(Week No. 9.

)
LESSON 9
LESSON TITLE: The Social Menace of
Drug Addiction
Objectives

At the end of this chapter, the learners can:

a. define drug and drug addiction

b. enumerate some common illegal substances and their adverse
effects on the user;
c. express commitment to the prevention and fight against drug
addiction.

Overview

This Chapter focuses on the social problem called drug addiction.

People have always been curious about the world and experiment
with anything and everything to make life better and more
comfortable. Scientists have discovered remedies that can treat
pain and illness and promote good health and longer life. In ancient
Egypt, physicians prescribed berries like figs and dates mixed with
castor oil as laxatives while the Chinese and Greeks used opium for
its pain-relieving properties. The Hindus resorted to cannabis and
henbane leaves as an anesthetic. In modern society, drugs treat
medical and psychological disorders. To determine whether a
substance is a drug is to know it’s uses. For example; alcohol is a
beverage, but it is considered a drug used for relaxation to remove
inhibitions, or stimulate appetite.
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Coloma (2204) states that drug dependence is the overuse of a drug

without due regard to accepted medical practice resulting in the
individual’s physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment.

Drug is defined as follows according to the Philippine Enforcement

Agency (PDEA):
1. Clinical definition
Drug is a therapeutic substance other than food used in the
prevention, diagnosis, alleviation, treatment, or cure of disease in
human or animals.
2. General definition
Drug is a substance aside from food intended to affect the
structure or function of a physiological system like the human
body.
3. Popular definition
Drug refers mainly to chemical or plant-derived substance that
affect the body’s psychological, behavioral, or physical
functioning and leads to varying degrees of dependence or
addiction.

Drug Addiction pertains to dependency on drug. Unpleasant

withdrawal symptoms appear unless the person is taking the
substance. Addictive drugs make a person crave for or make
him/her feel an overwhelming urge to continue taking the drug,
even after withdrawal symptoms have disappeared.
Drugs change the way the body and the brain function.
Sometimes, the results are pleasant as in the case of prescription
medication that are used to treat various conditions and
diseases. However, there are about times when the results are
terrible and cause great harm to one’s body and well-being.
Thus, it is wise to know that not all drugs are harmful or are
always safe. It is important, however, to recognize if you are
addicted to drugs. Serious consequences can result from the use
of both illegal drugs and prescription medications.

Addiction
An addiction is not having control over, taking, or using
something, until it becomes harmful. Commonly, there are
dependencies on alcoholic drugs, but you can also become addicted to
everything from gambling, eating chocolates. Being addicted to
something means having a difficult time without it during the day.

Classification of Dangerous Drugs

According to the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972, there are two
classes of dangerous drugs:

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1. Prohibited drugs which include all the drugs that produce

psychological effects of narcotics or those that relieve pain
and induce sleep. (cocaine, LSD, marijuana, opium and its
derivatives, etc.)
2. Regulated drugs which include self-inducing sedatives like
barbiturates, amphetamines, or other hypnotic drugs or
compounds producing the same physiological effects.

Drug abuse does not only involve illegal substance. Any drug can be
abused, whether it is brought on a street corner or obtained from a
pharmacy.

There is no dividing line between prescription drugs and the so-called

recreational drugs because both often include the same or similar
ingredients but in different dosages.

Common Drug Types

there are different types of drugs. Some are prescribed. Others
are known as club drugs, illicit or illegal substances, and designer
drugs.

Marijuana

Marijuana is the term used to describe all that comes from the
cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa) like leaves, tops, stems, flowers, and
roots. These are dried and prepared for smoking or taken orally as
“brownies.”
Marijuana has psychoactive effects. It is taken into the body in
the form of smoke or vapor and can also be consumed and mixed into
food or steeped in tea. It is believed to act as the “gateway” to other
more serious substances.
According to the PDEA, marijuana or Indian hemp embraces
every kind, class, genus, or specie of the plant Cannabis sativa L.
including but not limited to Cannabis americana, hashish, bhang,
guaza, churrus, and ganjab. It also includes every knd, class, and
character of marijuana, whether dried or fresh, and flowering, flowering
or fruiting tops, or any part or portion of the plant and seed thereof,
and all its geographic varieties, whether as a reefer, resin, extract,
tincture or in any form whatsoever.
The mind-altering component of marijuana is the delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is concentrated in the resin.
Smoked cannabis produces a dreamy state of consciousness in
which ideas seen disconnected, unanticipated, and free-flowing. Time,
color, and spatial perception may be altered. In general, a feeling of
well-being and relaxation is experienced. Panic reactions usually occur,
particularly to new users.

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A flowering cannabis plant

Adverse Effects
1. Impairment of memory and short-term cognitive functioning,
particularly mathematical, reading, and verbal comprehension
skills.
2. Impairment of motor skills which may lead to accidents and
respiratory problems such as bronchitis or lung cancer.
3. Premature babies, low birth weight, abortion, or still birth
(neonatal death)
4. Panic or state of anxiety, sometimes accompanied by paranoia.
5. Motivational syndrome as the regular use of marijuana dulls the
mind of the smoker, blunts enthusiasm, and takes away drive or
urge.
6. Burnout as the user become dull, slow-moving, inattentive, and
unaware of his/her surroundings.
7. Susceptibility to infections.
8. Decreased sperm production and altered sperm shape and
mobility
9. Decreased testosterone level, so that pre-teenagers are at an
increased risk of temporary loss of fertility
10. Symptoms of mental illness

Methamphetamine Hydrochloride (Shabu)

Methamphetamine HCL is a type of amphetamine also known as

“poor man’s cocaine.” Its other names are shabu, ubas, siopao, sha,
and ice. Shabu is a white, odorless crystal or crystalline powder with a
bitter, numbing taste.
Abusers are known to take this drug by ingestion: inhalation
(chasing the dragon), sniffing (snorting), or injection. Amphetamines
are regularly absorbed orally and are associated with a rapid onset of
action, usually within one hour. If taken intravenously or through
injection, they have an almost immediate effect.

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Shards of Shabu

Adverse Effects
1. Anxiety, tension, irritability, irrational behavior, talkativeness,
and loss of self-control.
2. Loss of appetite and inability to sleep
3. Euphoria, elation
4. Acute psychotic reactions, violent and destructive behavior, and
recklessness that may result in accidents

Physiological Effects
These include chest pains; irregularity of heartbeat; elevated or
lowered blood pressure, evidence of weight loss, convulsion, and death
from cardiac arrest.

Long -term Effects

Psychiatric consequences are the major feature of chronic
“shabu” abuse and dependency. Prolonged use and even a single
exposure, especially if administered intravenously, can lead to the
manifestation of a full-blown psychosis which is similar to a
schizophrenia characterized by the presence of paranoid delusions and
auditory and visual hallucinations. The paranoia may lead to violent
and aggressive behavior.
Some chronic users have difficulty in concentrating and
remembering things. Diminished ability to cope with problems and
difficulties in facing reality is common. Loss of interest in sex, ambition,
or motivation may also result from using shabu.
Chronic shabu snorters may suffer from severe irritation of the
nasal passages and at times, may even develop tissue perforation of
the nasal septum, so that they become prone to frequent nosebleed.
Renal damage, heart disease, and stroke have likewise been
documented among chronic abusers.
Injecting shabu from contaminated needles may lead to
poisoning (septicemia) and AIDS which lead to death.

Inhalants

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Inhalants abuse is the deliberate inhalation of volatile chemical

substance that contains psychoactive (mind/mood-altering) vapors
causing a state of intoxication. Most inhalants are common household
products such as nailpolish remover, glue, gasoline, household
cleaners, and nitrous oxide. Inhalants also include fluorinated
hydrocarbon found in aerosols such as hairspray, spray paint, and
household cleaners.
As the name suggest, inhalants refer to a group of drugs that are
inhaled in the form of a gas or solvent.

Examples of Inhalants

Immediate Effects
1. Confusion
2. Distorted perception of time and distance
3. Aggressive behavior/violence
4. Hallucinations
5. Illusions
6. Nausea and vomiting
7. Drowsiness

Delayed Effects
1. Loss of memory
2. Inability to think
3. Muscle cramps and weakness
4. Numbness of limbs
5. Abdominal pains
6. Damage to the central nervous system, kidney, liver, and
possible the bone marrow.

Ecstasy

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Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) commonly known as

“Ecstasy,” “X-TC,” “Adam,” and “Eden Tablet,” refers to the drug
having such chemical composition, including any of its isomers or
derivatives in any form.
Ecstasy is the term used for a group of “designer” drugs closely
related in chemical form to the amphetamine family of illicit drugs.
Demand for this drug caused its price to soar up to Php. 2,000 today.
MDMA was first developed as an appetite suppressant in 1914 by
the German company, Merck. In the 1970s, U.S. therapists, led by
biochemist Alexander Shulgin used the drug to help patients explore
their feelings.

Ecstasy

Adverse Effects
1. Fatigue and, perhaps, depression after the drug stopped
2. Restlessness, anxiety, and pronounced visual and auditory
hallucinations at large doses
3. Nausea and vomiting
4. Rise in blood pressure and heart rate, or death from heart failure
or stroke
5. Prolonged regular use can lead to the same long-term effects as
those of synthetic stimulants, including a potential for
neurotoxicity and brain and liver damage.

Opiates/Narcotics

Opiates, sometimes called narcotics, are a group of drugs that

are used medically to relieve pain but have a high potential for abuse.
Some opiates come from a resin taken from the seed pod of the Asian
poppy. Opiates that are commonly abused are opium, morphine,
codeine, and synthesized or manufactured opiates.
Opium refers to the coagulated juice of the opium poppy
(Papaver somniferum L.) and embraces every kind, class, and
character of opium, whether crude or prepared; the ashes or refuse of
the same; narcotic preparations thereof or therefrom; morphine or any
alkaloid of opium; preparations in which opium, morphine, or any

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alkaloid of opium is used as an ingredient; opium poppy; poppy straw;

and leaves or wrapping of opium leaves, whether prepared for use or
not.
Opium poppy refers to any part of the plant of the species
Papaver somniferum L., Papaver setigerum DC, Papaver orientale,
Papaver bracteatum and Papaver rhoeas which include the seeds,
straws, branches, leaves, or any part thereof, or substances derived
therefrom, even for floral, decorative, and culinary purposes.

Opiates are found naturally in the opium poppy plant, Papaver

somniferum L.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a drug from the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca plant,

a shrub that originated from South America. This drug affects the
central nervous system as a stimulant.
Cocaine exaggerates changes caused by at least two brain
chemicals-noradrenaline and dopamine-increasing alertness and
causing euphoria. Pure cocaine was produced in 1860 and was hailed
as a cure-all. Doctors used it to treat anxiety and depression until they
realized it was addictive. Dentist also used cocaine to numb their
patient’s gums, but because its damaged living tissues, it was replaced
by drugs like lignocaine.

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A pile of pure cocaine powder

Sedatives

Sedative-hypnotics such as tranquilizers, sleeping pills, and

sedatives are drugs which depress or slow down body functions. These
drugs can be dangerous when taken without a physician’s prescription
or instructions.

Lorazepam (sold under the brand Ativan) is one of the most common
sedative
Steroids

Anabolic steroids are not the same as the kind used in medicine
for the reduction of inflammation. Rather, these substances are used to
build muscle mass and strength. They typically consist of male sex
hormones and can be very damaging when used without a medical
prescription.

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Example of Steroids in capsule form

A man before and after using a steroid

Tobacco

Tobacco is often smoked in the form of cigarettes or cigars or

chewed. It contains nicotine which is a stimulant and a highly addictive
substance that has been known to cause and other diseases.

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A Tobacco plantation in La Union

Nicotine

Tobacco was introduced in America in the late 5 th century. When

tobacco smoke is inhaled, nicotine is absorbed through the lungs and
reaches the brain in about seven seconds. Nicotine works by mimicking
the actions of a naturally occurring brain chemical-acetylcholine-by
docking with its special receptor molecules. Some of these nicotine
receptors in the brain activate part of the “pleasure center,” which
could be responsible for nicotine’s euphoric effects.
Nine out of ten smokers say they like to quit smoking but cannot.
Nicotine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, anxiety, loss of
concentration, and sleeplessness. Cigarette smoke contains a handful
of other harmful substances, including carbon monoxide and tar.

Reasons Behind Drug Abuse

Typically, adolescence is a time of experimentation. Taking drugs

is common as teenagers struggle to establish their independence in a
society where alcohol and other substances are associated with being
a mature adult. Some reasons behind addiction to substances, alcohol,
and prohibited drugs include:
1. Curiosity
2. Social influences (peer pressure)
3. New sensations, for example, the effects of ecstasy which include
increased energy and confidence.
4. Rebellion and willingness to take risks especially when teen
agers take illegal substances that their parents strongly
disapprove.
5. Escapism. Alcohol and other drugs are used as a means of
avoiding problems associated with family life, school or work
frustrations, friendship and relationship difficulties, low self-
esteem, and depression.

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These problems should be addressed as early as possible to prevent

any related drug use from escalating.

Signs of Drug Dependency

There are no specific physical signs or personality changes that
indicate when a person is using drugs. Although a deviant behavior
may indicate drug use, some behavior changes may also not be drug-
related.
1. Mood swings or explosive outbursts
2. Staying out late or not coming home at night
3. Frequent absences from work or school, or declining work or
school performance
4. Unexplained need for money or sudden loss of money and
valuables
5. Less extracurricular activities, social withdrawal, and minimal
interaction with the family.
6. Sudden or noticeable change in friends
7. Tiredness or changes in sleeping patterns
8. Changes in eating patterns
9. Impaired memory and poor concentration
10. Blood-shot or glassy eyes
11. Lethargy and loss of motivation
12. Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming.
If you suspect someone of using drugs, talk to him/her about it. He/She
may not want to talk about it right away, but if he/she feels that you
will listen then he/she will agree to talk to you.
Different higher educational institutions (HEI) have their own
structure or organization in the prevention of drug use and addiction
within their campuses. Organizing peer counselors among students is
one way of knowing if there is an escalation of drug use and addiction
inside the school premises.
Students can help each other, through peer counseling or
barkadahan inside the school premises or letting them participate
actively in various school activities or organizations. In the process,
they become more productive in terms of school involvement.

Conclusion

There are several reasons why a person takes prohibited drugs.

The probability of becoming too much dependent on these illegal
substances leads a person to manifest behavior, mental reasoning, and
habits that are negatively affecting the way he/she lives, and most
especially himself/herself.

Drug dependency is extremely hazardous to a person’s health,

the people who care for him/her future as well.

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A drug dependent can still be saved from his/her present

situation as long as there are people who are willing to listen,
understand and help him/her until full recovery is achieve.

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