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GENERAL FACTS ON DRUGS
Narcotics
Opium, morphine, codeine, heroine, methadone
- Definition: Act as a depressant which has an inhibiting effect on awareness on the perception of pain.
- Symptoms: Short lived euphoria, reduced anxiety, sedation, constipation, drowsiness and apathy, induce sleep, decreased physical activity, physical and psychological dependence.
- Duration: 3-6 Hours
- Withdrawal: Flu-like symptoms, such as chills, goose flesh, runny nose, tears, yawning, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, perspiration, irritability, cramping, diarrhea, insomnia, muscle spasms.
- Overdose: Slow, shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, and possible death.
Stimulants
Cocaine, Crack, Amphetamines
- Definition: Increase the rate at which organs controlled by the central nervous system function.
- Symptoms: Increased sense of alertness, increases in pulse and blood pressure, sleeplessness, tense and edgy behavior, anxious, confused, depressed, euphoria, impaired judgment, nervousness, impulsiveness.
- Duration: 1-4 Hours
- Withdrawal: Irritability, weakness, energy hypersomnia, depression, loss of concentration, increased appetite, paranoid ideation, seizures, stroke.
- Overdose: Agitation, increase in body temperature, lethal blood vessel rupture, hallucinations, convulsions, and possible death.
Hallucinogens
LSD, Mescaline
- Definition: Produce marked distortions in perceptions.
- Symptoms: Impaired short term memory, significant disturbances in judgment, euphoria, anxiety, illusions, hallucinations, distortions in perceptions, synesthesia.
- Duration: 8-12 Hours
- Withdrawal: No major withdrawal reactions.
- Overdose: Could include a longer, more intense “trip” or possible psychosis and death.
Cannabis
Marijuana, Hashish, THC, Hashish oil
- Definition: Causes shifts in perception.
- Symptoms: Affects memory, thinking, and speaking, interferes with reading comprehension, impairs communication, craving for sweets, rapidly fluctuating emotions, absenteeism and poor school achievement, causes eyes to redden.
- Duration: 2-4 Hours
- Withdrawal: Mild, could include insomnia, hyperactivity, and sometimes a decreased appetite.
- Overdose: Fatigue, paranoia, and possible psychosis.
Depressants
Barbiturates, Alcohol, Quaaludes
- Definition: Induce drowsiness and encourage sleep.
- Symptoms: Slurred speech, drunken like behavior.
- Duration: 4-8 Hours
- Withdrawal: Anxiety, agitation, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, increased heartbeat rate, excessive sweating, tremors, abdominal cramps, death.
- Overdose: Shallow respiration, clammy skin, dilated pupils, weak and rapid pulse, coma, and possible death.
Sources consulted: The University of Maryland Drug and Alcohol Web Page, and Meeks, L., Heit, P., & Page, R., 1995. “Drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.” Meeks Heit Publishing Company, Inc. Blacklick, OH, 1995.
Drug Links
General Information
- Freevibe.com -- Complete "lowdown" on most common drugs.
- Facts on Tap -- Alcohol and drugs and the college experience. Includes information about drugs; rave drugs, ecstasy, pharmaceuticals, and more. Also, what to do if a friend overdoses.
- Partnership for a Drug-Free America -- Provides brief, but helpful information on everything one would want to know about drugs and their effects.
Getting Help
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