ALCOHOLNARCOTICSSTIMULANTS
(1)HALLUCINOGENS
(1)NICOTINESTIMULANTS
(2)HALLUCINOGENS
(2)ORGANIC
SOLVENTSSTIMULANTS
(3)HALLUCINOGENS
(3)SEDATIVES
AND HYPNOTICSTRANQUILIZERS| ALCOHOL |
NARCOTICS |
STIMULANTS
(1) |
| HALLUCINOGENS
(1) |
NICOTINE |
STIMULANTS
(2) |
| HALLUCINOGENS
(2) |
ORGANIC
SOLVENTS |
STIMULANTS
(3) |
| HALLUCINOGENS
(3) |
SEDATIVES
AND HYPNOTICS |
TRANQUILIZERS |
ALCOHOL EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Whatever the word "alcoholic" means, some people keep using alcohol even when it is killing them. Drinking impairs decision-making and control of muscles, leading to increased risks of car accidents, fighting, violence and suicide. Alcohol often makes people do things they know are wrong, or do not believe in. These problems can occur even when the drinker does not feel drunk. People may die from overdose if they drink too much too fast, or if they mix alcohol with other drugs such as sleeping pills. Overdose kills people by making them unconscious and then stopping their breathing. Any person, including a teenager, who drinks can develop alcoholism. Heavy alcohol use is likely to lead to problems at work, at school, and in the family. It can also result in bankruptcy, crime and foolish gambling. Some individuals have committed murder under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol can permanently damage the brain and the liver. It helps cause heart attacks, cancer of the throat or the stomach, and other diseases. Pregnant women should not drink alcoholic beverages without seeking advice from a physician.
CLASSIFICATION
Alcohol in any form is a depressant. A depressant slows everything down and can cause people to fall asleep, or stop breathing.
MEDICAL USES
There aren’t many medical uses for alcohol. Ask your doctor for advice.
LEGAL OFFENSES
There are many: such as buying it from the wrong place, drinking under age, having it in the wrong place, being drunk in public and giving it to people who are too young to have it legally and so on. The law varies from one state to another.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Wine, beer, rye and all other alcoholic beverages have the same effect on your body, and what alcohol does depends on how much you drink, how big you are, how old you are and how fast you drink. You can have heartburn, vomiting and dizziness. Alcohol can take away some of the benefits of eating proper food. Alcohol effects include making people feel angry, uptight, or itching for a fight. With frequent drinking, tolerance develops, which means it takes more alcohol to produce the same effect. This is the main reason why some people drink a lot without showing signs of being drunk. However, such people are still impaired because the brain does not develop much tolerance.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Hallucinogen users may see or hear things that aren’t there. Nobody can predict how long these effects will last. Users do not know what they will do or how they will feel when hallucinogens are used, even if used before. Users may think they cannot be hurt so they may try to stop a speeding car or step off a roof. Occasionally people have been known to kill themselves or other people while under the influence of these drugs. "Flashback" or "afterflash" can happen months after the last time users took the drug—this means that they go on a "trip" again without taking the drug again.
CLASSIFICATION
They can speed up the body’s workings and/or slow them down.
MEDICAL USES
None
LEGAL OFFENSES
Having it, selling it, having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Nobody can predict what these drugs will do to users. Generally, however, users may seem very happy, very depressed, angry or terrified, restless, see things that are not there, talk to people who aren’t there; colors and shapes may change. Users may vomit, or get the shakes or start sweating. The difference between what is real and what is not may not be known.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Just before, during, and after feeling high, users usually cannot tell how far away something is or how fast it is coming. Usually users cannot tell if there is any crisis to react to. For both these reasons operating any kind of a machine can be very dangerous—including bikes, cars, punch presses, swings, sleds and skateboards. Marijuanacigarettes have been rated from 5 to 22 times worse for the lungs than tobacco. Regular users may be less able to fight off infections from viruses and bacteria. The chemicals from cannabis stay in the body for a long time. They may cause birth defects or interfere with sexual activity. Regular users often fail at their work or school; they lose interest in many things. Cannabis affects memory and limits the user’s ability to concentrate. Most users take other drugs. They can do many things that they know are wrong or just not their way, such as stealing or lying. Tolerance develops with regular use, and the user needs more to get the same effect. The drug itself may not cause permanent brain damage, but it can permanently change your life, for example, by causing you to fail in school.
CLASSIFICATION
It can speed up the body’s workings and slow them down. With high doses, it may work as a hallucinogen (user sees and hears things that are not there).
MEDICAL USES
No widely accepted uses.
LEGAL OFFENSES
Having it, selling it, having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it, sending it, lending it, offering to sell it.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Cannabis drugs can give users red eyes, severe coughs, and shortness of breath. Regular use in the long term can produce lung diseases like bronchitis, cancer, and emphysema (a lung disease that cannot be cured). When high, the user can be dreamy, talkative, or laugh a lot. Mood changes very rapidly and the user often cannot remember what happened a few minutes ago. If used often, the user may drop out of activities and become less interested in many things—including the future.
EXAMPLES
PCP (Phencyclidine)
MAJOR DANGERS
The people who sell this drug tell the customer that it is THC, LSD, or something else. Like most hallucinogens, this drug is unpredictable. What usually happens is users cannot feel pain, and this is dangerous. Users have died from accidental overdose or from getting into situations where they were killed in a fight. In some cases suicide can result. There is probably permanent brain damage from the use of PCP. It is especially dangerous, like most drugs, when mixed with any other drug. The other dangers are the same as those listed above for LSD.
CLASSIFICATION
It can speed up the body’s workings and/or slow them down. It is an hallucinogen, which means that the user may see and hear things that aren’t there.
MEDICAL USES
None
LEGAL OFFENSES
Having it, selling it, having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it, sending it, lending it, offering to sell it..
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
There is no telling how someone will react on PCP. It is known that blood pressure increases dramatically, and users can stay up for several days. PCP can act like alcohol, marijuana, LSD or all of these. Users are confused, see or hear things that are not there, and may have convulsions and can fall into a coma.
EXAMPLES
~ From Opium:
~ Synthetic:
MAJOR DANGERS
Many users get quickly and severely addicted. The narcotic addict stops caring about self, work or other people. Those who use a needle can get infections, blood diseases, and AIDS. People can die from overdose: they stop breathing. Tolerance happens over time; that is, more and more of the drug is needed to get the same effect until at last there is no effect—the user takes it just to keep from getting sick. Most users are in poor health, mostly because they do not take care of themselves properly,and take physical risks.
CLASSIFICATION
Depressant. Narcotics slow everything down and can cause people to fall asleep, or stop breathing.
MEDICAL USES
Pain relief
LEGAL OFFENSES
Having it, selling it, or having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it, sending it, lending it, offering to sell it.
SLANG NAMES
~ Heroin:
~ Others:
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Users "coast"—as in a dreamy half-awake state (usually followed by feeling very down). Users cannot control hands or legs or speech; appetite usually goes and often accidents occur. Urge for the drug is so strong that to get it, users may attack people they love, or steal. When addicts cannot get the drug, they vomit get watery eyes, runny nose, hot and cold flashes, muscular cramps, and diarrhea.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Users get addicted to it. Those who keep using it can get cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, or stomach; bronchitis and emphysema (a lung disease that takes a long time to kill), and eye problems. Nicotine is a major cause of heart attacks. Many die prematurely from the effects of smoking.
CLASSIFICATION
Nicotine speeds up the body’s workings and slows them down.
MEDICAL USES
None
LEGAL OFFENSES
Under federal law, it is illegal to sell to persons under 18 years of age. There are many places where smoking is forbidden.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Blood pressure goes up, heart rate is too fast, and if smokers use enough, they can get the shakes, have trouble breathing, and may develop kidney damage. Users usually emit an unpleasant odor.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Chronic use causes damage to the brain, liver, and/or kidneys. Sniffing solvents can cause sudden death due to heart failure. The user may commit crimes, get into fights,and have accidents. Sometimes users die accidentally from choking or from suffocation. Other dangers are similar to those of cannabis or LSD, with the added risk of sudden death.
CLASSIFICATION
Depressants. These solvents slow everything down and can cause people to fall asleep, or to stop breathing.
MEDICAL USES
None
LEGAL OFFENSES
Not covered by law
SLANG NAMES
None
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Users behave as if drunk and sometimes smell of solvents. Users get confused, cannot talk coherently and sometimes become very suspicious and/or violent. They may see and hear things that aren’t there. They cannot control what their muscles do and often have a runny nose and watery eyes. Users may be grouchy, sleepy or become unconscious.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Severe addiction can happen. Users cannot think coherently and lose muscle control. There can be damage to the liver and the brain. Users die from overdose either by the drug alone or by mixing it with some other drug, such as alcohol. It is dangerous to quit without a doctor’s advice and supervision, partly because serious, sudden convulsions or seizures may occur.
CLASSIFICATION
Depressants. These substances slow everything down and can cause users to fall asleep, or to stop breathing.
MEDICAL USES
To treat insomnia, anxiety, nervous tension and epilepsy; they are also used in the treatment of mental disorders.
LEGAL OFFENSES
Selling it, or having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it, are crimes. It is also a crime to make or process any of these drugs.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Users behave very much as if they were drunk. They usually have little energy and feel down much of the time. Pupils of the eyes may shrink to the size of pinpoints.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS
Users of these drugs do not eat properly, cannot sleep properly, and often develop paranoia (they believe others are out "to get" them). They can get pneumonia, severe high blood pressure, or heart attacks and/or brain damage (for instance by a stroke). Sudden death may occur. These drugs reduce the appetite. Addiction happens fast and is very strong. Users take many foolish chances and often become violent because they cannot trust anyone. There is a tolerance effect, which means users must take more to get the same effect.
CLASSIFICATION
Stimulants. They speed up the body’s workings.
MEDICAL USES
To relieve mild depression and fatigue. To treat narcolepsy (a rare disease in which there is an uncontrolled desire to sleep). To treat hyperkinesis (overactive condition) in children.
LEGAL OFFENSES
Selling it, or having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to sell it, are crimes. It is also a crime to make or process any of these drugs.
SLANG NAMES
~ For Pills and Capsules:
~ For Methamphetamines (usually injected):
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Pupils of the eyes get big. Users lose appetite, are talkative, grouchy and jumpy. Users get a bad complexion; the nose and mouth dry out. Users are either tired or overactive. If users take enough, they can believe things that aren’t true, get violent and can behave in many of the way described for LSD.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS Cocaine is a very powerful stimulant and does all the things listed above for
amphetamines, and is even more addictive. Sudden death may occur. Users get addicted to it
and will use as much as can be found. Users will be confused, have memory problems, cannot
think straight and often have dizzy spells. CLASSIFICATION Stimulant. It speeds up the body’s workings. MEDICAL USES Local anesthetic (rare). LEGAL OFFENSES Having it, selling it, having enough of it that the court thinks that you intended to
sell it, sending it, lending it, offering to sell it. SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS Much of the same as for speed and other uppers. While on the cocaine high, users
wrongly think they can do anything, can make no mistakes. But judgment goes when on a
high, and the high is so attractive users will go broke buying it. Often users steal and
deal to pay for the habit.
EXAMPLES
Crack (Crack is cocaine in a much stronger and smokable form)
MAJOR DANGERS
It does all that cocaine does, only faster and with more severe results.
CLASSIFICATION
Stimulant. It speeds up the body’s workings.
MEDICAL USES
None
LEGAL OFFENSES
The same as cocaine.
SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS
Crack brings addiction as fast as any drug, and much faster than most. Not only do users want the high again, but the down that follows is so bad it cannot be tolerated. The high and the down are barely 10 min apart, so crack users usually cannot think of anything but wanting the high again. Stealing is more unplanned than the cocaine user’s—crack often leads to purse snatching and mugging.
EXAMPLES
MAJOR DANGERS Besides the real danger of strong addiction, users of these drugs may get to a point
where there are memory problems and users just aren’t as alert as they normally would
be. These drugs cause driving impairment. As with any other depressant, tranquilizers
become especially dangerous when mixed with any other drugs, often death by overdose
happens because users mixed the tranquilizer with alcohol, sleeping pills or pain killers.
As with the sedatives/hypnotics it is dangerous to get off tranquilizers without a
doctor’s advice and supervision. CLASSIFICATION Depressant. Tranquilizers can slow everything down and can cause people to fall asleep
or to stop breathing. MEDICAL USES Psychiatrists and other doctors may prescribe tranquilizers to reduce severe anxiety or
nervousness, often to enable a very anxious person to talk to a counselor. Doctors may
also prescribe them for certain kinds of muscle problems. LEGAL OFFENSES Selling it, or having enough of it that the court thinks you intended to sell it, are
crimes under the Food and Drugs Act. It is also a crime to make or process any of these
drugs. SLANG NAMES
SYMPTOMS and BEHAVIORS Tranquilizers work much like the sedatives and hypnotics listed above. Users may not
see very well and may seem forgetful and confused; there can be dizziness or drowsiness.
Sometimes users’ speech is slurred and they may get a skin rash or have unexplained
sweating.