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| Substance Use and Abuse:
Alcohol
Q and A
Alcohol - How
Much is Too Much?
Marijuana Facts
Club
Drugs
Ecstasy
Alcohol Abuse
Reducing the Risk of Substance Related Rape
Links to Web Resources
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Q: What goes
first when you are drinking?
A: Inhibitions.
What this means: When people lose
their inhibitions, you might see them talking
more easily, feeling friendlier, becoming less
shy, being more relaxed. This state can be
reached easily, usually after a couple of
drinks.
What you can do: Let your friend
know that buzzes can last a while. Don't
encourage them to drink more, faster and
quicker.Q: What is the
next thing to go when you are drinking?
A: Reasoning and Judgment
What this means: When people have
a decrease in reasoning and judgment ability,
you might see someone becoming lewd or moody,
being more raucous or obnoxious, becoming more
forgetful, or doing things he or she would not
normally do.
What you can do: Try no to reason
with this friend at this stage. It may be easier
to distract them to do something else. Offer
food, encourage non-alcoholic beverages, do
something else besides have another drink.
Q: What does it mean when
someone starts getting really loud when they are
drinking?
A: It means that their sensory functions
are impaired.
What this means: When people lose
sensory functions, they have less sensitivity to
pain, they may not be able to feel their tongues
or teeth, and they misjudge distances. Eye and
hand coordination is impaired, as well as
general fine motor skills.
What you can do: Try to get them
to slow down or stop drinking. Get help from
other less impaired friends. If this person
continues to drink, things can become dangerous.
Q: Why is it important for
someone to stop drinking once they are slurring
their speech and staggering?
A: It is important because the person is losing
control of their muscular coordination.
What this means: It means that
alcohol has depressed the parts of the brain
that control gross motor movements. This person
may also be exhibiting aggressiveness, spilling
drinks, or frequently falling down. If this
person continues to drink, your friend may pass
out from too much alcohol in his or her system.
What you can do: Get help, even if
you think it's not necessary. Take the drink
away from this person if you can safely do so.
Do not leave this person alone. This is when
accidents of negligence happen. Be responsive
to, not responsible for, your friend.
Q: What's the problem with
letting someone sleep it off?
A: If the person has passed out, alcohol has
affected the involuntary nervous system.
What this means: The person has
had so much to drink that alcohol can shut down
the part of the brain that controls vital
functions like breathing and heartbeat.
What you can do: Get help
immediately! Contact an RA, Public Safety or
call 911 to have the person transported to the
hospital.
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The
following questions are designed to help
you identify drinking habits that may
cause problems for you. Answer honestly;
no one but you will know the score.
- Have you cut
afternoon classes so you can party?
- Have you missed
morning classes because of a
hangover?
- Have you done
poorly on an exam because you drank
too much the night before?
- When drinking,
have you ever done something for
which you were later sorry or
embarrassed?
- Have you ever
"blacked out" while drinking? That
is, have you not been able to
remember things you said or did
while drinking?
- Do you frequently
drink until you are drunk? do you
drink for the purpose of getting
drunk?
- Do you choose
friends on the basis of how much
they drink?
- Have you ever had
problems with friends, family,
roommates, significant others,
college authorities, or the law as
the result of drinking?
- Is drinking
affecting your reputation?
- Does it bother
you when other people say you drink
too much?
If you answered yes to
one or two of these questions,
stop and think for a moment. Evaluate
your relationship with alcohol. Maybe
it's time to get some information from
the Health Education office.
If you answered yes to
three or four questions, you may
be exhibiting the beginning signs of a
drinking problem. Psychological Services
or the Health Education office would be
glad to talk with you about reducing
your use to a level that is comfortable
for you and others around you.
If you answered yes to
five or more questions, you
should talk to someone in the Health
Center or Psychological Services right
away, before your alcohol use hurts you
or someone else more than it may have
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- Marijuana's active
ingredient is THC
- The marijuana plant is
called cannabis sativa
- It is illegal to
grow, sell or possess marijuana
- Marijuana may cause
damage to your lungs, including lung
cancer, because it burns hotter than
tobacco and because it is inhaled deeper
than tobacco smoke
- Marijuana use can be
linked to heart and lung disease.
Smoking marijuana contributes to short-term
memory loss, affects the immune system, and
changes the production of sex hormones
- Marijuana is
psychologically addictive
- No one has ever died
of marijuana overdose
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What you may
not know about pot: |
- THC is stored in the fat
cells for about 30 days
- Pot smoke contains 50%
more cancer-causing materials than
tobacco
- Marijuana may also be
physically addictive as well as
psychologically addictive. It is possible to
develop tolerance and dependence on
marijuana. Withdrawal symptoms include
headaches, irritability and fatigue.
- Long term users of
marijuana often become bored, apathetic and
unconcerned about the future. This has a
name: Antimotivational syndrome
- Marijuana affects
perception and timing, so people could be
killed doing things while stoned, for
example, driving
- Some marijuana contains a
fungus called aspergellis
which can do permanent damage to your
lungs
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Ketamine,
sometimes called K, Special K,
or Vitamin K, is a dissociative
anesthetic which stimulates
breathing and heart rate.
Ketamine lasts about one hours,
and recovery from the drug can
be from 90-120 minutes. Effects
of one dose include major
changes in thought and
perception, hallucinations,
psychological dissociation,
out-of-body experiences and
near-death-like states. A user
may experience panic, a sense of
floating, disconnection from the
body, and associations with
"alternate worlds" or "parallel
dimensions." Users may also
experience numbness and lack of
coordination. Ketamine is
unpredictable, and users can
injure themselves in falls or
accidents.
Phenylethylamine,
also known as 2 C-B,
Nexus, Utopia, or Venus,
produces effects similar to
Ecstacy. It lasts about 5-6
hours, with an initial "energy
tremor" after about 20-30
minutes and causes visual
distortions and hallucinations
1-2 hours after ingesting the
dose. Effects of 2 C-B include
feelings of insight, heightened
emotional awareness and
sensitivity, and enhanced
experience of the 5 senses.
Examples of visual distortions
that may be experienced include
intensification of color,
rippling in walls/ceilings and
transformation of everyday
objects into unusual forms.
GHB,
also called Liquid E, has
properties of both psychedelics
and sedatives. Effects of GHB
start within 30 minutes if
ingestion and last 2-4 hours.
Effects include dizziness,
slowed heart rate, and slowed
breathing. It may bring on non-rousable
sleep. It can also cause nausea,
vomiting, headaches and
diarrhea. It has beeen linked to
a number of date-rape incidents,
where the drug has beeen
deposited in an unsuspecting
person's drink. Because doses of
GHB are difficult to gauge, it
is relatively easy to
accidentally overdose on the
drug.
Potential
problems with all club drugs:
- Users of
any "club drug" may
experience hyperthermia,
or dangerously high body
temperature. some ravers
have died from hyperthermia
and dehydration, caused by
excessive dancing and not
drinking enough water.
- There is
some evidence that suggests
that people susceptible to
psychological problems
can have a recurrence when
they use certain club drugs.
Evidence of this has been
shown in people with a
history of panic/anxiety
disorders, psychosis
disorders, bipolar
disorders, and depressive
disorders.
- It is
dangerous to mix any drug
with alcohol, but club
drugs in particular seem to
have some serious side
effects when mixed with
alcohol, such as violent
vomiting fits, long-term
blackouts, and the ultimate
negative side effect, death.
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| Ecstasy, also called MDMA, is an
illegal drug. It is a stimulant
with hallucinogenic properties.
It is chemically related to
amphetamines and some
hallucinogens. MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
is sold in tablets, gelatine
capsules or a powder. Tablets
can be yellow or white, and have
color speckles or designs on
them. A tablet can cost anywhere
from $10-40 per 100-mg dose.
Other drugs may be mixedd in
with MDMA, so you can never be
sure what you are getting when
you purchase it.
While some of the
short-term effects such as: a
sudden burst of energy,
euphoria, tingling sensations
and a sensation of floating
may seem desirable, you might
also be prepared for: rapid
eye movement, increased heart
rate and blood pressure,
sweating, hot/cold flashes, dry
mouth, teeth grinding, nausea,
vomiting, hallucinations,
anxiety, panic attacks,
dizziness, confusion, or
even irrational behavior,
convulsions, dehydration,
urinary retention, and "muscle
melt-down" at high doses.
The effects
begin within 15-90 minutes of
ingesting the drug, with a peak
between 2-3 hours. The effects
usually last 4-8 hours, but can
last up to 24 hours.
STILL
THINKING OF TRYING ECSTASY?
Well, studies
are looking at the long-term
effects of this drug on brain
chemistry. MDMA affects
production of serotonin and may
contribute to already-existing
psychiatric disorders. While the
jury is still out on the
addiction potential of this
drug, scientists generally agree
that MDMA is psychologically
addictive and primate studies
show that MDMA could by
physically addicting as well.
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If so, you may need
to be more aware
of the choices you make about alcohol
and other drugs.
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Watch for
these signs:
- You
wonder if you are using
substances too much.
- You
use alcohol or other
drugs to solve problems.
- You
compare your substance
use to that of your
family members.
- You
do things while you are
high/drunk that you
wouldn't do otherwise.
- You
lose interest in
friends, academics,
hobbies, athletics or
other activities you
once enjoyed.
- You
spend more time getting
high/drunk or thinking
about the next possible
opportunity to do so.
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These are some signs
of substance abuse problems, and
oftentimes young people from
substance-abusing families experience
more of these types of problems than
other people. If you find you are
having problems with drinking, or the
effects of other people's drinking, call
the Health Center at x401 or the Student
Affairs Office at x243 for help or
information.
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Substance-related rape has been
occurring more frequently in
recent years. Although the
often-tasteless drugs are hard
to detect, there are
precautionary steps one can take
to reduce the risk of becoming
prey to this criminal conduct.
- Do not
leave beverages unattended
- Do not
take any beverages,
including alcohol, from
someone you do not trust or
know well.
- At a
party or social gathering,
accept drinks only from
the server
- At
parties, do not
accept open-container drinks
from anyone
- Be
alert
to the behavior of friends.
Anyone appearing
disproportionately
inebriated in relation to
the amount of alcohol they
have consumed may be in
danger
- Share
this information
with friends and talk
about ways to look out for
each other at parties
and social events
- Anyone
who believes
they have consumed a
sedative-like substance
should be driven to a
hospital emergency room or
should call 911 for an
ambulance. Try to keep a
sample of the beverage for
analysis.
Actions to
Take if You Think You Have Been
Drugged and Sexually Assaulted
If you feel
dizzy, confused or have other
sudden, unexplained symptoms
after drinking a beverage, call
a friend, a Student Affairs
Staff member, your RA, Public
Safety, or the police, or 911
for help in getting to a
hospital.
Here are the
steps you should take:
- Get to
a safe place
and call a rape crisis
center for information
or support.
- Determine whether or not to
report the incident
to the police. If there is
any chance you do
want to report the assault,
you should not
shower, bathe, douche,
change clothes or straighten
up the area until medical
and legal evidence is
collected because these
actions will destroy
evidence
- If you
want to report the incident,
first call the police and
then go to the hospital and
have the medical evidence
collected
- Go to
a hospital,
clinic or private doctor for
treatment of external and/or
internal injuries, tests for
pregnancy and sexually
transmitted diseases, and
support services.
- Request a urine test
to detect the presence of
sedating substances as
quickly as possible. Every
hour matters. Chances of
getting proof are best when
the sample is obtained soon
after the substance has been
ingested, but the test can
be reliable even on a sample
obtained 72 hours later. The
test is free, and can be
requested by law enforcement
officers, rape crisis
centers and hospital
emergency departments.
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Drugs and Alcohol: |
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism
Facts on Tap
American Council for Drug Education
National Institute on Drug Abuse
US Dept of Health and Human Services
National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependance
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