Chapter 13 Avoiding Substance Use Abuse and Addiction What is Addiction and what are its effects Addiction continued involvement with a substance or activity despite ongoing negative consequences Characterized by FOUR common symptoms o Compulsion Cannot function until they ve completed the addiction dependency So oblivious to what s going on the addiction becomes so much a part of their life they cannot do anything without it the addiction controls their o Loss of control life o Negative consequences Getting fired from job DUI financial diseases loss of relationships more at risk for victim of a crime committing a violent act o Denial societal level Not admitting you have an addiction no desire to change yet The costs of alcohol tobacco and drug addiction exist on a personal as well as a Addictive behaviors initially provide a sense of pleasure that the addict cannot achieve in other ways Chemicals are responsible for the most profound addictions along with mood changes Sometimes food exercise can be addictions Tolerance it takes more of the substance alcohol cigarettes heroine anything to Tolerance Withdrawal get the desired effect Withdrawal in the absence of the substance physical side effects take over vomiting headaches etc Alcohol The most widely used and abused recreational drug in America Most popular choice on college campuses Alcohol profoundly affects the body Typically on your average college campuses nearly of all college students engage in binge drinking men 5 drinks in one sitting women 4 drinks in one sitting Colleges get so much attention because not all college students are legal to consume Binge drinking is the 1 preventable cause of death among undergraduate college alcohol students Dangers of Alcohol Use and Abuse Short term risks and effects of Ethanol o Depressed CNS function o Lower respiratory pulse and BP rate o Increased urination o Binge drinkers are at risk for irregular heartbeat and heart damage o Vital functions can be compromised causing death o Long term risks and effects of Ethanol o Diseases of nervous and circulatory systems o Liver disease including hepatitis o Cirrhosis liver becomes solid as a rock and loses functions permanent liver damage o Alcoholic Hepatitis chronic inflammation leads to Cirrhosis o Risk of cancer alcohol is known as a carcinogen o Risk of fetal alcohol syndrome in pregnant women o Birth defects no known amount of alcohol that definitely causes FAS o Risk of osteoporosis o Brain size weight shrinkage and brain cell damage o Inflammation of pancreas o Drinking and driving is a major safety issue o Almost half 45 of all fatal car accidents involve drinking in some way or another in 5 years that percentage has gone up 6 Alcohol use can lead to alcoholism o Alcohol abuse when alcohol interferes with work school interpersonal relationships or causes a run in with the law Alcoholism Alcohol Dependence directly to the alcohol use if you try to stop it you instantly have personal and health problems related withdrawal symptoms Most who suffer from this deny that there is a problem Drink frequently typically unable to stop once they start typically have feelings of guilt after drinking memory loss after drinking Women get addicted typically faster than men do Native Americans have the highest percentage typically men who are alcoholics You can abuse alcohol and not be dependent or be an alcoholic Recovery from alcohol addiction is difficult Family s role is extremely important because generally they will see the It is often hard from alcoholics to admit there is a problem problem before the alcoholic does They can t be condescending or critical Some need hospitalization some need private therapy Depends on the degree of alcoholism and the individual Often alcoholics relapse due to withdrawals Pace yourself Drink one alcoholic drink or less per hour How Can I Drink Responsibly Eat before and while you drink Don t drink before a party or event Avoid drinking if you are angry anxious depressed or taking any medication Alternate alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks Determine ahead of time the number of drinks you will have for the evening Avoid drinking games Don t drink and drive Volunteer to be the sober driver Avoid parties where you expect heavy drinking Tobacco Dangers of Tobacco Use decades o Smoking among today s college students appears to be lower than it s been in o Nicotine a powerful stimulant is the major psychoactive substance in tobacco products makes smoking addictive It s a stimulant so it gives you an aroused feeling increases HR blood pressure reduces appetite respiratory rate goes up vessels get constricted blood sugar levels go down When smoked nicotine is released and inhaled into the lungs along with the tar and 4700 other chemicals including arsenic formaldehyde and When these chemicals mix in our lungs it forms a thick tar in the lining like a sludge of our respiratory passageways containing many o Cigarette smoke also contains carbon monoxide a dangerous gas When smoked its concentration is 800 times higher than the level that is considered ammonia carcinogens safe by the EPA o Carbon monoxide deprives our body tissues of oxygen o Contribute to app 1000 deaths due to cancer cardio vascular disease or respiratory diseases o Nicotine poisoning is the symptoms experienced by new smokers Second hand smoke Secondhand smoke o Mainstream smoke o Sidestream smoke is air pollution from tobacco smoke Most public facilities have gone to smoke free environments Why o Many people are dying from second hand smoke exposure The actual smoke that comes from the smoker s mouth is more toxic than what the smoker inhales o Anyone who breathes in someone else s smoke is considered a passive smoker o 50 000 deaths each year attributed to exposure to second hand smoke o Children are especially vulnerable to the effects of second hand smoke larger risk for infection and have a greater tendency to become smokers as well o 1 3 of all smokers try to quit each year but about 90 fail Why is it so challenging o It is so addictive due to the nicotine and withdrawal symptoms Also quitting coincides with a lifestyle change which is not easy Typically the first week and o New prescriptions developed to aid with cessation of smoking because quitting half is the roughest time is so challenging Benefits from Quitting Quitting smoking is not easy o 90 of people who try to quit smoking fail o Smokers often falsely believe they can quit anytime o