DRUG ABUSE:

By
Norah. N
KEY TERMS.

 Intoxication: refers to a temporary state in which the

substance level is high
 Habituation: refers to the desire to continue taking the
substance in increasing doses
 Tolerance: is taking much without effect e.g. not getting
drunk after heavy drinks
 Addiction: is a state where there is continual use of a
specified substance despite physical, psychological, or
social harm
 CONT,,,,
 Dependence: is a maladaptive{showing faulty adoption} pattern
of substance abuse leading to significant impairment or distress
manifested as tolerance, withdraw symptoms, reduced social
functioning, occupation dysfunction, increased desire to take the
substance, etc.
 Abuse: refers to persistence or sporadic use of a substance in a
consistent way with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice
STATISTICS
 Drug dependent workers have 200-400% more accidents on
the job!
 47% of all serious workplace accidents have drug or alcohol
involvement!
 Drug dependent workers use twice the amount of healthcare
benefits!
 Drug dependent workers are 5 times more likely to file a
worker’s complaint claim.
 Drug dependent workers are 16 times more likely to be
absent from work!
CONT…
 It is untrue that most drug users are poor or unemployed.

 About 9 million regular drug users went to work this

morning in the work places.
CONT…

Some of us want to believe people with jobs don’t have

substance abuse problems but…

 90% of alcoholics are employed!!

 74% of drug addicts are employed!!

National Institute on Drug Abuse, Department of Health and Human Services, DHHS).
ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

04/17/2024
 Alcohol and substance abuse, especially among the
youth, is increasing in Uganda due to many factors.
 These include: less punitive and weakly enforced
regulatory measures to restrict production, packaging,
distribution, sell and consumption of alcohol and other

NORAH.N.M
substances.
 Limited employment opportunities for the youth, which
avails them time to engage in alcohol and substance
abuse and a general degeneration of morals within our
communities.

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CONT..

04/17/2024
 Uganda is ranked as the eight leading country in alcohol
consumption world wide, with over 89% of the alcohol
being un regulated , home made and illegally sold
{global alcohol and health report 2014}.
 Over 15000 cases of mental health are attributed to

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alcohol and drug abuse are registered at Butabika
psychiatric national referral hospital annually, which
reflects the magnitude of the problem.

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SUBSTANCE ABUSE

04/17/2024
 Substance abuse is the excessive use of a substance,
especially alcohol, narcotics, or cocaine without medical
justification.
Signs of alcohol and substance abuse:
 Secretive and non-cooperative with some family

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members
 Uncontrolled talking, which may or may not be
coordinated
 Easily get excited, talkative within appropriate careless
laughter
 Disturbed sleeping patterns and restlessness
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CONT..

04/17/2024
 Rebellious to follow instructions or to work
 Persistent depression or extreme sadness
 Idleness or failure to work
 Fixed rational abnormal beliefs {delusions}

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 Hearing voices that do not exist {hallucinations} and
failing memory
 Violent behavior
 Weight loss

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FORMS OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE

04/17/2024
 Common substance abuse in Uganda includes excessive
consumption of alcohol, smoking marijuana, chewing
mairungi {kaht}, tobacco smoking and sniffing petrol or
aviation fuels, and the use of heroin or other drugs.
Risk factors to alcohol and substance abuse:

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o There are various factors attributing to substance abuse

in Uganda which include the environment and the

community in which people live.
o If the community accepts and regularly uses alcohol and

drugs, then any person in such a

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CONT…

04/17/2024
Community is more likely to drink alcohol or use drugs.
 If a person has a family that is always in conflicts and is
poorly managed this person is more likely to begin using
alcohol and / or substances.
 The same is so if he or she has peers or routinely abuse

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drugs.

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CONSEQUENCES OF ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE
ABUSE

04/17/2024
 General poor health
 Broken homes and families

 Loss of employment

 Loss of productivity

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 Lack of social respect

 Irrational and high risk behaviors

 Violence and crime

 Depression

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PREVENTION OF ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE
ABUSE

04/17/2024
Individual level
 Individuals can avoid associating with known wrong
individuals {bad influencers} and groups such as those
that habitually smoke marijuana and are drunkards.
 Individuals should also be conscious and careful of

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situations that predispose them to alcohol and substance
abuse
Family level
 Health workers can work with parents to improve on
their parenting skills, which play critical role in
modeling and guiding children
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CONT..

04/17/2024
Against abuse of alcohol and substances. Children should
be trained with livelihood skills to keep them busy and
productive.
 By equipping children and youth with essential life
skills, such as decision making, self esteem and self

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awareness, can enable them to over come peer pressures
and avoid other risky situations.
 As much as possible, Health workers and community
leaders should discourage home brewing and the
consumption of alcohol. Also, cultivation of marijuana
or mairungi, in the family should be avoided.
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CONT..

04/17/2024
Community level
 Establish community-based programs to train parents/
guardians on how to minimize or control use of drugs
and alcohol at home.
 Implementing policies and regulations that protect

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community members from alcohol and drug abuse such
as restricting drinking hours and sell of alcohol to
children less than 18 year.
 Work with school authorities including teachers to
sensitize students on the dangers of alcohol and
substance abuse.
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HOW SUBSTANCE ABUSE AFFECTS THE
WORKPLACE
 Employee health

 Productivity

 Decision making

 Organizational image
HOW SUBSTANCE ABUSE AFFECTS THE
WORKPLACE
 Employee morale

 Security / Theft

 Safety

 Insurance cost
EXPLANATIONS
 Employee health – Alcohol and drugs cause many short
and long term health problems resulting in absences from
work.
 Productivity - Productivity is reduced by employees who
are present at work but whose efficiency or quality is
compromised because of their substance abuse. They
are much more likely to be slower, preoccupied and
prone to mistakes.
EXPLANATIONS CONT…
 Decision making - Substance abuse may affect your ability
to think through a situation and make the best choice. An
impaired person usually does not think about the
consequences of his/her actions in the same way that a
sober person does.

 Theft - Employees with substance abuse issues many turn to

theft to support their habits, stealing from the workplace
and/or their co-workers.
CONT…

 Organizational image – Employees with substance

abuse problems who interact with customers may

harm the perception of their company. Also the

public may not want to buy goods or services from

a company with a reputation for employing

substance abusers
CONT..
 Employee morale – Coworkers’ attitude and performance

are greatly affected by the substance abuse of those who

use drugs and alcohol. Frequently coworkers report

having to re-do the work of other employees, work harder

because of the other employees and do more because

the other employees do less.

CONT….

 Safety – Employees who abuse drugs and alcohol are 3.5

times more likely to be injured or cause injury to co-workers.
Being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol impairs
your ability to focus on details, to be fully aware of your
surroundings and it slows down reaction time to threats or
dangers. As a result, situations that could have been
prevented become accidents for the employee and his or
her coworkers.
ALCOHOL ABUSE
{ALCOHOLISM}
 Is a chronic beverage {food} considered as good food
when taken in small amounts and in mild concentrations,
it has a high caloric value. It is a drug because it induces
sleep.
 If taken as a drug in small doses, it induces the high
centers of the brain and may affect judgment capacity,
decision making, and will power depression, it affects
one’s consciousness. harmful use results in physical
mental damage.
 CONT….
 Dangerous use can cause harm in future.
 Problem drinking has caused mental, physical and social
problems without dependence e.g. anger, vomiting e.t.c

The safe levels:

 Men and women have different levels. A unit of alcohol is an
equivalent of 8gms. Half a bottle of bell is equivalent to 8gms.
And is equal to one tot of whisky
CONT…

 For men, safe unit is 21 units a week, for women, 14 units a

week

 If a man takes between 20-50 units a week, it becomes

hazardous and 50 units above is dangerous use while 21 units

per week is safe.

 For women between 15-35 units is hazardous, 36 and above is

dangerous use while o-14 is safe

 ALCOHOLISM

 Is a chronic disease manifested by repeated drinking that

produces injury in the drinker’s health and social or economic

functioning including mental functioning.

 Manioptu is a confusion state caused after a drink immediately

STAGES OF ALCOHOLISM
A typical alcoholism takes place in three stages:
 Early

 Middle

 Chronic

Early stage: in this stage there is an increased tolerance,

blackout, inability to connect one’s incidents or events in
drunken state. The person is always thinking about how,
when and where to drink.
 Middle stage: loss of control over the amount, time and
location of drinking.
CHRONIC STAGE:

 Getting drunk even on small amounts of drinks

 Willing to lie, beg, borrow, or steal in order to maintain

supply of alcohol

 Living to drink i.e. a person opts to drink at the expense

of his work, family, etc.

ASSESSMENT OF ALCOHOLISM BY
‘CAGE’ METHOD.
 Have you ever failed to Cut off the amount of drinks you
take?
 Do you get Annoyed when people criticize the manner in
which you drink?
 Do you feel Guilty when people talk about your
drinking?
 Do you always have a drink as an Eye opener in the
morning?
DIAGNOSIS:

 If a client answers yes for any two or more of the above

questions, then the client is an alcoholic and you report

CAGE is positive

 If the client says yes for only one of the above questions

then you report CAGE negative.

DANGERS OF ALCOHOL.
 Gastrointestinal Illness
 Liver Disease
 Damaged Immune System
 Heart Disease
 Brain Damage
 Reproductive Problems
 Contributes to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
 DANGERS CONT….
 Reduces ability to make good decisions, or solve complex
problems.
 Increases the time it takes to react to things, such as the time
it takes to avoid dangerous moving objects.
 Impairs short-term memory and damages long-term memory.
 Impairs balance, coordination and speech.
 Drugs other
than Alcohol
In the strictest sense, a drug
is anything natural or
artificial that alters your
thinking, feeling, emotions,
behavior, or physical state
when ingested.
STIMULANTS
COCAINE

Page 38
 Page 39
CRACK
 Page 40
HEROIN
 Page 41
SIGARS
INHALANTS

Page 42
PROCESS OF BECOMING A DRUG
ABUSER

Page 43
How would you prevent drug addiction
PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH:
Promotion of mental health and prevention of mental
illness.
Prevention is better than cure because:
 It minimizes resources

 It limits complications

This is achieved at three levels

 Primary

 Secondary

 Tertiary
PRIMARY LEVEL:
 Is effort towards reducing the incidence of mental
disorders in the community. It seeks to prevent the
occurrence of mental disorders by strengthening
individuals, families and group coping abilities.
Roles of health workers in primary prevention:
 Health educate to help communities adopt health seeking
behaviors, mind about their health and live health lives
 Reduce infections that are likely to affect the brain e.g.
HIV/AIDS, syphilis, meningitis etc.
CONT..
 MCH e.g. timely obstetrical assistance e.g. against injury
to the new born, anorexia etc. , immunization, dietary
connections, antenatal/ postnatal care, family planning,
mothers avoiding use of strong drugs, support to
pregnant mothers, educate mothers on adverse effects of
drugs etc.
 Drugs; control of toxic drugs, avoid excessive
dependence on alcohol/ substances, early attention to
drug or substance related problems, limit addictive drug
doses.
CONT
 Nutrition: balance diet before and after delivery,
diagnose early nutritional deficiencies, discourage
cultures that may interfere with proper methods of
feeding
 People with chronic illnesses and the elderly: strengthen
the social efforts for the aged, improve medical care for
them
 Teach growth and development to teachers and parents

 Correct hormonal disorders

 Encourage parents to foster bonding

 Health seeking behaviors

CONT
 Appropriate disciplinary measures to children in schools
and homes
 Harmonious relationship amongst members of the family

 Avoid cultures that may be harmful to health

 School children should develop healthy attitudes e.g. self

discovery, self reliance to be able to cop up with life
changes
 Counseling students and married people with problems

 Reduce emotional deprivation

 Genetic counseling for those intending to marry

CONT
 Families should work together towards the improvement
of social conditions like poverty, famine, education etc.
 Assist counseling in stressful situations to enable people
to over come problems themselves.
Secondary level: refers to decreased duration of mental
illness by early identification and effective treatment.
Tertiary: treatment/management of all cases by use of
medication and referral.
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