reduce attention span and cause short
term memory loss. Users may lose track of their thoughts or of a conversation. Heavier doses
can cause confusion, excitement or anxiety. Users may have hallucinations.

Chronic cannabis use can cause respiratory illnesses such as lung cancer and chronic
bronchitis. Some heavy users lose energy and motivation and experience a deterioration in
memory, concentration and ability to learn new things. Cannabis psychosis, similar to
schizophrenia, can occur in vulnerable individuals.

Figure 2.0 Leaf of a cannabis plant

Cocaine:

Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca bush. In Australia, cocaine is most commonly
available as cocaine hydrochloride, a white powder, although it can found as an alkaloid form for
smoking or in the form of small crystals known as "crack".Cocaine is a stimulant, increasing the
speed of central nervous system activity. The effects of cocaine are felt almost immediately and
can last between minutes or hours. These effects include increased body temperature and heart
rate, reduced appetite and heightened levels of energy and alertness. Although cocaine can
cause euphoria and increased confidence, it may cause anxiety and panic. In larger doses or if
used repeatedly over hours, cocaine can lead to extreme agitation, panic, paranoia,
hallucinations, dizziness, trembling, nausea and heart attack. Concentration and coordination
may deteriorate. Long-term, heavy cocaine users can become restless, over-excitable and
paranoid.

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They may also experience nausea, weight loss and depression. In some cases, psychosis
occurs. Snorting cocaine damages the nasal passages.

Figure 3.0 Powder of cocaine

Hallucinogen:

Hallucinogen, any one of a large number of natural or synthetic psychoactive drugs that produce
marked distortions of the senses and changes in perception. Hallucinogens generally alter the
way time is perceived, making it appear to slow down. The effects of hallucinogens can last
several hours and vary considerably depending on the specific type of hallucinogen. Some of
the typical effects of hallucinogens include:

 blurred vision;
 increased breathing rate;
 euphoria;
 sense of relaxation and feeling of well-being;
 hallucinations and distorted sensory processing, including visual, auditory, body, time
and space perception;
 disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining
attention;
 anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic;
 dizziness;
 impaired co-ordination;
 increased heart rate and blood pressure;
 nausea and vomiting;
 increased body temperature and sweating, which may alternate with chills and shivering;
and numbness

Figure 4.0 Hallucinogen leaf

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4.0 Antibodies
Definition

They are specialized cells of the immune system which can recognize organisms that invade
the body (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi). The antibodies are then able to set off a
complex chain of events designed to kill these foreign invaders.

Figure 5.0 antibodies

4.1 Treatment against bacterial infections

Medical authorities have long expected that the treatment, which uses monoclonal antibodies
(monospecific antibodies that are identical because they are produced by one type of immune
cell that are all clones of a single parent cell), would prove effective against infections that lead
to septic shock(serious medical condition caused by decreased tissue perfusion and oxygen
delivery as a result of infection, though the microbe may be systemic or localized to a particular
site). But the results released today by the Xoma Corporation of Berkeley. The infections are
caused by gram negative bacteria, which live in the digestive tract. Occasionally they leak into
the blood as a result of surgery, abdominal wounds or contamination of tubes inserted into
blood vessels. The bacteria release poisons that can lead to septic shock, a condition in which
blood pressure drops, breathing quickens and organs can fail. Doctors now treat such infections
with antibiotics to kill the bacteria. But that will not help if the bacteria have already released
their poisons into the bloodstream.

Xoma's treatment, which would be used in addition to antibiotics, uses monoclonal antibodies
that bind to the poisons and make them ineffective. The monoclonal antibodies, which Xoma
produces in mice, are variants of the proteins the body naturally uses to fight infections.

Figure 6.0 cell of monoclonal antibodies

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Examples of bacterial infectious diseases
 Lyme disease
 Cat Scratch Disease
 Cholera
 Typhus
 Tetanus
 Tetanus
 Tuberculosis
 Urinary Tract Infections

Figure 7.0 cholera bacteria

Figure 8.0 Typhus bacteria

Figure 9.0 Tuberculosis bacteria

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5.0 Heroine

Heroin is a synthetic opiate drug that is highly addictive. It is made from morphine, a naturally
occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin
usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar

Figure 10.0 Brown heroine powder

5.1 Problems with heroine

Health
Short term effects

Heroin is a central nervous system depressant that relieves pain and induces sleep. It produces
a dreamlike state of warmth and well-being. It may also cause constricted pupils, nausea, and
respiratory depression, which in its extremes can result in death.The user will also feel like
his\her arms and legs heavy.

Long term effect

Heroin activates brain regions that produce euphoric sensations and brain regions that produce
physical dependence—hence its notorious ability to produce both psychological and physical
addiction. Its addictiveness is characterized by persistent craving for the drug and the need for
larger and larger doses to get the same results.The symptoms of a person who is addict to
heroine are panic, nausea, muscle cramps, chills, and insomnia.The addict will also suffer from
other problems like listed below:

 Infection of the heart lining and valves.

 Liver disease.
 Kidney disease.
 Pulmonary complications
 Bacterial infections
 Infectious diseases, for example, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B
and C

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social problems

Heroin affects the society in various ways like the future generations, a family, our friends and
etc. Let’s take for a better and common example like a family.The effects of heroin on the family
are many. For example, a family will try to take care of each other, especially when one member
of the family has a serious problem such as heroin addiction. Believing they're to blame in some
way, family members may become focused on making things better and keeping the family
functioning. Due to this fact, family members rarely address their own issues. Through
embarrassment and shame, families may decline invitations, stop inviting friends round, hobbies
are ignored and the family becomes gradually more isolated - they're unable to tell anyone
what's happening. The family members will feel anger, frustration, helplessness, confusion,
hopelessness, desperation, guilt and shame. The physical strength of each family members will
decrease and will lead to anxiety, depression, headaches, migraines, digestive disorders and
heart problems, often resulting in them having to take medication. It's not unusual to find
relatives admitting to occasionally having suicidal feelings.

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6.0 Alcohol
Pure alcohol is a colourless, tasteless liquid produced by fermentation, a process in which water
and yeast act on sugars from a grain, vegetable or fruit.

When discussed as a drug, "alcohol" becomes the collective term for a wide variety of alcoholic
beverages. Alcohol is a depressant, slowing the activity of the central nervous system. This
leads to reduced inhibitions, as well as a deterioration in coordination and reflexes.
Consumption of alcohol can lead to aggression, confusion, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness
and risk taking behaviour. Alcohol's effects on co-ordination and reflexes make it a major factor
in accidents. Alcohol is believed to be involved in a third of serious car crashes and a third of
drownings. Alcohol is strongly linked to anti-social behaviour and violence, with an estimated
three-quarters of assaults related to alcohol use.

Figure 11.0 Alcoholic drinks

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Alcohol:
Short term effects

Sometimes people drink alcohol to have the short term effect like being relax, less tense and
being less aware of events around them.Here is a table showing the short term effect after
someone has taken up to 10 or more drinks.

# Drinks Consumed Effects Hours needed to metabolize

alcohol
1-2 relaxation; decreased inhibition and 2 - 3
judgment; decreased reaction time and
alertness
3-4 marked decrease in fine motor skills, 4 - 6
reaction time, and judgment; may be
clumsy; exaggerated behaviors
5-7 vision and perception affected; can be 6 - 10
verbally argumentative, emotionally
irrational; further impairments in
reaction time and judgment
8-10 staggering; slurred speech; blurred 10 - 24
vision; sensory and motor skills greatly
affected; nausea/vomiting
More than 10 stuporous; may be conscious but More than 24
unaware of surroundings; decreased
respiration; anesthesia.

Long term effect

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Each year approximately 3000 people die as a result of excessive alcohol consumption and
around 65 000 people are hospitalised. Long-term excessive alcohol consumption is associated
with

 heart damage
 high blood pressure and stroke
 liver damage
 cancers of the digestive system
 other digestive system disorders (e.g. stomach ulcers)
 sexual impotence and reduced fertility
 increasing risk of breast cancer
 sleeping difficulties
 brain damage with mood and personality changes
 concentration and memory problems

6.1 Withdrawal

Withdrawal refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that
causes physical dependence is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or
decreased in dosage

Someone who is dependent on alcohol will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop
drinking or substantially reduce their intake. Symptoms usually commence 6-24 hours after the
last drink, last for about 5 days and include:

 tremor
 nausea
 anxiety
 depression
 sweating
 headache
 difficulty sleeping (may last several weeks)

Alcohol withdrawal can be very dangerous; people drinking more than 8 standard drinks a day
are advised to discuss a decision to stop drinking with a doctor as medical treatment may be
required to prevent complications

7.0 Tobaco smoke

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Tobacco smoking is the inhalation of smoke from burned dried or cured leaves of the tobacco
plant, most often in the form of a cigarette. People may smoke casually for pleasure, habitually
to satisfy an addiction to the nicotine present in tobacco and to the act of smoking, or in
response to social pressure. In some societies, people smoke for ritualistic purposes.

Tobacco smoke is a mixture of gases and small particles made up of water, tar and nicotine.
The tar is a messy mixture of hundreds of toxic chemicals, many of which are known to cause
cancer (for example, nitrosamines, benzpyrene).

Many of the gases in tobacco smoke are harmful. These include carbon monoxide, nitrogen
oxides, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and other toxic irritants such as acrolein and
formaldehyde. Due to the high temperatures (over 800°C or 1400°F), the burning end of a
cigarette is like a miniature chemical factory. It churns out many more noxious chemicals than
are found in unlit tobacco or taken in by use of smokeless tobacco (for example, snuff, which
contains no tar or gases). Altogether more than 4,000 chemical compounds have been
identified in tobacco smoke.

Figure 12.0 A cigarette

8.1 The effects of the three Main Components of Cigarettes

Nicotine:

This is the addictive component of tobacco. It is absorbed into the blood and affects the brain
within 10 seconds. It causes smokers to feel good because of the neurotransmitters (chemicals
in the brain) that it releases. It also causes a surge of heart rate,blood pressure, and adrenaline
(which also feels good). Unfortunately, because of the nature of addiction, when the effects of
nicotine on the brain and body wear off, the smoker feels worse than before. This reinforces the
craving for another cigarette.

Tar:

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Tar itself contains many poisonous substances to the body. It is a thick, sticky substance, and
when inhaled it sticks to the tiny hairs on the lungs, the cilia. These normally protect the lungs
from dirt and infection, but when covered in tar they can't do their job. Tar also coats the walls of
the whole respiration system, narrowing the tubes that transport air (the bronchioles) and
reducing elasticity of the lungs.

Carbon Monoxide:

Carbon monoxide is the poisonous chemical found in car exhaust fumes. It decreases the
amount of oxygen in the blood, which deprives all the organs of oxygen too. Because there's
less oxygen in the blood, it gets thicker and puts a strain on the heart to pump.

Health problems when smoking

Eyes:

Chemicals in tobacco cause damage to the macula (the most sensitive part of the retina, the
back of the eye).

Tiny blood vessels can burst through the macula, leading to irreversible damage.

Smoking causes morphological (The form and structure of an organism or one of its parts) and
functional changes to the lens and retina due to its atherosclerotic and thrombotic effects on the
ocular capillaries. Also, it enhances the generation of free radicals and decreases the levels of
antioxidants in the blood circulation, aqueous homour and ocular tissue. Eventually, continuous
smoking may perpetuate further damage and lead to permanent blindness.

Mouth, throat and oesophagus:

Smoking is a risk factor for all cancers associated with the larynx, oral cavity and oesophagus.
Over 90% of the patients with oral cancer (includes cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth and throat)
are smoker, and the risk for these cancers increases with the number of cigarettes smoked.
Heavy smokers have laryngeal cancer mortality risks 20 to 30 times greater than non-smokers.
The combined effect of tobacco and alcoholic drink imposes a much higher risk of oral and
pharyngeal cancers by 35-fold.

Figure 13.0 mouth and throat

Heart and circulation:

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Two immediate effects of smoking on heart and circulation are

 an increase in your heartbeat rate,

 a sharp rise in blood pressure.

These responses are caused by nicotine which acts on the nervous system, causing the heart
rate to rise and blood vessels to constrict. This narrowing of the blood vessels causes the blood
pressure rise and strain is put on the heart. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes depletes the
oxygen carrying capacity of a smoker's blood. This means that the heart has to pump harder to
get enough oxygen to the rest of the body.
Smoking can also affect the blood in the long term: increase in the blood cholesterol and
fibrinogen levels. Both these factors mean blood will clot more easily and this will increase the
risk of having a heart attack, caused by a blood clot forming in the heart. The heart and
circulation attacks caused by smoking include : Coronary heart disease (CHD), Aneurysm,
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD), stroke etc.

Lungs:

The tar content of cigarette smoke damages the cells in the airways of the lung, making the cilia
unable to sweep away the harmful substances. Eventually this damage can produce cells that
grow in an uncontrolled way leading to cancer of the lung or larynx. Moreover, harmful
substances from the smoke are detected by the protective cells of the body and these cells
move to the lung and try to defend it, but are destroyed by the cigarette smoke. The dead cells
release substances that damage the structure of the lung, which leads to chronic bronchitis and
emphysema. Tobacco accounts for more than 80% of the lung cancer cases. The observed
relationship between tobacco smoking and the incidence of lung cancers appears to depend on
factors such as: (i) the daily dose of tobacco; (ii) the duration of regular smoking and (iii) the
form in which tobacco is smoked (cigarettes, cigars, pipes).

Figure 15.0 The lungs of a smoker

Brain:

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Cigarette smoking has been linked to the buildup of fatty substances in the carotid artery, the
main neck artery supplying blood to the brain. Blockage of this artery may cut off the blood
supply to the brain cells, which results in stroke (cerebral thrombosis). Also, nicotine raises
blood pressure; carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to the
brain; and cigarette smoke makes the blood thicker and more likely to clot. Smokers are more
likely to develop stroke than non-smokers, with the overall relative risk of stroke in smokers
being about 1.5times that of non-smokers.

Digestive system:

Smoking has been shown to have harmful effects on all parts of the digestive system,
contributing to such common disorders as heartburn and peptic ulcers. It also increases the risk
of Crohn's disease and possibly gallstones.
Risk of stomach cancer caused by smoking increases with duration of smoking and the number
of cigarettes smoked.

Liver and pancreas:

Nearly 50% of the bladder and kidney cancer in men are caused by smoking, with lower
contribution for women. Cigarette smoke can interact with chemical (especially aromatic
amines) in the work place to produce bladder and kidney cancer. Also, approximately 30% of all
deaths from pancreatic cancer are attributable to cigarette smoking.

Skin and hair:

Just 10 minutes of cigarette smoking decreases the body's and skin's oxygen supply for almost
an hour. Smoking robs the skin of collagen which keeps the skin elastic. Smokers get more and
deeper wrinkles all over their faces because nicotine constricts the tiny capillaries that nourish
the skin. Smokers in their 40s often have as many facial wrinkles as non-smokers in their 60s.
Smoking interferes with the healing process, it takes longer to heal and there is more scarring.
Smokers are also prone to premature thinning and graying of the hair. Men who smoke are
twice as likely to become bald as are men who do not smoke, and premature graying is 3 to 6
times more common in smokers.

Figure 16.0 On the right face of a smoker and on the left face a
non smoker

Bone and muscle:

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Smoking delays the healing of fractures, and in some smokers bone healing is indefinitely
delayed. Nicotine restricts blood flow to all tissue, especially in the newly forming tissues that
are involved in the bone repair. Moreover, tobacco smoke chemicals are poisons that also
inhibit the development of new tissue cells. The tissue of smokers does not get an adequate
blood supply to promote healing, thus smokers are at a much higher risk of developing
osteoporosis. Male smokers are also affected because smoking negatively affects the
production of bone cells. Women with a smoking history have significantly lower bone density
and are much more likely to suffer fractures. Furthermore, their earlier menopause add to the
risk of osteoporosis. Studies show that women who use tobacco have a 50% higher risk of
osteoporosis than nonsmokers. Smokers also have poorer muscle strength, agility and balance.

The internal body of a smoker

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 Figure 17.0 the internal body of a smoker

8.0 Conclusion
Drug abuse is a complex problem thought to result from a combination of psychological, and
environmental factors. It affects people from the early stage to old age. Addicts may suffer from
neglect or the effects of parental drug use. As they grow into childhood, they may demonstrate
antisocial behavior, and signs of malnutrition, poor self-esteem, depression, or attention deficit
disorder. This may lead an adolescent to use drugs, have unwanted pregnancies, and drop out
of school.

Oral health care professionals, have an ethical responsibility to inform patients of how drug
abuse can damage their health. With increased knowledge of chemical dependency, one may
be able to identify and encourage a patient, co-worker, or family member to seek the support
needed to change substance abuse habits. The self-assessment checklist and list of resource
may provide insight and information helpful to someone who must take that difficult first step to
recovery.

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