Specific Drugs and Their Effects

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CHILD IS USING DRUGS

Young people use drugs for many reasons that have to do with how they feel about themselves, how they get along with others, and how they live.  No one factor determines who will use drugs and who will not, bur here are some precictors:

• low grades or poor school performance;
• aggressive, rebellious behavior;
• excessive influence by peers;
• lack of parental support and guidance; and
• behavior problems at an early age.

Being alert to the signs of alcohol and other drug use requires a keen eye.  It is sometimes hard to know the difference between normal teenage behavior and behavior caused by drugs.  Changes that are extreme or that last for more than a few days may signal drug use.

Consider the following questions:

• Does your child seem withdrawn, depressed, tired, and careless about personal grooming?
• Has your child become hostile and uncooperative?
• Have your child's relationships with other family members deteriorated?
• Has your child dropped his old friends?
• Is your child no longer doing well in school--grades slipping, attendance irregular?
• Has your child lost interest in hobbies, sports, and other favorite activities?
• Have your child's eating or sleeping patterns changed?

Positive answers to any of these questions can indicate alcohol or other drug use. However, these sign may also apply to a child who is not using drugs but who may be having other problems at school or in the family.  If you are in doubt, get help.  Have your family doctor or local clinic examine your child to rule out illness or other physical problems.

Watch for signs of drugs and drug paraphernalia as well.  Possession of common items such as pipes, rolling papers, small medicine bottles, eye drops, or butane lighters may signal that your child is using drugs.

Even when the signs are clearer, usually after the child has been using drugs for a time, parents sometimes do not want to admit that their child could have a problem.  Anger, resentment, guilt, and a sense of failure as parents are common reactions.

If your child is using drugs, it is important to avoid blaming yourself for the problem and to get whatever help is needed to stop it.  The earlier a drug problem is detected and faced, the more likely it is that your child can be helped.

First, do not confront a child who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, but wait until the child is sober.  Then discuss your suspicions with your child calmly and objectively.  Bring in other members of the family to help, if necessary.

Second, impose whatever discipline your family has decided on for violating the rules and stick to it.  Don't relent because the youngster promises never to do it again.

Many young people lie about their alcohol and drug use.  If you think your child is not being truthful and the evidence is pretty strong, you may wish to have your child evaluated by a health professional experienced in diagnosing adolescents with alcohol- and drug-related problems.

If your child has developed a pattern of drug use or has engaged in heavy use, you will probably need help to intervene.  If you do not know about drug treatment programs in your area, call your doctor, local hospital, or county mental health society for a referral. Your school district should have a substance abuse coordinator or a counselor who can refer you to treatment programs, too.  Parents whose children have been through treatment programs can also provide information.

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Getting Involved

The most promising drug prevention programs are those in which parents, students, schools, and communities join together to send a firm, clear message that the use of alcohol and other drugs will not be tolerated.

School-Parent Cooperation

The development of strong policies that spell out rules governing use, possession, and sale of alcohol and other drugs is a key part of any school-based prevention program.  Learn what your school's policies are and actively support them.  If your school has no policy, work with teachers, administrators, and community members to develop one.  Good school policies typically specify what constitutes an alcohol or other drug offense, spell out the consequences for violating the policy, describe procedures for handling violations, and build community support for the policy.

Visit your child's school and learn how drug education is being taught.  Are the faculty members trained to teach about alcohol and other drug use?  Is drug education a regular part of the curriculum or limited to a special week?  Is it taught through the health class, or do all teachers incorporate drug education into their subject area?  Do children in every grade receive drug education, or is it limited to selected grades?  Is there a component for parents?

If your school has an active program to prevent drug use, ask to see the materials that are being used.  Do they contain a clear message that alcohol and other drug use is wrong and harmful?  Is the information accurate and up-to-date?  Does the school have referral sources for students who need special help?

Let other parents know about the school's policies through meetings of the parent-teacher organization.  At least one meeting each year should be devoted to issues of alcohol and other drug use.  Knowledgeable local physicians and pharmacists can be invited to discuss how drugs affect the growth and development of children, police officers can outline the scope and severity of the drug problem in your community, and substance abuse counselors can discuss symptoms of alcohol and other drug use and treatment options.

Parent-Community Activities

Help your child to grow up alcohol and drug free by supporting community efforts to give young people healthy alternatives.  Alcohol- and drug-free proms and other school-based celebrations are growing in popularity around the country.  You can help to organize such events, solicit contributions, and serve as a chaperon.

Local businesses are also an excellent source of support for alternative activities such as athletic teams and part-time jobs.  Shops and restaurants in one community in Texas, for example, now offer discounts to young people who test negative for drugs in a voluntary urinalysis.

Parent Support Groups

Other parents can be valuable allies in your effort to keep your child drug free.  Get to know the parents of your child's friends.  Share expectations about behavior and develop a set of mutually agreed upon rules about such things as curfews, unchaperoned parties, and places that are off-limits.  Helping youngsters stay out of trouble is easier when rules of conduct are clearly known and widely shared.

Build a network of other adults with whom you can talk.  Join a parent organization in your community, or talk informally with your friends about common concerns in rearing children.  Sharing experiences can provide insights that help you deal with your child's behavior.  It also helps to know that other parents have faced similar situations.

Making It Work

Despite the grim stories that fill our newspapers and dominate the evening news, most young people do not use illicit drugs, they do not approve of drug use by their friends, and they share their parents' concern about the dangers posed by drugs.

Successful prevention efforts, whether in a family, school, or community setting, have many elements in common: a concern for the welfare and well-being of young people, dedicated adults who are willing to devote their time and energy, and an unwavering commitment to being drug free.

That commitment led a small group of parents in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to form Bowling Green Parents for Drug-Free Youth.  The organization has worked closely with the local schools and community to provide training and education for all members of the community, and it has raised more than $35,000 to help finance its efforts.  Questionnaires administered to students in grades 7-12 for 6 consecutive years have shown a steady decline in the use of alcohol and other drugs.

Gail Amato, president of the Bowling Green Parents for Drug-Free Youth, speaks persuasively about why parents must be involved in helping to prevent alcohol and other drug use:

People often ask me why I think parents are the answer, and I think it's because we have the most to lose.  Schools can help, churches can help, law enforcement can help, but no one can replace the family.  Being involved with drug and alcohol prevention lets our children know that we care.  It strengthens the family and helps us to be the kind of parents our children need us to be.

A similar commitment leads parents of students in Commodore Stockton Skills School in Stockton, California, to donate more than 400 volunteer hours each month helping in the classrooms.  Last year a family picnic held during Red Ribbon Week, a national drug awareness week, drew 500 participants for a day of games and activities focused on prevention of drug use.

In addition to helping in the classroom, Stockton parents work to maintain discipline, to reinforce students' respect for other people, and to foster personal responsibility at home.

As a result, behavioral problems in the school are infrequent, attendance is high, and area police report juvenile drug arrests from every school in the city except Commodore Stockton.

Successful efforts to rid a neighborhood of drugs are often joint efforts.  Two years ago in New Haven, Connecticut, the residents of six housing projects joined forces to solve a neighborhood problem--drugs.  The residents were afraid for the safety of their children and sick of the murders and other nightly violence related to drug deals.

Representing more than 1,400 families from the six projects, the group drafted an action plan to rid the neighborhood of drugs.  The residents asked the local police to conduct "sting" operations periodically.  Members of the New Haven news media have been invited to the project, where residents speak openly about the problems they encounter.  The residents have invited local community groups and the Greater New Haven Labor Council to join in the fight.  In addition, the mayor has become directly involved in their struggle.

One member, speaking on behalf of the residents, stated its main objective: "We are banding together to stop this madness so that we can have a peaceful and livable neighborhood and community."  Today, drug sales have decreased, and members of the community feel safer and more hopeful about the future.

Specific Drugs and Their Effects

Alcohol

Alcohol consumption causes a number of changes in behavior.  Even low doses significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely.  Low to moderate doses of alcohol can increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse.  Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn and remember information.  Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death.

Continued use of alcohol can lead to dependence.  Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.  Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and the liver.  In addition, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome.  These infants may suffer from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities.  In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.

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Tobacco

The smoking of tobacco products is the chief avoidable cause of death in our society.  Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to contract heart disease--some 170,000 die each year from smoking-related coronary heart disease.  Lung, larynx, esophageal, bladder, pancreatic, and kidney cancers also strike smokers at increased rates.  Some 30 percent of cancer deaths (130,000 per year) are linked to smoking.  Chronic, obstructive lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis are 10 times more likely to occur among smokers than among nonsmokers.

Smoking during pregnancy also poses serious risks.  Spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, low birth weights, and fetal and infant deaths are all more likely to occur when the pregnant woman is a smoker.

Cigarette smoke contains some 4,000 chemicals, several of which are known carcinogens.  Perhaps the most dangerous substance in tobacco smoke is nicotine.  Nicotine is the substance that reinforces and strengthens the desire to smoke.  Because nicotine is highly addictive, addicts find it very difficult to stop smoking.  Of 1,000 typical smokers, fewer than 20 percent succeed in stopping on the first try.

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Cannabis

All forms of cannabis have negative physical and mental effects.  Several regularly observed physical effects of cannabis are a substantial increase in the heart rate, bloodshot eyes, a dry mouth and throat, and increased appetite.

Use of cannabis may impair or reduce short-term memory and comprehension, alter sense of time, and reduce ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination, such as driving a car.  Motivation and cognition may be altered, making the acquisition of new information difficult.  Marijuana can also produce paranoia and psychosis.

Because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and then hold it in their lungs as long as possible, marijuana is damaging to the lungs and pulmonary system.  Marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke.  Long-term users of cannabis may develop psychological dependence and require more of the drug to get the same effect.  The drug can become the center of their lives.

Type

What is it called?

What does it look like?

How is it used?

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Inhalants

The immediate negative effects of inhalants include nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, lack of coordination, and loss of appetite.  Solvents and aerosol sprays also decrease the heart and respiratory rates and impair judgment.  Amyl and butyl nitrite cause rapid pulse, headaches, and involuntary passing of urine and feces.  Long-term use may result in hepatitis or brain damage.

Deeply inhaling the vapors, or using large amounts over a short time, may result in disorientation, violent behavior, unconsciousness, or death.  High concentrations of inhalants can cause suffocation by displacing the oxygen in the lungs or by depressing the central nervous system to the point that breathing stops.

Long-term use can cause weight loss, fatigue, electrolyte imbalance, and muscle fatigue.  Repeated sniffing of concentrated vapors over time can permanently damage the nervous system.

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Cocaine

Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system.  Its immediate effects include dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature.  Occasional use can cause a stuffy or runny nose, while chronic use can ulcerate the mucous membrane of the nose.  Injecting cocaine with contaminated equipment can cause AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases.  Preparation of freebase, which involves the use of volatile solvents, can result in death or injury from fire or explosion.

Crack or freebase rock is extremely addictive, and its effects are felt within 10 seconds.  The physical effects include dilated pupils, increased pulse rate, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, tactile hallucinations, paranoia, and seizure.  The use of cocaine can cause death by cardiac arrest or respiratory failure.

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Other Stimulants

Stimulants can cause increased heart and respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, and decreased appetite.  In addition, users may experience sweating, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, sleeplessness, and anxiety.  Extremely high doses can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat, tremors, loss of coordination, and even physical collapse.  An amphetamine injection creates a sudden increase in blood pressure that can result in stroke, very high fever, or heart failure.

In addition to the physical effects, users report feeling restless, anxious, and moody. Higher doses intensify the effects.  Persons who use large amounts of amphetamines over a long period of time can develop an amphetamine psychosis that includes hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia.  These symptoms usually disappear when drug use ceases.

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Depressants

The effects of depressants are in many ways similar to the effects of alcohol.  Small amounts can produce calmness and relaxed muscles, but larger doses can cause slurred speech, staggering gait, and altered perception.  Very large doses can cause respiratory depression, coma, and death.  The combination of depressants and alcohol can multiply the effects of the drugs, increasing the risks.

Regular use of depressants over time can result in physical and psychological addiction.  People who suddenly stop taking large doses can experience withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, tremors, delirium, convulsions, and death.  Babies born to mothers who abuse depressants may also be physically dependent on the drugs and show withdrawal symptoms shortly after they are born.  Birth defects and behavioral problems also may result.

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Hallucinogens

Phencyclidine (PCP) interrupts the functions of the neocortex, the section of the brain that controls the intellect and keeps instincts in check.  Because the drug blocks pain receptors, violent PCP episodes may result in self-inflicted injuries.  The effects of PCP vary, but users frequently report a sense of distance and estrangement.  Time and body movement are slowed down.  Muscular coordination worsens and senses are dulled.  Speech is blocked and incoherent.  In later stages of chronic use, users often exhibit paranoid and violent behavior and experience hallucinations.  Large doses may produce convulsions and coma, as well as heart and lung failure.

Lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin cause illusions and hallucinations.  The physical effects may include dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and tremors.  The user may experience panic, confusion, suspicion, anxiety, and loss of control.  Delayed effects, or flashbacks, can occur even when use has ceased.

Type	What is it called?	What does it look like?	How is it used?
Phencyclidine	PCP,Hog,Angel Dust,Love- boat,Lovely,Killer Weed	Liquid,white crystalline powder,pills,capsules	Taken orally,injected, smoked(sprayed on joints or cigarettes)
Lysergic acid diethylamide	LSD,Acid,Microdot,White lightning,Blue heaven,and Sugar cubes	Colored tablets,blotter paper,clear liquid,thin squares of gelatin	Taken orally,licked off paper,gelatin and liquid can be put in the eyes
Mescaline and Peyote	Mesc,Buttons,and Cactus	Hard brown discs,tablets,capsules	Discs--chewed,swal- lowed,or smoked Tablets and capsules- taken orally
Psilocybin	Magic Mushrooms, 'shrooms	Fresh or dried mushrooms	Chewed and swallowed

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Narcotics

Narcotics initially produce a feeling of euphoria that often is followed by drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting.  Users also may experience constricted pupils, watery eyes, and itching.  An overdose may produce slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, and possible death.

Tolerance  to narcotics develops rapidly and dependence is likely.  The use of contaminated syringes may result in disease such as AIDS, endocarditis, and hepatitis. Addiction in pregnant women can lead to premature, stillborn, or addicted infants who experience severe withdrawal symptoms.

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Designer Drugs

Illegal drugs are defined in the terms of their chemical formulas.  To circumvent these legal restrictions, underground chemists modify the molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to produce analogs known as designer drugs.  These drugs can be several hundred times stronger than the drugs they are designed to imitate.

The narcotic analogs can cause symptoms such as those seen in Parkinson's disease: uncontrollable tremors, drooling, impaired speech, paralysis, and irreversible brain damage.  Analogs of amphetamines and methamphetamines cause nausea, blurred vision, chills or sweating, and faintness, Psychological effects include anxiety, depression, and paranoia.  As little as one  dose can cause brain damage.  The analogs of phencyclidine cause illusions, hallucinations, and impaired perception.

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Anabolic Steroids

Anabolic steroids are a group of powerful compounds closely related to the male sex hormone testosterone.  Developed in the 1930's, steroids are seldom prescribed by physicians today.  Current legitimate medical uses are limited to certain kinds of anemia, severe burns, and some types of breast cancer.

Taken in combination with a program of muscle-building exercise and diet, steroids may contribute to increases in body weight and muscular strength.  Steroid users subject themselves to more than 70 side effects ranging in severity from liver cancer to acne and including psychological as well as physical reactions.  The liver and cardiovascular and reproductive systems are most seriously affected by steroid use.  In males, use can cause withered testicles, sterility, and impotence.  In females, irreversible masculine traits can develop along with breast reduction and sterility.  Psychological effects in both sexes include very aggressive behavior known as "roid rage" and depression.  While some side effects appear quickly, others, such as heart attacks and strokes, may not show up for years.

Signs of steroid use include quick weight and muscle gains (when used in a weight training program); aggressiveness and combativeness; jaundice; purple or red spots on the body; swelling of feet and lower legs; trembling; unexplained darkening of the skin; and persistent unpleasant breath odor.

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Abuse Hotlines

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hotline (800) 237-6237

Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (202) 898-0792

Child Abuse Hotline (800) 540-4000

Child Help USA (800) 422-4453

Children Now (800) CHILD-44

Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (202) 544-7190

Crisis Counseling Hotline (800) 444-9999

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (800) 729-6686

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