Among the many reasons for drug abuse is the desire to escape from reality and curiosity about a drug's effects. There are a number of signs which could indicate drug abuse:
° Sudden changes of mood
° Unexpected irritability or aggression
° Loss of appetite
° Losing interest in hobbies, work/schoolwork, etc.
° Bouts of drowsiness or sleeplessness
° Increased evidence of telling lies or furtive behaviour
° Money or belongings disappearing
° Unusual smells, stains or marks on the body or clothes, or around the house
° Unusual powders, tablets, capsules, scorched tinfoil, needles or syringes
With prolonged chronic use, the addict may lose interest in food, personal hygiene and social relationships. Additional financial and health problems may result.
Like any addiction, drug abuse can be more easily overcome if it is caught early. Be vigilant and if you see any of these signs, particularly with children, get them professional help fast.
CANNABIS ('Pot, dope, hash, grass, weed')
Hard brown sticky material, or herbal mixture, usually rolled into a cigarette and smoked. It can also be smoked in a pipe, brewed into a drink or put in food. Cannabis use is often a socially shared experience.
Short-Term Use:
Effects depend largely on amount used and on expectations and mood of user. Most common results are feeling of relaxation, also the user can become talkative, there may be a greater appreciation of sound and colour and the judgement is distorted.
The use of cannabis impairs ability to drive or perform other skilled tasks where precision and alertness are essential.
The effects generally start a few minutes after smoking. They may last up to 1 hour with low doses and for several hours with high doses. There is no hangover of the type suffered with alcohol.
Long-Term Use:
A person who inhales cannabis smoke over several years could develop similar disorders associated with cigarette smoking, such as bronchitis and lung cancer.
Alcoholics can rapidly become dependant on cannabis and regular users often feel a psychological need for the drug's effects or may rely on it in social situations.
COCAINE ('Coke')
Fine white powder. Usually a small amount is sniffed, or 'snorted' up the nose through a tube. It is absorbed into the blood supply via the nasal membranes.
'Freebasing' sometimes happens - the smoking of cocaine base, also known as 'crack'. This is a more potent method than snorting. Cocaine can be injected, but this is less common.
Short-Term Use:
Generates a strong feeling of euphoria and alertness. Also, decreased hunger, indifference to pain and fatigue, and feelings of great physical strength and mental capacity.
Damaging effects may include anxiety or panic. Effects are short-lived and last about 15-30mins. This means dose may have to be repeated every 20mins to maintain effect.
Large doses, or a series of quickly repeated doses, can lead to an extreme state of agitation, anxiety, paranoia and, perhaps, hallucination.
These effects generally fade as the drug is eliminated from the body. The after-effects include fatigue and depression. Excessive doses can cause death from respiratory or heart failure.
Long-Term Use:
Physical dependence develops quickly since user wants repeated feelings of physical and mental well-being and is often tempted to increase dosage.
Withdrawal from habitual use can be unpleasant with insomnia, restlessness, nausea, weight loss and sometimes severe depression. Repeated sniffing can damage nasal membranes and nasal septum.
HEROIN ('Smack, skag')
White or speckled brown powder. May be swallowed, dissolved in water and injected, sniffed up the nose, or smoked by heating on silver foil and inhaling fumes ('chasing the dragon').
Short-Term Use:
User feels detached from reality and relaxed, drowsy, warm and content, relieved of stress and discomfort.
For people who have developed physical dependence and tolerance, this positive pleasure is replaced by the relief of obtaining the drug, and a regular need, just to stay 'normal'.
First experiments with heroin sometimes cause nausea and vomiting.
Little interference with the senses, even at doses enough to produce euphoria. At higher doses, sedation takes over and overdose results in stupor and coma. Death can result from respiratory failure.
Overdose is more likely if combined with other depressant drugs. There can be fatal reactions if mixed with other substances (e.g. glucose powder, flour), by illicit manufacturers and traders.
Long-Term Use:
As tolerance develops, dosage increases to achieve repeated euphoria. A user can overdose when taking a usual dosage after a break (during this time tolerance has faded).
Physical dependence develops rapidly with a strong psychological dependence. After several weeks on high doses, an addict who attempts to reduce intake or stop the habit experiences withdrawal symptoms.
Effects are comparable to influenza, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting. The higher the daily intake reached, the more severe the withdrawal symptoms. They generally fade in 7-10 days, but feelings of weakness last for several months.
Unsterile injecting may cause hepatitis, septicaemia or gangrene. Injectors also risk AIDS. Repeated heroin sniffing can damage nasal membranes.
LSD-'Lysergic Acid Diethylamide' ('Acid, Trips')
White powder. It may be made into small pills, tablets, or capsules. The drug may also be absorbed on gelatin sheets or sugar cubes.
Sometimes LSD is offered as a colourless, tasteless, odourless liquid, impregnated on small paper squares. It is taken by mouth.
Short-Term Use:
'Trip' begins less than 1 hour after dose. Peaks after 2-6 hours and fades after 12 hours, depending on dose.
Effects depend on dose size and user's mood, expectations and personal company. Effects include intense colour perception and visual or sound distortions.
True hallucinations are rare. Emotional awareness may include heightened self-awareness, mystical or ecstatic experiences.
A feeling of being outside one's body is commonly reported. Unpleasant reactions, or bad 'trips', may include depression, dizziness, disorientation and sometimes panic (more likely if user is unstable, anxious or depressed).
Death from suicide or hallucination is rare. Accidents can occur while under influence of drug. It's never safe to drive a motorcycle or car during or while recovering from LSD.
Long-Term Use:
There is no clear evidence of physical damage from repeated use of LSD. The main hazards are psychological, rather than physical. Serious anxiety or psychotic reactions may occur, but can usually be dealt with by friendly reassurance.
Brief, but vivid flashbacks of part of a previous trip may occur months later. These can leave the person feeling disorientated and can be distressing, but are only very rarely dangerous.
There is no physical dependence. For several days after taking LSD, further doses are less effective and this discourages frequent use.
MAGIC MUSHROOMS
Several species of mushrooms can have hallucinogenic effects. However, distinguishing hallucinogenic from poisonous mushrooms is a complex skill, requiring knowledge of botany and mushroom classification.
They may be eaten fresh, cooked, or brewed in tea, and can be preserved by drying.
Short-Term Use:
Effects like mild LSD experience, but may also include euphoria and increased heart-rate, blood pressure and pupil size. Effects occur after 30min, peaking 3 hours later and lasting 4-9 hours.
Low dose effects are euphoria and detachment. At higher doses, visual distortions progress to vivid hallucinations of colour and movement, often with nausea, vomiting and stomach pains.
Occasionally 'bad trips' invoke deep fear and anxiety, and may develop into a psychotic experience. These are most common after repeated or unusually high doses, or if user is inexperienced or anxious. They can usually be dealt with by friendly reassurance.
By far the greatest danger is the risk of using a poisonous mushroom by mistake.
Long-Term Use:
As with LSD, tolerance rapidly develops and the next day it might take twice as many mushrooms to repeat the experience, which discourages frequent use. Sometimes longer lasting disturbances, such as anxiety attacks and flashbacks to the original experience, can occur.
SPEED ('Billy Whiz')
White or brown powder. May be in tablet or capsule form. Taken by mouth in tablet form, or as a powder, sniffed, smoked or dissolved in water and injected.
Short-Term Use:
Breathing and heart rate increase, pupils widen and appetite lessens. Initially, user feels more energetic, confident and cheerful. Later, feelings turn to anxiety, irritability and restlessness.
High doses can produce hallucinations, delirium, panic and paranoia. Effects of one dose last 3-4 hours and leave user feeling tired. It can take a few days for the body to fully recover.
Long-Term Use:
Risk of psychological dependence. Regular use takes increasing dose to maintain effects.
Heavy use debilitates through lack of food and sleep and lowers resistance to disease, and risks damaged blood vessels or heart failure.
Withdrawal effects include lethargy, extreme hunger and depression. Short term effects of high doses (delusions and paranoia), may cause psychotic state.
BARBITURATES
Most are powders, usually in capsule form. Used medically to calm people and as sleeping pills. Mis-users generally take them by mouth, occasionally with alcohol. They may also inject.
Short-Term Use:
Initially may produce sense of relaxation to confused intoxicated state, with poor speech and body control and danger of accidental injury.
Depending on dose, effect last 3-6 hours. Large dose can cause unconsciousness, respiratory failure and death.
Fatal overdose is an ever-present danger as amount which can cause death isn't much more than normal dose. Effects/hazards are magnified by alcohol.
Long-Term Use:
Psychological and physical dependence may develop. Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, restlessness, trembling, faintness, nausea, confusion and delirium. Sometimes convulsions, which may be associated with lasting brain damage. Sudden withdrawal from high doses can be fatal.
Heavy users are also more prone to bronchitis and pneumonia because cough reflex is depressed. May suffer from hypothermia because drug blocks normal responses to the cold.
Also risk of repeated accidental overdose. Most of these hazards are increased if drug is injected.
TRANQUILLISERS
Tablet or capsule form. Usually taken by mouth, rarely injected. Most widely used are Benzodiazepines.
These drugs have come to replace barbiturates for most medical purposes because they are much safer.
Short-Term Use:
Reduce anxiety, generally without marked drowsiness and clumsiness associated with barbiturates.
However, prolonged use may cause anxiety, instead of curing or reducing it. They impair driving and similar skills. Effects usually last 3-6 hours.
Many more tranquillisers than barbiturates have to be taken for fatal overdose. Effect is reached at lower dosage level if alcohol has also been taken.
On their own, tranquillisers rarely produce euphoria associated with barbiturates or alcohol. This probably accounts for their lack of widespread popularity as recreational drugs.
Long-Term Use:
Psychological dependence quite common among long-term users; physical dependence and tolerance may develop.
Withdrawal effects may occur even with therapeutic dosage. Effects, though not potentially fatal as with barbiturates, can be very unpleasant and protracted. They include anxiety, nausea, insomnia and, after unusually high doses, convulsions and mental confusion.
SOLVENTS
This is the practice of inhaling (breathing in) the vapours given off by solvents in order to get 'high'. Feeling 'high' is rather like getting drunk on alcohol.
Glue sniffing is the most common form of solvent abuse. Other substances are used, such as lighter fuel, aerosols, typewriter correcting fluid, stain removers and paints.
It is usually a group activity which occurs in isolated places away from adults. 12-16 age group are mainly involved.
For most people, it is a passing phase which lasts for no more than a few months. A small proportion will continue sniffing for several years.
In the U.K., over two young people die each week as a result of solvent abuse, some of whom are first time sniffers.
Short-Term Use:
Effect of inhalation is similar to becoming drunk, or getting high on drugs. Sometimes dream-like experiences occur. However, these are not true hallucinations as sniffers do not confuse them with reality.
Effects of solvent vapours occur quickly and disappear within 5-30mins if sniffing is stopped. It can cause headache, vomiting, stupor and confusion.
The person may experience a mild hangover for about a day. While someone is sniffing repeatedly, the hangover produces effects of pallor, fatigue, forgetfulness and loss of concentration which can become a daily pattern.
This could affect their work or studies, but these symptoms will clear up when sniffing is stopped.
Long-Term Use:
These include damage to the membrane lining the nose and throat, and damage to the kidney, liver and nervous system. Fatalities have occurred, caused by:
° Suffocation through inhaling vomit
° Accidents while intoxicated or while hallucinating
° Toxic effects of solvent causing heart failure
° Suffocation using a plastic bag while sniffing (this can become trapped on face and cause suffocation)
Common signs of solvent abuse include:
° Chemical smell on breath
° Traces of glue or other solvents on body or clothes
