Effects of Drug Abuse Basic 3 Social Studies Lesson Note

1. INTRODUCTION TO EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE

Effects are the results or consequences of doing something.

Effects of drug abuse are the bad things that happen to people who use drugs wrongly.

Drug abuse affects:

• The person using drugs
• Their family
• Their friends
• Their school or workplace
• The whole community

Types of effects:

• Short-term effects (happen quickly)
• Long-term effects (happen after a long time)
• Permanent effects (cannot be changed back)

1. PHYSICAL EFFECTS ON THE BODY
2. EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

What happens to the brain:

• Memory problems – forgetting things easily
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Poor decision making
• Learning problems
• Mental illness (going crazy)
• Brain damage that cannot be repaired

Example: Brother Kemi used to be very smart, but after using drugs, he cannot remember simple things or solve easy problems.

2. EFFECTS ON THE HEART

What happens to the heart:

• Heart beats too fast or too slow
• High blood pressure
• Heart attack (heart stops working)
• Heart disease
• Chest pains

Example: Uncle Paul’s heart beats very fast and he has chest pains because of drug abuse.

3. EFFECTS ON THE LUNGS

What happens to the lungs:

• Difficulty breathing
• Lung disease
• Coughing blood
• Lung cancer
• Respiratory failure (cannot breathe)

Example: Sister Rose coughs all the time and cannot run because drugs damaged her lungs.

4. EFFECTS ON THE LIVER

What happens to the liver:

• Liver disease
• Yellow skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Stomach swelling
• Liver failure (liver stops working)
• Death from liver damage

Example: Aunty Mary’s skin turned yellow and her stomach is swollen because alcohol damaged her liver.

5. OTHER BODY EFFECTS

What happens to other body parts:

• Weight loss (becoming very thin)
• Tooth decay (teeth becoming rotten)
• Skin problems (rashes and sores)
• Weak immune system (getting sick easily)
• Kidney damage
• Loss of appetite (not wanting to eat)

1. MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL EFFECTS
2. MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Effects on the mind:

• Depression (feeling very sad all the time)
• Anxiety (feeling worried and afraid)
• Paranoia (thinking people want to harm you)
• Hallucinations (seeing things that are not there)
• Confusion (not understanding what is happening)
• Suicidal thoughts (wanting to kill oneself)

Example: Cousin John thinks people are following him and sees things that are not real because of drug abuse.

2. BEHAVIORAL CHANGES

Effects on behavior:

• Aggressive behavior (fighting and being violent)
• Unpredictable actions (doing unexpected things)
• Loss of self-control
• Risky behavior (doing dangerous things)
• Criminal activities (stealing, lying, cheating)

Example: Brother David used to be gentle, but now he fights with everyone and steals from neighbors.

1. SOCIAL EFFECTS
2. EFFECTS ON FAMILY

How drug abuse affects families:

• Family fights and arguments
• Loss of trust from family members
• Financial problems (spending all money on drugs)
• Shame and embarrassment for the family
• Children suffer when parents use drugs
• Family breakdown (family separates)

Example: The Okoro family is always fighting because the father spends all their money on alcohol instead of food.

2. EFFECTS ON FRIENDSHIPS

How drug abuse affects friendships:

• Loss of good friends
• Making friends with bad people
• Friends stop trusting you
• Isolation (being alone)
• Peer pressure to use more drugs

Example: Kemi’s good friends stopped playing with her because she started taking drugs and lying to them.

3. EFFECTS ON RELATIONSHIPS

How drug abuse affects relationships:

• Cannot maintain relationships
• People avoid drug abusers
• Loss of respect from others
• Difficulty making new friends
• Problems with marriage partners

1. EDUCATIONAL EFFECTS
2. EFFECTS ON SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

How drug abuse affects school:

• Poor grades in all subjects
• Missing classes frequently
• Cannot concentrate in class
• Falling asleep during lessons
• Getting suspended or expelled
• Dropping out of school

Example: Tolu was the best student in class, but after starting drug abuse, his grades became very poor and he stopped coming to school.

2. EFFECTS ON FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

How drug abuse affects the future:

• Cannot get good jobs
• Employers don’t trust drug abusers
• Cannot go to higher schools
• Limited career opportunities
• Poverty and suffering

Example: Brother Samuel cannot find work because employers know he abuses drugs and don’t trust him.

1. ECONOMIC EFFECTS
2. PERSONAL FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

How drug abuse affects money:

• Spending all money on drugs
• Cannot save money
• Borrowing money from everyone
• Selling belongings to buy drugs
• Becoming poor and homeless

Example: Uncle Peter sold his car, television, and furniture to buy drugs. Now his family has nothing.

2. FAMILY FINANCIAL PROBLEMS

How drug abuse affects family money:

• Family becomes poor
• Cannot pay school fees
• Cannot buy food and clothes
• Borrowing money frequently
• Losing family property

Example: The Adamu children cannot go to school because their mother spends all money on drugs instead of school fees.

1. COMMUNITY EFFECTS
2. EFFECTS ON COMMUNITY SAFETY

How drug abuse affects the community:

• Increase in crime (stealing, fighting)
• Violence and danger
• Drug dealers in the community
• Bad influence on other children
• Community becomes unsafe

Example: The Sunshine Estate became dangerous because many people there abuse drugs and commit crimes.

2. EFFECTS ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

How drug abuse affects community progress:

• Young people become useless
• No development projects
• Bad reputation for the community
• Investors stay away
• Economic problems

1. LONG-TERM AND PERMANENT EFFECTS

EFFECTS THAT LAST FOREVER:

• Brain damage that cannot be repaired
• Liver disease that leads to death
• Heart problems that continue for life
• Mental illness that doesn’t go away
• Criminal record that affects future
• Loss of family and friends permanently
• Addiction that is very hard to overcome

Important message: Some effects of drug abuse cannot be reversed, even if the person stops using drugs. This is why it’s better to never start using drugs.

CLASS EXERCISES

1. List 4 physical effects of drug abuse:
2. Fill in the blanks:

• Drug abuse can cause _______ problems like forgetting things
• It can damage the _______ and cause breathing problems
• Drug abuse can cause _______ disease and yellow skin
• It affects the _______ and causes it to beat irregularly

3. True or False:

• Drug abuse only affects the person using drugs: _____
• Drug abuse can cause mental illness: _____
• All effects of drug abuse can be reversed: _____
• Drug abuse affects school performance: _____
• Drug abuse can cause family financial problems: _____

4. Choose the correct answer: Which body organ is affected by alcohol abuse? a) Only the brain b) Only the liver c) The liver, brain, and heart

What happens to school performance when someone abuses drugs? a) It improves b) It gets worse c) It stays the same

How does drug abuse affect families? a) Makes them happy b) Causes fights and problems c) Brings them closer

5. Match the effect to its category:

• Memory problems → Physical effect
• Family fights → _______
• Poor grades → _______
• Depression → _______

6. Circle the mental effects of drug abuse: Brain damage, Good memory, Depression, Happy feelings, Hallucinations, Clear thinking, Paranoia, Peaceful mind
7. List 3 effects of drug abuse on families:
8. Complete these sentences:

• Drug abuse can cause _______ and _______ problems
• People who abuse drugs often lose their _______
• Drug abuse affects _______ performance in school
• Communities become _______ when people abuse drugs

9. Answer these questions:

• How does drug abuse affect the brain? _______
• What happens to friendships when someone abuses drugs? _______
• Why can’t drug abusers get good jobs? _______
• How does drug abuse make communities unsafe? _______

10. Effects timeline: Which effects happen first and which happen later?

• Immediate effects: _______
• Long-term effects: _______
• Permanent effects: _______