Opioids and Inhalants

Opioids

• This drug category activates opioid receptors, blocking pain signals
• Examples include Heroin, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Codeine, Morphine, Methadone, and Fentanyl
• Street names include Big H, Black Tar, Brown Sugar, Dover’s Powder, and Hillbilly Heroin
• Additional street names are Horse, Purple Drank, Oxy, Oxycotton, Sippin Syrup, and Smack
• Opioids can be swallowed, smoked, sniffed, or injected
• They relieve pain, are highly addictive, and slow breathing and heart rate
• Opioids are derived from opium

Inhalants

• These drugs affect the nervous system
• Inhalants cause a "high"
• Examples include spray paint aerosol, duster spray aerosol, gasoline/butane, and lighter fluid
• Further examples are hairspray aerosol, marker fluid, and whipped cream aerosol
• Street names include glue, lighter fluid, cleaning fluids, paint, gluey, huff, rush, and whippets
• Methods of use include breathing in through the nose/mouth
• Inhalants can be inhaled directly, from a plastic bag ("bagging"), or from an inhalant-soaked rag ("huffing")
• Effects can include nausea, brain damage, nosebleeds, severe headaches, dizziness, and rapid pulse

Hallucinogens

• They alter states of consciousness.
• Examples include LSD (blotter acid), Ecstasy, Mushrooms, and PCP
• Street names include Acid, Blotter, Cubes, Fry, and Mind Candy
• Additional street names are Mushrooms, Shrooms, Special K, X, XTC, MDMA, Ecstasy, LSD, and PCP
• Hallucinogens are typically taken orally, but can be smoked
• Effects include unpredictable behavior, distortion of time/senses, panic, and flashbacks

Marijuana

• It can influence pleasure, memory, thought, and concentration
• Examples include Cannabis Sativa Plant, Joint, Bong, Blunt, and Edible Brownie
• Street names include Aunt Mary, Blunts, Chronic, Dope, Ganja, Grass, and Hash
• Further street names include Herb, Joint, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, and Weed
• It is usually smoked as a cigarette ("joint") or in blunts, which are cigars filled with marijuana
• Marijuana can be mixed with foods or brewed as tea/edibles
• Effects include altered perception, red eyes, increased heart rate, dry mouth, and increased appetite

Depressants

• They slow down heart rate
• Examples include GHB, Xanax, Valium, Diazepam, Alcohol, and Ativan
• Street names include Barbs, Benzoes, Downers, and Georgie Home Boy
• Further street names include Liquid X, Roofies, and Alcohol
• Depressants come in the form of pills, syrups, and injectable liquids
• Effects include calmness, relaxed muscles, slurred speech, slow response time, and impaired judgement/coordination

Stimulants

• They increase heart rate
• Examples include Crystal Meth, Cocaine, Adderall, and Diet Aids
• Street names include Bennies, Coke, Crank, Crack, Cocaine, and Crystal
• Additional street names are Speed, Uppers, and Methamphetamine
• Stimulants come in the form of pills, powder, rocks, and injectable liquids
• Effects include increased heart rate/blood pressure, dilated pupils, anxiety, moodiness, dizziness, headache, aggression, and paranoia

Alcohol

• A psychoactive drug affecting the central nervous system
• It is quickly absorbed; 20% goes directly into the bloodstream
• The liver oxidizes it into urine, sweat, and CO2
• The small intestine absorbs the other 80%
• Small amounts can impair judgement/reasoning, cause loss of inhibition, and dilate blood vessels
• Larger amounts can impair coordination, slow reaction time, cause blurry vision, or cause one to pass out
• Long-term effects include cirrhosis, cancers, heart disease, ulcers, and early death
• Drinking under 21 is prohibited

Reasons for Alcohol Prohibition for those under 21

• Alcohol impacts growing bodies more severely; half the amount of alcohol can damage a teen's brain compared to an adult's
• A teen's brain can completely shut down breathing, swallowing, and the gag reflex if there is alcohol poisoning
• Teens become chemically dependent faster than adults
• Those who begin drinking before 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin at 21
• Those who reach 21 without abusing alcohol/drugs are virtually certain to never do so
• Teen binge drinkers are more likely to drive with a driver who had been drinking
• They are also more likely to be in a physical fight, be raped/subjected to dating violence, be sexually active, and attempt suicide

The severity of alcohol use is determined by

• Amount you drink
• Tolerance
• How fast you drink
• Other drugs in the body
• Body weight
• Amount of food in the stomach

Miscellaneous Facts About Alcohol

• It takes roughly one hour for the liver to oxidize a standard alcohol drink
• BAL/BAC refers to blood alcohol content
• Unlike other drugs, alcohol dissolves in both water and fat, making it a potent depressant of the human central nervous system
• The solubility of alcohol allows it to be absorbed into cells/tissues like water into a sponge
• 1 in 8 people in the U.S. become alcoholics
• Approximately 14 million people in the U.S. are addicted to alcohol
• Alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.
• Judgement is the first brain function lost after drinking even a small amount
• Drunk driving causes ~10,000 deaths each year, about ⅓ of all traffic-relevant deaths
• Alcohol is a factor in 70% of drowning/water recreation deaths
• Drinkers are 16 times more likely to die in a fall

Risk Factors for Addiction

• Those with alcoholic parents have an 80% chance of also becoming alcoholics
• Teens who use marijuana weekly have double the risk of depression later in life
• Teens who start drinking before 15 have 4 times the risk of becoming an alcoholic
• Half as much alcohol can damage a teen’s brain compared to an adult’s brain
• Childhood trauma can shape a child’s brain chemistry, including death/separation of parents
• Individuals with low self-esteem are more likely to drink
• Those who smoke are more likely to try marijuana
• Students with poor grades are more likely to have used marijuana
• Kids who learn about drug risks are less likely to use drugs
• Having friends who use drugs/alcohol is the most powerful risk factor

Protective factors

• Relieving stress in healthy manners
• Using positive self-talk
• Managing anger properly
• Having empathy
• Receiving counseling
• Caring about education
• Choosing 'correct' friends
• Not smoking cigarettes
• Treating depression
• Not drinking until 21

Fentanyl

• An opioid, used as a painkiller
• It is extremely powerful and relieves severe pain from advanced cancer/serious surgery
• It has a high addiction potential
• Fentanyl is in the same class as morphine, oxycodon, and heroin
• Fentanyl is fully synthetic, meaning no natural products are necessary to make it
• It is not illegal and can be applied to the skin in a patch, administered as a low-dosage pill, or given as a lollipop

Marijuana Facts

• It is one of the most commonly abused drugs, with 200 million users annually
• It is derived from the cannabis plant
• The flowers (buds) create the "high"
• Hashish is a dark to light brown substance scraped from the surface, pressed into a solid mass, then dried
• Marijuana and hashish contain over 500 chemicals
• THC creates psychoactive effects
• Marijuana contains CBD, associated with health benefits, especially for epilepsy/chronic pain
• CBD does not cause a high, but long-term use can still damage the body

Alcohol

• Classified as a depressant that slows down vital functions; however, it is often consumed for its stimulant effect
• Overdose can cause an inability to feel pain, coma, or death
• Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the only alcohol used in beverages and is produced by the fermentation of grains/fruits

Ecstasy

• Completely illegal and a Schedule I drug with no recognized medical use
• Penalties depend on the amount possessed and can include jail sentences and fines
• It is a popular drug among youth with approximately 9 million users worldwide
• Mixing ecstasy with alcohol is dangerous and can lead to emergency room incidents

Cocaine

• Illegal in the U.S.
• It is found in powder or crystal form
• Powder is usually mixed with corn starch/talcum powder, etc.
• Cocaine is extracted from coca leaves
• It was originally developed as a painkiller
• Most often sniffed, it can be ingested or rubbed into the gums
• Injecting for rapid absorption increases the risk of overdose
• Tolerance makes it one of the most dangerous drugs, higher dosages and frequency are needed to get the same effect
• Can cause death from respiratory failure, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, or heart attack
• Children of cocaine-addicted mothers can be born as addicts and suffer birth defects

Crack Cocaine

• Crystalline form of cocaine
• Comes in solid blocks or crystals varying in color from yellow to pale rose or white
• Heated and smoked, it makes a cracking/popping sound when heated
• Most potent form of cocaine (75-100% pure)
• Its effect is immediate
• Short-lived (15 minutes) and easily addictive
• Sold at low prices, which makes it available for teenagers

Crystal Methamphetamine

• A white crystalline drug taken by snorting or injecting
• An illegal drug in the same class as cocaine and other powerful street drugs
• Commonly used as a club drug at night clubs or rave parties
• Acts as a stimulant but systematically destroys the body
• Associated with memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, and potential heart/brain damage
• Creates a false sense of happiness, well-being, a rush of confidence, hyperactiveness, and energy
• Effects last 6-8 hours, but can last up to 24 hours
• Can cause decreased appetite
• Creates dependence/tolerance and is one of the hardest drug addictions to treat
• Many die

Heroin

• Highly addictive, illegal drug
• Abusers face withdrawal
• Made from the resin of poppy plants
• Milky, sap-like opium is removed from the pod, then refined to make morphine
• Further refining will create heroin
• Mostly injected, which creates additional risks for diseases like AIDS
• Originally manufactured in 1898 by Bayer as a treatment for tuberculosis and a remedy for morphine addiction
• Opium addiction was a major problem, so addicts were provided with morphine as a substitute
• Morphine addiction became the bigger problem, and the solution for morphine addiction was heroin

LSD

• One of the most potent, mood-changing chemicals
• Produced in crystal form in illegal laboratories and converted to a liquid for distribution
• Odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste
• Sold as small tablets (microdots), capsules, or gelatin squares (window panes)
• Sometimes added to absorbent paper decorated with designs/cartoon characters

Ritalin

• Classified by the Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II narcotic: same classification as cocaine, morphine, and amphetamines
• Abused by teens for its stimulant effects
• A prescription drug with severe side effects: nervousness, insomnia, anorexia, loss of appetite, and pulse changes
• Causes dependency, visual hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and psychotic behavior

Prescription Abuse

• Abuse of prescription drugs is growing
• Almost half of the teens abusing prescription drugs are taking painkillers
• Users believe prescription drugs are safer than illegal street drugs
• Fentanyl, a painkiller, killed more than 1,000 people and has been found to be thirty to fifty times more potent than heroin