Drug Abuse – JSS2 Basic Science Lesson Note (Third Term)

Drug abuse is the habitual use of drugs that are not needed for medical purposes, usually to change mood or state of consciousness.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define drugs and drug abuse;
2. name some commonly abused drugs;
3. describe the five methods of drug abuse and the risks of each;
4. state ways in which people misuse drugs;
5. list social risk factors in drug abuse;
6. explain how deviant peer relationships influence substance use.

What are drugs?

Drugs are natural or synthetic substances that, when taken into a living body, affect its functioning or structure.

• Diagnosis: drugs help to find out what disease a person has.
• Mitigation: drugs reduce the severity of a disease.
• Treatment: drugs cure a disease or manage it.
• Prevention: drugs stop a disease from developing.
• Relief: drugs ease discomfort, such as pain.

What is drug abuse?

Drug abuse is the habitual, nonmedical use of a drug solely to change one’s mood, affect or state of consciousness, or to affect a body function unnecessarily.

• Nonmedical use: the drug is taken for a nontherapeutic effect, not to treat an illness.
• Mood change: the person wants to feel happier, calmer or more energetic.
• Unnecessary body effect: an example is laxative abuse.

Which drugs are commonly abused?

The commonly abused drugs include the following:

• Alcohol and nicotine: found in drinks and tobacco products.
• Marijuana: also called cannabis or Indian hemp.
• Amphetamines: stimulants that make a person feel alert and energetic.
• Barbiturates, methaqualone and benzodiazepines: sedatives and sleeping drugs.
• Cocaine: a powerful stimulant.
• Opium alkaloids, synthetic opioids and heroin: strong pain-killing narcotics.

What are the five methods of drug abuse?

There are five methods of drug abuse: swallowing, smoking, snorting, suppositories and injecting.

• For a drug to affect the brain, it must first enter the body and reach the bloodstream.
• Each method has a different route and different risks.

1. What is swallowing as a method of drug abuse?

Swallowing is taking a drug by mouth, and it is the most common method of drug use.

• Route: the drug passes to the stomach and then into the bloodstream.
• Relative safety: it is considered one of the safest methods.
• Slow absorption: the body has time to absorb the drug.
• Defence: the digestive system may cause vomiting if the substance does not agree with it.

2. What is smoking as a method of drug abuse?

Smoking is breathing in drug smoke so that the drug passes through the lungs into the bloodstream.

• Speed: it works a bit faster than swallowing, because the smoke quickly moves from the lungs into the blood.
• Drugs smoked: marijuana, heroin, crack and opium.

Risks of smoking drugs:

• Cancer: of the mouth, throat and lungs.
• Heart problems: heart disease and cardiac arrest.
• Stroke and hypertension: damage to blood vessels and raised blood pressure.
• Lung diseases: emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia and other pulmonary disorders.

3. What is snorting as a method of drug abuse?

Snorting is sniffing a drug through the nose so that it enters the bloodstream through the nasal mucous membranes and the stomach.

• Drugs snorted: ecstasy, cocaine, heroin and amphetamines.
• Onset: the person feels the drug sensation within about 15 minutes.
• Nose damage: the lining of the nasal cavity and the septum deteriorate.
• Infection: sharing straws and similar items can spread hepatitis C and HIV.

4. What are suppositories as a method of drug abuse?

A suppository delivers a drug into the bloodstream through the mucous membrane of the rectum.

• Frequency: this is not a common method of drug abuse.
• Drugs used: cocaine, speed and ecstasy have been taken this way.
• Sensitive lining: some drugs are very acidic and can damage the rectal lining permanently.
• Perforation: the lower colon may be perforated, which can be fatal.

5. What is injecting as a method of drug abuse?

Injecting is putting a drug directly into the body with a needle, and it is the fastest way to experience a high.

• Sites: soft tissue, muscle or directly into a vein.
• Speed: the drug goes straight into the bloodstream, so the high comes within seconds.
• Direct delivery: the drug reaches the brain and escapes the body’s natural defences, including the digestive system.

Dangers of injecting drugs:

• Infection: the injection site can become infected.
• Shared needles: these carry the risk of HIV and hepatitis.
• Vein and artery damage: collapsed veins and arterial damage can occur.
• Serious complications: gangrene, thrombosis and haemorrhaging.

In what ways do people misuse drugs?

People misuse drugs when they take medicines or other substances for reasons or in amounts that a doctor did not advise.

1. Overusing prescription drugs: some prescription drugs contain habit-forming sedatives, and children may take painkillers for simple pain or when not needed at all.
2. Weight loss: some teens take drugs without a prescription to reduce body weight, because drugs suppress the appetite.
3. Seeking euphoria: some teens buy drugs on the black market or get them from friends to feel extreme joy, as with narcotics, opioids and crack.
4. Inducing sleep: some people use relaxants, sleeping pills or painkillers every time they cannot sleep.
5. Coping with emotions: teens may take strong medicines, or drugs with cocaine or cannabis contents, to deal with guilt, anger and frustration. Peer pressure also plays a part.
6. Building muscles: some people inject steroids from time to time, although athletes are only allowed a recommended limit during games.
7. Copying parents: children take drugs orally because they see their parents taking them, and they may find where parents hide them.
8. Escaping home problems: adults misuse drugs to escape family conflict and marital fights.
9. Gaining confidence: shy teens take drugs to feel energetic and self-confident at parties, to talk to others and stand up to bullies.
10. Experimenting: some kids test the effects of drugs, mix them with alcohol, or put drugs in other people’s drinks for fun.

What are the social risk factors in drug abuse?

Social risk factors are conditions in a person’s home, school or community that make drug abuse more likely.

• Early aggressive behaviour: a child who is aggressive from a young age is at greater risk.
• Lack of parental supervision: children who are not monitored are more likely to experiment.
• Poverty in the community: hardship in the area raises the risk.
• Peer pressure: friends push a person to try drugs in order to belong.
• Familial risk factors: childhood maltreatment (abuse and neglect), parental or family substance abuse, marital status of parents, level of parental education, poor parent-child relationships, family socioeconomic status, and a child’s belief that parents approve of substance use.
• Physical and sexual abuse: victims may turn to drugs to cope with the harm.
• Emotional abuse: this hinders a child’s intellectual or psychological functioning or development. Witnessing violence, especially domestic violence, creates great stress and raises an adolescent’s risk of substance use disorder with alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana or hard drugs.
• Neglect: a caregiver fails to provide adequate living necessities such as protection, clothing, health care and food.
• Bullying: a person or group verbally or physically attacks someone seen as weaker.
• Depression: feelings of sadness, pain, gloom or anger. Clinical depression is when these feelings interrupt daily life. It is linked to genetics and to stressors such as parental divorce, parental substance abuse, depression of a family member, or feelings of inadequacy.

What are deviant peer relationships?

A deviant peer relationship is a friendship in which an adolescent joins a group of people who use substances.

• Peer influence: it can take the form of deviant peer groups or of wanting to be popular.
• Link to use: peer relationships are positively associated with adolescent substance use.

How do deviant peer groups form?

1. A shared wish to use drugs and alcohol attracts deviant individuals to one another.
2. Some individuals use substances to gain social standing or to join a group.
3. The group then becomes a deviant peer group.

How does the family affect deviant peer relationships?

• Negative parent-child relationships: these are strongly associated with joining deviant peer groups, as adolescents look for connections elsewhere.
• Parental involvement and respect for parents: these are negatively associated with substance use.
• Protective factor: a positive parent-child relationship protects a young person from substance use.
• Combined effect: family and social factors can work for or against each other.

Evaluation

1. Define drugs and drug abuse.
2. State the five methods of drug abuse.
3. Explain smoking as a method of drug abuse.
4. Mention five ways in which people misuse drugs.
5. List five social risk factors in drug abuse.

Assignment

Explain how deviant peer relationships can lead to substance use among adolescents, and state two ways a positive parent-child relationship can protect against it.