Drugs

Drugs and their Effects?

Any substance either solid, liquid, gas or powder that brings about physical or psychological changes in a person’s body is known as a drug.

Drugs come from a range of ways naturally from a plant or man made by chemicals.

• Cocaine comes from a Cocoa plant
  
• Heroin is chemically manufactured from morphine.
  
• Marijuana or Cannabis is the leaf and plant buds or seeds.

Alcohol is a product of natural process of fermentation which occurs when fruit, grain or vegetable decomposes.

There are three main types drugs, they are classified depending on how they effect the central nervous system:

• Stimulants
  
• Hallucinogens
  
• Depressants

Stimulants

Stimulants cause your body to speed up, they speed the messages sent to and from your brain. They can cause you to feel more awake, confident, alert and talkative. They may reduce your appetite and cause sleep disturbance.

Stimulants cause the heart to pump faster and raises your blood pressure. If you take stimulants in large quantities you can over stimulate your body and cause anxiety, headaches, paranoia, panic attacks and possible aggression.

Examples of Mild Stimulants

• Caffeine in coffee and soft drinks
  
• Epherdrine used in medicines
  
• Nicotine in tobacco

Examples of Stronger Stimulants

• Amphetamines – Speed, Crystal meth, Ice, Cocaine, Crack and Ecstasy

Hallucinogenic Drugs

These types of drugs effect someone’s perception or awareness. Someone who has taken hallucinogens may hear or see things that aren’t really there, what someone sees maybe distorted in some way. Hallucinogenic drugs affect people differently, it is hard to predict how they will affect a specific person.

Some other symptoms from taking hallucinogenic drugs are loss of appetite, increased activity, sweating, paranoia, irrational behaviour, stomach cramps and nausea.

Examples of Hallucinogens include:

• LSD, Special K, Magic Mushrooms, Angel Dust

How is a drug is used or administered?

Drugs that are injected or inhaled, enter your blood stream very quickly. Snorting through the nose is the next fastest acting method. Swallowing or eating drugs take longer to absorb into your system.

A person’s physical characteristics – height, weight and sex – also vary the drugs effects.

How a person is feeling can have a large effect how the drugs taken effect a person. Also a person’s tolerance to drugs will vary the effect the drug has, for example a first time user will have a low tolerance compared to a regular drug user who will a lot higher tolerance.

Drug use in Australia can cause many problems:

• Family /Relationship problems
• Work/School problems
• Accidents
• Legal problems
• Financial problems
• Health problems
• Sexual problems

Drug Dependence

Dependence can be psychological or physical or both. If a person is psychologically dependent on a drug that person may have to use that drug in order to function effectively or to achieve a feeling of emotional stability.

Physical dependence is when a person’s body becomes accustomed to functioning with the drug present in their body.

If a person stops taking drugs and they are psychologically or physically dependent they may experience withdrawal symptoms as their body adjusts to functioning without the drug. A person may experience symptoms such as depression, nausea, cramps and sleeping problems.

There are many treatment options available for people to overcome drug use. Some people use drug counseling, group sessions while other users take pharmaceutical medicines to assist them.

Drugs and Driving

A large number of accidents involve drivers who are under the influence of drugs. 

Drugs increase the chances of an accident occurring and can decrease a driver’s:

• Mental Alertness
• Concentration
• Physical Co Ordination
• Ability to react quickly

If you feel effected from taking any prescribed or unprescribed medicines or drugs do not take the chance and drive a car or operate any machinery.

Medicines that cause drowsiness must display one of the following warning labels:

“This medicine may cause drowsiness and may increase the effects of alcohol. If affected, do not drive a motor vehicle or operate machinery”   

Always seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist how a medicine can affect you.

Driving and Ilegal Drugs

Many illegal drugs like heroin, cannabis, cocaine, speed and amphetamines impair the ability to drive safely.

Remember stimulants cause the activity to the brain and other parts of the central nervous system to speed up. These drugs can cause the driver to feel the following effects:

• A false sense of alertness which reduces their judgment
• Can increase anxiety and aggression

Depressants generally slow down the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. These drugs can cause the driver to fell the following effects:

• Make it harder to concentrate
• Reduce a person’s judgment and ability to react quickly to changed traffic conditions

It is illegal to drive a vehicle if you are impaired by the use of drugs, including medicines. Police have different powers in each State of Australia – these vary from the ability to make the driver undergo a breath analysis, physical assessment or even a blood test.

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