This had been my second blog ever. I learned once more to do
one. Also, it was great to investigate what I look for to study and know even
more in the future. Substance abuse it is an interesting theme, because I can
see it in my environment. I know it sounds bad to be interest for such reason,
but I like to know more about it. For example, I wonder why it is so hard for
this people to quit using the substance, or what make them start to use them. I
remember that the effects can come naturally if I seek for a divine force, but
I like to think of it as knowing myself more. Therefore, by possessing such knowledge
I could trigger such pleasure by acting according to it.
Reference:
McCracken, T. At the Impatient Pharmacy. Drug addiction cartoon. Cartoonstock.com.
Another name it is e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine
delivery systems. This consists of a battery to power the vaporizer to evaporate
the nicotine and other chemicals to add flavor. I have heard it is safer than
using cigarettes. However, currently there is not much information about it.
Therefore, I have heard is better to use it to quit slowly, rather than keep
using it for long term.
The nicotine is
what makes it addictive. Consequently, it supplies the person with the
substance it is so addict to. It appears to be safer, since as I mentioned in
the previous post tobacco not only consist of nicotine, but other harmful
chemicals. Therefore, when this item it looks at this way, it appears to be
less harmful than using tobacco to provide the income of nicotine. On the other
hand, this item opens the possibility to use other drugs.
Some people think that
it can be used to quit smoking. However, little is known about this yet. Also,
this product is not advertised as for therapeutic purpose. I believe it depends
on the person’s determination to quit, rather than using the product itself. Therefore, it is not a one hundred percent
safety method and so an alternative for long term of nicotine consumption.
Reference:
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2013, October 25). NIDA
TV Spotlight on Electronic Cigarettes. Retrieved May 2015, from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz67IqkLwYs&feature=youtu.be
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2014, September). Electronic Cigarettes (e-Cigarettes).
Retrieved May 2015, from NIDA:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigarettes
Tobacco is a legal drug
and it causes many deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), “cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000
deaths per year in the United States, including an estimated 41,000 deaths
resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths
annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.” The
problem comes due to nicotine, which is present on tobacco and is addictive. Consequently,
it makes the hormone epinephrine to release, thus affecting the nervous system
by stimulation and increasing blood pressure, heart rate and respiration.
According to
NIDA, “tobacco smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals such as carbon monoxide,
tar, formaldehyde, cyanide, and ammonia—many of which are known carcinogens.” Therefore,
nicotine is not responsible for cancer, cardiovascular disease or bronchial
disorder. However, other chemical as mentioned above does. Also, many people
said that pregnant woman should not smoke. This is related to cause problem,
such as: low birth-weight, miscarriage, premature infants, learning and behavioral
problems.
In my environment
it is very common to see smoker. They are not hard to find in any place I go. I
do not like the smell at all, but must live with it as it is legal. However,
there are consequences for those secondhand smokers. Consequently, for decrease
such thing, areas for smokers have been made.
Reference:
CDC. (15 de April de
2015). Smoking & Tobacco Use. Recuperado el May de 2015, de CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
Nathan P. (2009,
May 17). Smoking Kills (The Bryan Curtis story). Retrieved May 2015,
from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVLtNgAhPRg
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2014, December). Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products.
Retrieved May 2015, from NIDA:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cigarettes-other-tobacco-products
The medicines are
legal, but the way of consumption up to the level it can be call abuse is not. This contains some ingredients that in over
consumption categorize them as drug abuse. The common medicines that are abuse
for such purpose are: Dextromethorphan (DXM) and Promethazine-codeine cough
syrup. Both produce euphoria, since it increases
dopamine. However, the first also cause
dissociative effects and hallucination and the other relaxation.
Again is not
harmful when are taken as what it is supposed to. On the other hand, if is not
consume as so it harms the brain just alike an illegal drug. They are consumed
in occasion mixed with soda to add flavor. However, there are other worse
mixture with alcohol and marijuana. Therefore, it increases the risk.
I never heard of
such drug abuse before. However, it is not surprising as every medicine there are
instructions of how much to consume. I read it was used mostly by teenager.
Probably because its more appellant as such age than other drugs. Not to mention the accessibility to get a
bottle of it in our home.
Reference:
Bronstein, P. Cheap Drug Complicates Conflict in
Southern Thailand. gettyimages, Southern Thailand. Retrieved from
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/eNJzKrOK-as/Cheap+Drug+Complicates+Conflict+Southern+Thailand/_Le9Enoht77
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2014, May). Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse. Retrieved
April 2015, from NIDA:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cough-cold-medicine-abuse
The term “bath
salts” has nothing to do with a bath, but the drug was used to be sold with
such disguise parenting to be an actual bath salt. The appearance of this drug
it is of disperses white or brown crystalline solids. It is consume in
different ways, such as: inhaled, orally ingested or injected. Some cathinones
found in this drug are methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone and
methylone. According to NIDA “synthetic cathinones in bath salts can produce
euphoria and increased sociability and sex drive, but some users experience
paranoia, agitation, and hallucinatory delirium; some even display psychotic
and violent behavior, and deaths have been reported in several instances.”
There was case
where a man ate a homeless face while being on the effects of this drug. This
even received a name as “Miami ‘zombie’ attack.” The man did not stop eating
its “prey” even when the police came. Therefore, he was shot to dead, but he
did not feel the pain, it was inhuman. Perhaps, this was caused by the
hallucinatory effects this drug provides.
I have never heard
of this drug before. The first time I heard about it was from a lecture about
harmful drugs in a pastoral center. They mentioned a similar case, but it was about
a man who ate his roommate’s heart. Therefore, at that moment and even now it
appears to be the scariest drug to me. However, it does that to everyone it
consumes it, but its effects might to do so.
Reference:
Dan The Man. (2013, April 28). Bath Salts 'Zombie'
Drug This video contains graphic images. Retrieved April 2015, from
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTdxH-pJf5Q&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DsTdxH-pJf5Q&has_verified=1
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2013, November 2012). DrugFacts: Synthetic Cathinones
(“Bath Salts”). Retrieved April 2015, from NIDA:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/synthetic-cathinones-bath-salts
Simon, M. (2012,
May 30). Security video shows entire Miami 'zombie' attack. Retrieved
from CNN:
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/30/security-video-shows-entire-miami-zombie-attack/
Methamphetamine it is a powerful drug. It looks like disperse crystalline white solid. Other names for it are: chalk, meth, ice, among others. It was developed from it is parent amphetamine, which was used as an inhaler. However, the difference from this two is that the original one does get into the brain as much as the other does.
There are many ways of using this drug such as: inhaled, injected, smoked or orally ingested. However, for getting the effects as fast as possible it is smoked and injected. These effects only last a few minutes, but it provided a great pleasure. It can be manufactured according to NIDA with “ingredients such as pseudo-ephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medications.” Therefore, even with the limits of individual purchase that has been established, it still manages to prevail.
I love watching series and one of those it is about this drug. The name of the TV series it is “Breaking Bad” and it is about an “unsuccessful” chemistry, which with the bad news of having cancer turns to make a lot of illegal money by making this drug. At the end, it does not lead him anywhere good. In this program it presents lot of example how drugs can destroy families. Like the family of the chemistry, despite his good intentions of getting money to leave when he is gone, it brings a lot of problems to their life.
Reference:
Animeme. (2014, November 15). Do You Want to Build
a Meth Lab? (Frozen x Breaking Bad Parody/Mashup). Retrieved April 2015,
from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uty2zd7qizA
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2013, September). Methamphetamine. Retrieved April
2015, from NIDA:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine
Heroin is an
illegal drug. The source of it is morphine, which is processed into it. Pure heroin
appearance it is of disperses white solids. This type in great quality can be snorted.
However, if is impure it is usually injected after diluting it.
This drugs it is
converted to morphine inside the brain. There it affects the opioid receptors.
Consequently, it causes a pleasurable feeling. However, after some of first
effects it will decrease the breathing, among others. Therefore, this can lead
to coma and damage the brain due to the lack of oxygen income.
I have not seen
this drug in person, but I have seen someone using drugs. I am not sure which
one, but surely it was taking it by injection. The person was down some stairs
at school (after school), hiding below them was diluting it and before he could
inject another dose, he spotted me and ran away. This was not rare to happen,
since if I looked hard enough through my school, I could perceive discarded needles
one the playground. That is when it becomes a problem to other people, because it
is dangerous to leave such instrument at that place.
Reference:
Hartz, M. (2010, March 6). How heroin affects your
brain. Retrieved April 2015, from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSoyfLcwcKE
National Institute
on Drug Abuse. (2014, November). Heroin. Retrieved April 2015, from
NIDA: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/heroin
