DISTURBING TRENDS IN ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
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OBJECTIVES
• Identify contributing factors to underage impaired driving fatalities. • Identify trends in alcohol consumption for Middle School and High School age students. • Identify trends in drug use among youth. • Identify commonly abused substances.
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CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO UNDERAGE IMPAIRED DRIVING FATALITIES
• Lack of driving experience puts young drivers at increased
risk. They are less able to scan their environment and detect
or recognize imminent hazards.
• In addition, after they have been drinking or taking drugs,
young drivers tend to engage in very risky behavior. For
example, they are more likely to drive 20 or more miles over
the speed limit, run red lights and make illegal turns.
• They are less likely to wear safety belts.
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BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN TEENAGERS
• The brain grows and changes continually in young people and it
is only about 80 percent developed in adolescents. The last
section to mature is the frontal lobe, responsible for things
such as reasoning, planning and judgment. Maturation occurs
around 25.
• Alcohol reduces the level of serotonin in the brain. One of
serotonin’s most important roles is to help control impulses.
This is why drinking teens often engage in foolish, irresponsible
and dangerous activities.
• Alcohol‐induced memory impairments, such as "blackouts," are
particularly common among young drinkers because of their
brain’s reduced ability to adapt to new conditions.
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ALCOHOL AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
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MIDDLE /HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
• In Texas, 1 in 4 students had their first drink
before the age of 13.
• 72% of Texas secondary students report that
they had used alcohol at some point in their
lives and 39.7% report they have used in the
last month.
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MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
• 17% of Texas high school seniors said they
have driven after having several drinks and
34.7% rode with a driver who had been
drinking alcohol.
• Alcohol is considered a “gateway” drug
meaning early use is a predictor that an
adolescent will try other substances.
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ALOCOHOL USE ‐ POPULAR TRENDS
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Energy Drinks
Tampons
Gummy bears
Soaking candy
Fruit
Smoking Alcohol
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ENERGY DRINKS CONTAINING ALCOHOL
• Effects: Contain caffeine and other herbal stimulants.
Alcohol volume varies between 6% and 12%. One 23.5
can may contain nearly a six pack of beer’s worth of
ethanol. User is less aware of intoxication because of
the caffeine.
• Examples: Four Loko, Joose, Full Tilt
• FDA issued a ban on these drinks in November 2010
specific to the addition of caffeine. Teens may make
them on their own or find them online.
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TAMPONS
• Soak tampons in vodka
• May be inserted vaginally or in the rectum
• Allows alcohol to enter the bloodstream faster
than the acid protected gastrointestinal tract
• There is no way for the body to eliminate the
excess alcohol and no way for them to gauge
how much they have really consumed
• Breath does not smell like alcohol
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LIQUOR SOAKED TAMPONS
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GUMMY BEARS
• “Drunk bears”
• Pour liquor such as vodka over gummy bears
in a dish
• Let them sit for a couple of hours or overnight
• Gummy bears will soak up the liquor and
expand in size
• May also use gummy worms or red fish
• Don’t realize how much they are ingesting
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CANDY SOAKED VODKA
• Use skittles, jolly ranchers, starburst or
peppermints
• Separate the candy by color and put in jars or
water bottles
• Pour in vodka and agitate until the skittles are
dissolved
• Let the mixture sit for a day or two
• Filter through a coffee filter
• Refrigerate
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VODKA SOAKED FRUIT
Students inject vodka into an orange with a syringe or soak watermelon with vodka so that they can consume the fruit in class or on school grounds without detection.
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SMOKING ALCOHOL
• Alcohol is poured over dry ice and inhaled
• Alcohol is poured into a bottle, the bottle is corked, and a bicycle pump needle is poked through the top of the cork. Air is then pumped into the bottle in order to vaporize the alcohol and the user inhales. • “Vaportinis” – Available at bars
• Dangerous because it is unknown exactly how much alcohol is being ingested directly into the bloodstream through the lungs. The alcohol isn’t metabolized or expelled through vomiting. • Risk of lungs filling up with liquid.
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COMMONLY ABUSED SUBSTANCES
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Marijuana
Medication
Synthetics
Inhalants
Mushrooms
Ecstasy
Herbs and Plants
Cocaine
Heroin
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MARIJUANA
(Duration of effects: 2‐3 hours but up to 24 hours)
What an you might see:
• Body tremors
• Eyelid tremors
• Sleepiness • Increased heart rate • Paranoia
• Hallucinations Panic attacks
Psychosis
Debris in mouth
Relaxed inhibitions
Impaired perception of time and distance
• Disorientation
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MEDICATION ‐ PSYCHOSTIMULANTS
• Although stimulants, these drugs have a calming and
focusing effect on those with a hyperactivity disorder.
• Those without ADHD use the drugs for the stimulant
effect. They increase the amount of circulating brain
chemicals that raise blood pressure and heart rate,
speed up breathing, decrease appetite, increase
concentration, gives a sense of euphoria and causes
insomnia.
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MEDICATION ‐ PSYCHOSTIMULANTS
(Duration of effects: 4‐8 hours)
What an you might see: •
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Body Tremors
Restlessness Talkative
Exaggerated reflexes
Anxiety Irritability •
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Grinding teeth Loss of appetite Cardiac irregularities
Convulsions Seizures
Dry mouth
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MEDICATION ‐ ANTI‐ANXIETY TRANQUILIZERS
Examples: •Xanax (aka “Xannies”, “Handle Bars”, “Bars”) •Valium
•Ativan
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MEDICATION ‐ ANTI‐ANXIETY TRANQUILIZERS
(Duration of effects: 4‐8 hours)
What an you might see: • Uncoordinated and/or fumbling
• Disoriented
• Sluggish
• Thick, slurred speech
• Sleepy • Droopy eyelids • Oversedation looks like alcohol impairment
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MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS
A recent report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that each year, more people die from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin and cocaine overdoses combined.
http://news.yahoo.com/3-dangerous-drug-habits-teens-161303746.html
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MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS
Examples: • Vicodin • Lortab
• Oxycodone • “Hillbilly Heroin” • “OC” • “Oxy” • Codeine (aka “Purple Drank”)
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MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS
(Duration of Effects: Varies)
What an you might see: •
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Low, raspy slow speech
Dry mouth
Euphoria
Sensory distortion
Droopy eyelids Drowsy
Constricted pupils
Itching
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MEDICATION ‐ OVER‐THE‐COUNTER
Examples: Dextromethorphan (DXM)
Brands: Robitussin (aka“Robo”,“Triple C’s”,“Skittles”)
Sleeping Pills/Allergy Medication Brands: Sominex, Benadryl
Doxylamine
Brands: Unisom, Nyquil
Effects: • Similar to alcohol impairment • May have mild hallucinations
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PHARMING PARTIES
During these parties, students take whatever drugs and medications that they can get and combine them in a bag or bowl. They take handfuls at one time without knowing exactly what they are taking and what interactions the drugs may have when mixed together.
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SYNERGISTIC EFFECT
• A biologic response to multiple substances where one
substance worsens the effect of another substance. The
combined effect of the substances acting together is greater
than the sum of the effects of the substances acting by
themselves.
• This is a common concern involving college age students that
frequently mix alcohol with substances or various substances
together.
• Poly drug use is becoming very popular as students mix
multiple “uppers” and “downers” in order to maintain a
consistent high.
• Happens during “Pharming Parties”
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SYNTHETIC DRUGS
• Drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine and LSD. • In many cases, the effects might be stronger and more unpredictable. • Examples: K2 or Spice aka “fake weed”
Bath Salts aka “fake cocaine”
• DEA has banned the chemicals used to make these products.
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INHALANTS
Examples: • Nitrous Oxide (aka: laughing gas, whippets) • Dust Off
• Cooking Spray
• Spray Paint • Glue
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INHALANTS
(Duration of effects: very short)
What an officer may see:
• Feels like being drunk with dizziness, dreaminess and fits of giggles • May cause hallucinations • Constricted pupils
• Possible nausea
• Disorientation
• Confusion • Bloodshot watery eyes
• Lack of muscle control
• Flushed face
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• May leave a rash around the mouth
INHALANTS
Methods of Ingestion:
• Sniffing through the nose • “Huffing”‐inhaling fumes through the open mouth
• “Bagging”‐spraying the substance into a bag and placing the bag over their head • “Dusting”‐inhaling compressed air from sprays used for cleaning computer keyboards. 31
MUSHROOMS
• Contain hallucinogenic properties and alter states of
consciousness.
• May be eaten raw or cooked, made into a tea or
soup and drank, or ground into a powder and
smoked, often on top of marijuana.
• Side effects include stomach pain, increased heart
rate, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety/panic
attacks, mental disorders, flashbacks and impaired
judgment.
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MDMA
(ECSTASY)
• Psychoactive drug similar to methamphetamine and
mescaline.
• Effects the neurons in the brain that use serotonin,
by causing excessive release of serotonin. This
produces an energizing effect and feelings of
euphoria, emotional warmth and distortions in time
perception and tactile experiences.
• Side effects include confusion, depression, insomnia,
drug craving and severe anxiety.
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SALVIA
May be purchased at a head shop or directions are available online for extracting and purifying the substance out of the plant that is smoked. Effects:
•Uncontrollable laughter
•Lack of coordination
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SALVIA TRIP
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JIMSON WEED
User may eat the seeds or drink them in a tea. The entire plant is poisonous. The experience is typically described as unpleasant. Effects:
•Hallucinations
•Dry Mouth
•Euphoria
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MORNING GLORY
Must purchase untreated seeds to be eaten. The kind that is sold for planting is usually treated and will make the user sick to their stomach.
Effects:
•Similar to LSD
•Mood Swings
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COCAINE
• Cocaine is used for its exhilarating and intense
high. Cocaine can be snorted or injected, or
crack cocaine—cocaine mixed with baking
soda—can be smoked.
• Cocaine depletes all of the body’s feel‐good
chemicals after the user’s high is over, thus
causing depression and other symptoms, called
a cocaine crash.
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COCAINE
Effects:
• Nausea • Increased blood pressure • Headaches
• Insomnia
• Erratic heart beat 39
HEROIN
• Heroin is a highly addictive drug that is processed from
morphine, which comes from the seedpod of the opium
Asian poppy plant. It is a depressant that inhibits the
central nervous system.
• Heroin in its purest form is usually a white powder. Less
pure forms have varied colors ranging from white to
brown. "Black tar" heroin is dark brown or black and
has a tar‐like sticky feel to it.
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HEROIN
Effects:
• Itching
• Reddening of the eyes
• Dry mouth
• Flushing of the skin
• Pupil constriction
• Nodding out
• Heaviness of the extremities 41
CONCEALING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
• Students may use soda cans, water bottles, batteries, pens, clothing, etc.
• These items can be purchased at head shops, online or made at home.
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CONCEALING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
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CONCLUSIONS
• We must look beyond underage drinking at the larger issue of substance abuse.
• Trends and methods of young people may be far different from those of adults.
• New substances and methods of abuse are occurring regularly.
• This makes recognition of drugs and their effects a considerable challenge. 44