Drug Abuse Education Quiz

Study Notes

A drug is any substance (except food and water) that alters the body's function physically and/or psychologically.
Drugs can be legal (e.g. alcohol, caffeine, tobacco) or illegal (e.g. cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin).
The effects of drugs vary depending on:
- The individual's characteristics (physical size, gender, mood, diet, fitness, age, expectations, health)
- The drug itself (amount used and purity)
- How it is taken
- The environment
Drug use can lead to social and emotional problems, affecting relationships with family and friends.
Psychoactive drugs affect the central nervous system, altering a person's mood, thinking, and behavior.
Psychoactive drugs are divided into five categories:
- Depressants
- Stimulants
- Hallucinogens
- Opioids
- Others

Depressants slow down the central nervous system and suppress brain activity causing relief from anxiety.
The most common depressants are alcohol and cannabis.
Others include barbiturates and benzodiazepines (e.g. valium, xanax, temazepam).

Stimulants act on the central nervous system and are associated with feelings of extreme well-being and increased mental and motor activity.
Examples include cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines (speed), and ecstasy (which is also a hallucinogen).

Hallucinogens cause changes in a person's perception of reality.
These include cannabis, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ecstasy, and psilocybin (magic mushrooms).

Marijuana:
- Comes from the cannabis plant that contains mind-altering chemicals.
- Can be used as smoke, vaporizer, or mixed with food.
Ecstasy:
- Usually comes in tablets of various colors and designs and can be sold as powder.
- Causes increased energy, intensifies sounds, colors, and emotions.
Cocaine:
- A white powder that can make you feel awake and confident.
- Can be snorted, smoked, or injected.
Amphetamine:
- Increases metabolism.
- Commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methamphetamine:
- Also known as Shabu.
- Commonly associated with illegal recreational use and is never prescribed medically.
Heroin:
- Varies in color from dark brown to yellowish off-white.
- Can be smoked, snorted, dissolved in water and injected, or heated and inhaled.
- Slows down the body and stops pain.
Crack cocaine:
- Small lumps or rocks about the size of a raisin.
- Also called "crack" because of its crackling sound when being burnt.
- Usually smoked, but can also be injected.