Drugs

A drug is any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in
the body.

Antibiotics
Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by microorganisms (bacteria or fungi) that
kill or inhibit the growth of other microorganisms.

Antibiotics kill bacteria but do not affect viruses. This is because:

 Antibiotics target processes and structures (cell wall) that are specific to bacterial
cells
 Viruses have a protein coat instead of a cell wall and they do not carry out any cell
functions.

Antibiotic Resistance
Some bacteria that cause disease have become resistant to antibiotics and this reduces the
effectiveness of prescribed antibiotics when someone has a bacterial infection, as it might be
caused by a type of bacteria that is resistant to that particular antibiotic.

Antibiotics are becoming less effective due to several reasons:

 Overuse
 Prescribed when not necessary
 Failing to complete a prescribed course of antibiotics
 Large scale use of antibiotics in farming to prevent disease in livestock, even when
the animals aren’t sick

The most common antibiotic

resistant bacteria is MRSA.

Increasing antibiotic
resistance can be prevented:
 Only taking
antibiotics when
essential
 Complete the entire
prescribed course
Misused Drugs
Alcohol
 Powerful depressant drug
 Slows down signals in nerves and the brain, therefore it increases reaction time
 Excess alcohol consumption can cause liver damage
 Dopamine hormone is triggered, which makes one crave for more alcohol

Short-Term Effects Long-Term Effects

Vomiting – alcohol is toxic and this is the
quickest way to remove it
Impaired judgement and potentially violent
behaviour
Impaired balance and muscle control
Sleepiness and if consumed in high
quantities, unconsciousness
Damages the brain causing memory loss
and confusion
Heavy alcohol consumption damages the
liver – causing cirrhosis
One develops tolerance – hence one
craves for more
Poorer self-control – can lead to robbery,
crime and aggressiveness

 The liver has an enzyme that can break down alcohol, but it can only breakdown a
limited amount at a time

*Note about the liver: the liver is the site of breakdown of alcohol and other toxins

Heroin
Like alcohol, heroin:
 Is a depressant drug
 Can cause addiction
 Can damage the liver

In addition, it can affect the nervous system

 It affects the function of synapses
 Heroin is converted to morphine by the brain, which can fit into the receptors for a
type of neurotransmitter called endorphins
 Endorphins are chemicals that relieves pain and boosts happiness
 As a person takes more heroin, the natural production of endorphins decrease,
hence to get the feeling of happiness and relief of pain, one consumes more heroin

Injecting heroin can cause infections such as HIV.

Smoking
Tobacco smoking can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung
cancer, and coronary heart disease.

Toxic chemicals in cigarettes:

 Tar: a carcinogen (causes cancer):
► Causes goblet cells to
produce more mucus
► Mucus gets deposited in
alveoli
► Hence diffusion surfaces
are reduced
► Causes persistent coughing,
bronchitis (mucus getting
trapped in airways, reducing
space for gas exchange)
and emphysema (as walls
of alveoli are attacked by
WBCs)
► Paralyses cilia, hence they
cannot carry out their
function
 Nicotine:
► Addictive substance (drug)
► Narrows blood vessels by hardening them
► Blood can’t flow easily through them – hence there is an increase in blood
pressure
► Paralyses cilia
 Carbon Monoxide:
► Has a high affinity for haemoglobin: ends up forming a very stable compound
called carboxyhaemoglobin
► Reducing oxygen carrying capacity in blood

These toxins in smoke can cross the placenta:

 Leading to increased risk of miscarriage or
deformities
 Reduces oxygen available to foetus, leading
to foetal brain damage
 Can cause reduced lung function in infants
 Can cause low birth weight
 Can increases risk of asthma in babies

The graph shows that smoking does lead to lung

cancer. In addition, smoking can damage every part
of the body causing cancers and chronic diseases.
Anabolic Steroids
These can increase muscle mass and strength. Testosterone is a natural anabolic steroid,
hence males can gain more muscle mass than females.

Advantages:
 Reduces muscle damage
 Promotes muscle repair
 Athletes can train for longer and with more intensity

Disadvantages:
 Liver abnormalities
 Tumours
 Decreased HDL (good cholesterol) and increased LDL (bad cholesterol)
 Increases blood pressure
 Aggressiveness
 Depression

In males only:  Prostate gland enlargement

 Prominent breasts In females only:
 Baldness  Deeper voice
 Shrunken testicles  Increased body hair
 Impotence (erectile dysfunction)  Baldness
 Infertility  Infrequent or absent periods

Designer drugs: Synthetic drugs that cannot be detected drug tests, that are made for
athletes.