HEALTH (ACTIVITY 2)

DRUGS
USE, ABUSE,
AND
DEPENDENCE

SUBMITTED BY: ALLYSA MAE FRIAS

DON'T HARM YOURSELF 2
Use is defined as the limited, controlled consumption
of a drug without significant toxic, adverse physical, or
psychological consequences to the user. Regular use
of prescribed medications, legal drugs such as
nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol, and certain illegal
drugs can lead to physiological dependence. This
simply means that the abrupt cessation of drug-taking
produces a set of symptoms called a withdrawal
syndrome. The presence of physiological dependence
does not necessarily imply abuse or dependence in
the behavioral sense. Abuse is defined as a level of
drug use that typically leads to adverse consequences
(physical or psychological). Drug use at this level is
not necessarily associated with any particular
frequency but is associated with use in quantities
sufficient to result in some toxicity to the user, and the
patterns of use usually have some characteristics of
psychopathological behavior. Dependence in the
behavioral sense is defined as a level of drug use that
has significant adverse physical and psychological
consequences. This level of use is characterized by
the consumption of toxic doses of the drug that impair
the user's ability to function and is also characterized
by a compulsive desire to use a drug repeatedly.
FACTS ABOUT DRUGS
1 Where do drugs go in the
body?
Once drugs enter the bloodstream,
they travel throughout the body.
They travel fastest to organs with a
rich blood supply - the heart, the
lungs, and the brain. Drugs that are
inhaled, smoked, or injected directly
into the bloodstream get into those
organs the fastest. Because drugs
travel throughout the body, they can
affect different organs at the same
time.
How do drugs work?
As drugs contact organ cells, they
interact with specific "targets"or
receptors, on or inside the cells.
When a drug combines with these
receptors a "message" is sent to the
cell, changing its normal activity. For
example, nicotine combines with
nerve cells to increase the rate of
electrical conduction - this increases
the heart rate and blood pressure.
Inhalants interact with brain cells to
slow electrical conduction, which
causes intoxication.
How do drugs leave the
3 body?
Drugs usually leave the body through
the liver and the kidneys. Some, like
inhalants can be eliminated by the
lungs in the breath. Most drugs leave
the body within days or hours after
they have been taken. Nicotine, for
example, is eliminated so rapidly that a
person must smoke cigarettes
continuously through the day to keep
the nicotine level high enough for its
effects to be felt. In contrast, THC, the
active ingredient in marijuana leaves
the body so slowly that it can be
detected for at least several days after
it was smoked.
ARM
long-term effects

depression
YOURSELF anxiety

WITH panic disorders

KNOWLEDGE increased aggression

paranoia
Top 5 Ways to Prevent
Drugs Abuse hallucinations
1. Effectively deal with peer pressure.

2. Deal with life pressure.

3. Seek help for mental illness.

4. Examine every risk factor.

Encourage your child to pursue
5. Keep a well-balanced life.
his or her own interests and

Short-term effects hobbies as an alternative to

turning to drugs as a way to feel
changes in appetite good and avoid being bored or

sleeplessness or lonely. First, talk with your

child to find out why they think
insomnia
people use drugs (to avoid
increased heart rate
stress, because of peer
slurred speech pressure, to have fun). Then ask
changes in cognitive what kinds of things could
ability people do to feel happy and
productive without needing to
a temporary sense of
turn to drugs
euphoria
loss of coordination