Notes+page

//**These are my virtual note cards. I copied them from websites. The links below the information is the sites I got them from. I used them for my slideshow (that is on my Teen Leadership Project page) but I made them into my own words.**//


 * What Drugs Do To Your Body!**

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual that is addicted and to those around them. Drug addiction is a brain disease because the abuse of drugs leads to changes in the structure and function of the brain. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person’s self control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time send intense impulses to take drugs. http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/understand.html

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in 2006.1 Studies also have found that drugs are used by 10 to 22 percent of drivers involved in crashes, often in combination with alcohol http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/driving.html

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There is no cure for drug addiction, but it is a treatable disease; drug addicts can recover. Drug addiction therapy is a program of behavior change or modification that slowly retrains the brain. Like people with diabetes or heart disease, people in treatment for drug addiction learn behavioral changes and often take medications as part of their treatment regimen. http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_brain2.asp

//**Marijuana!**// There are more than 200 slang terms for marijuana from city to city and from neighborhood to neighborhood. Some common names are: pot, grass, herb, weed, Mary Jane, reefer, skunk, boom, gangster, kif, chronic, and ganja.

Ever heard that lame line "everybody's doing it?" Tell that person to check the facts. Researchers asked teens if they had used marijuana or hashish (another form of marijuana) in the past month. Of all the 8th graders surveyed, only 8.3% said yes; only 17.8% of 10th graders had used the drug in the past month; and just 21.5% of 12th graders.

Before we look at the damage marijuana can do, let's back up for a second and discuss a tricky truth. For some people, smoking marijuana makes them feel good. Within minutes of inhaling, a user begins to feel "high," or filled with pleasant sensations. A chemical in marijuana, THC, triggers brain cells to release the chemical dopamine. Dopamine creates good feelings-for a short time.

Here's the thing: Once dopamine starts flowing, a user feels the urge to smoke marijuana again, and then again, and then again. Repeated use could lead to addiction, and addiction is a brain disease.

When it attaches to a neuron, THC interferes with normal communication between neurons. Think of it as a disruption in the phone service, caused perhaps by too many users all at once. Let's say Neuron #1 needs to tell Neuron #2 to create a new memory. If THC is in the mix, this communication is likely to fail.

Marijuana smokers tend to inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers do. So more smoke enters the lungs. Puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer even more than smoking cigarettes does.

Such loss of coordination can be caused by smoking marijuana. And that's just one of the many negative side effects. Under the influence of marijuana, you could forget your best friend's phone number, watch your grade point average drop like a stone, or get into a car accident. Even worse, high doses of marijuana use can cause anxiety and panic attacks. http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_mj2.asp

//**Inhalants**// Most of us don't think of spray paint, glue, household cleaners, and the like as drugs because we're used to seeing such products under the kitchen sink, in the bathroom, or on the grocery shelves. Inhalants are easy to get, and children and adolescents are among those most likely to abuse these potentially toxic substances.

The lungs rapidly absorb inhaled chemicals into the bloodstream, quickly distributing them throughout the brain and body. Within minutes of inhalation, users feel "high." The effects are similar to those produced by alcohol and may include slurred speech, lack of coordination, euphoria, and dizziness. Inhalant users may also experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions. http://teens.drugabuse.gov/facts/facts_inhale2.asp

Young people are likely to abuse inhalants, in part because inhalants are readily available and inexpensive. Sometimes children unintentionally misuse inhalant products that are found in household products. Parents should see that these substances are monitored closely so that they are not inhaled by young children. http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/facts.aspx?topic=5&h=drugs