Alcohol and Other

Drugs
Chapter 15 Section 4
Medicines

Medicines are legal drugs that

help the body fight disease and
injury
Some medicines require a
doctor’s prescription
Other medicines can be bought
without a prescription (over-the-
counter)
 Drug Abuse
Immediate Effects of Abused

Drugs
Drug Abuse- deliberate misuse of
drugs for purposes other than
medical ones
Most commonly abused drugs are
especially dangerous because they
act on the brain and other parts of
the nervous system (marijuana,
alcohol, cocaine)
Alcohol can cause confusion, poor
coordination, and blurred vision
Abused drugs can alter a person’s
mood and feelings
Tolerance
Tolerance- a state in which a
drug user needs larger and
larger amounts of the drug to
produce the same effect on
the body
Tolerance may develop if a
person takes a drug regularly
Tolerance can cause people to
take large amounts of drugs,
causing an overdose
Overdose may cause loss of
consciousness or death
Addiction

Repeated use of abused drugs

can result in addition
The body becomes physically
dependent on the drug
Withdrawal- period of
adjustment that occurs when a
person stops taking a drug
A person can experience
headaches, fever, vomiting,
aches, and cramps
 Other Effects of Drug
Abuse
Drugs affect a person’s health
Drug users sometimes share needles, risking the chance
of contraction of HIV
Drug abuse can lead to jail time
Drug abusers struggle to get along with others
Kinds of Drugs
Depressants- drugs that slow down the activity
of the central nervous system
Depressants relax muscles and make people
sleepy, slow reaction times
Alcohol and heroin are depressants
Stimulants- speed up body processes, make
the heart beat faster and breathing increase
Cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines are
stimulants
Inhalants- substance producing mood-altering
effects when inhaled; paint thinner
Hallucinogens- substance that can make
people hear or see things that do not exist
(LSD)
Anabolic steroids- synthetic chemicals that are
similar to hormones produced in the body;
 Alcohol
Alcohol is a powerful depressant, illegal for those
under age 21 in the US
Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug for
teenagers
The more alcohol in the bloodstream, the more
severe the effects
Alcohol produces impaired judgment
Alcohol abuse can cause destruction of brain and liver
cells, and lead to addiction and emotional
dependence
Alcoholism- disease in which a person is both
physically addicted to and emotionally dependent on
 Review
How do abused drugs affect the nervous system?
Why can these effects be dangerous?


What are the effects of long-term alcohol abuse?



What is alcoholism?


Contrast the effects that stimulants and depressants

have on the body.
