2. Training supports your company’s Drug-
Free Workplace Program
Programs help companies and workers
Safer, healthier, more productive
Employees learn facts about alcohol
3. Course deals with alcohol and drug abuse
Most harmful drug in workplace and in our
communities
Course provides facts and dispels myths
Help you make smarter decisions
4. When you complete this course, you’ll be able
to discuss with co-workers, friends, and
family:
How alcohol misuse affects all of us
Common misconceptions about alcohol
Important facts about drinking
5. Alcoholic drinks basically contain:
◦ Ethanol, a form of alcohol
◦ Flavorings of different kinds
◦ Water
6. Alcohol, or ethanol, is a drug
Misuse damages the body and brain
Alcohol is also addictive
Seems like a stimulant
◦ But really a sedative
Impairs reasoning, judgment, memory
Alcohol poisoning can kill
7. Drinking is legal and common for adults
Don’t always recognize problems
Alcohol is nation’s top drug problem
Affects everyone – even non-drinkers
◦ About 43% if US adults have (or had) a family
member with a drinking problem
8. Costs Americans about $185B annually
Medical care and treatment
◦ Accidents, deaths
Ultimately, we all pay the price
◦ Higher taxes, insurance premiums
◦ Public safety risks
◦ Stress in workplaces and families
9. Alcohol is third leading cause of preventable
death in the US
◦ Over 100,000 each year
Of people admitted to hospitals, ¼ have
alcohol problems or are being treated for
consequences of undiagnosed alcohol
dependence
10. Traffic accidents leading cause of accidental
deaths in the US
41% of traffic deaths involve alcohol
People with alcohol dependence are FIVE
times more likely to die in a traffic accident
11. In a national survey, more than 60% of
adults knew people who had gone to work
under the influence of drugs or alcohol
47% of work injuries and up to 40% of
workplace fatalities involve alcohol
13. The body doesn’t process alcohol like food
Food is broken down by digestion
But alcohol is not food
◦ Enters bloodstream unchanged like a sponge
soaking up water
14. Alcohol absorption starts immediately
◦ Mouth, throat, stomach
The small intestine absorbs most of the
alcohol
◦ Alcohol passes into bloodstream
Eating slows down absorption, but it won’t
keep you sober
It’s how much, how fast you drink
15. Liver turns alcohol into waste
◦ Only ½ ounce per hour
First hour doesn’t count
◦ Time for alcohol to reach liver
When you get drunk
◦ More alcohol than liver can remove
Reason drinking fast is risky
16. There are no shortcuts to getting sober
◦ Not coffee, exercise, cold shower
Time is the only remedy
Liver removes alcohol from blood
17. You’ve seen how alcohol misuse affects all
Dispelled common misconceptions
Learned important facts
Can keep workplace, community safer
Could save a life
19. Illegal drug use risks your health and safety
Against your company's policy
◦ Lose your job and benefits
◦ Land in court or jail
You feel the impact, even if you don't use
◦ Higher taxes
◦ more crime
Someone you know likely has a problem
◦ Whether you realize it or not
20. When you finish you'll be able to identify
the major drugs of abuse and explain why
they are misused.
Major types of drugs of abuse
◦ Stimulants, or “uppers”
◦ Depressants, or “downers”
◦ Mixed effects (“all-arounders”)
21. You see it everywhere
◦ News reports, articles about drugs
◦ Ads on radio and TV
Maybe you don't pay much attention
◦ Happens to someone else
Drug problem affects all of us
◦ Even if you don't use drugs
22. Drugs raise education costs 10 percent or
$40 billion each year
◦ Class disruption
◦ Violence
◦ Special education
◦ Tutoring
◦ Property damage
◦ Injury
◦ Counseling
23. Drugs make roads less safe
◦ Almost 11 million report driving Under influence
of illegal drug within past year
24. Drugs fuel crime
◦ Over half adult male arrestees in 36 U.S. cities
tested positive for drugs
25. Many kids use illegal drugs
Among high school graduates
◦ 48 percent used marijuana
◦ 30 percent used another illegal drug
26. What are these drugs of abuse?
Why are they so attractive?
27. Three classes of frequently abused drugs
◦ Stimulants, or “uppers”
◦ Depressants, or “downers”
◦ Mixed effects (“all-arounders”)
Each has different effects on mind, body
28. Stimulants are called "uppers"
Energize body's central nervous system
◦ Make people feel alert, awake
◦ Speed up heart rate and breathing
◦ Raise body temperature
29. Depressants called "downers"
Depress body's central nervous system
◦ Feel sluggish
◦ Reduce coordination
◦ Slow down
Heart rate
Breathing
Other vital signs
30. Some drugs have mixed central nervous
system effects
Also called “all-arounders”
Have different effects
◦ Some cause hallucinations
◦ Others raise your heart rate
While slowing down thinking
Reducing coordination
31. Some from plants
Some are "synthetic"
Different intoxicating effects and health
risks
32. Effects vary with dosage and route of
administration
In general, the more you take the more
intoxicated you get
Some ways of taking drugs produce more
rapid, intense effects
◦ Smoking or injection vs. swallowing pills
33. Many drugs of abuse are highly addictive
Effects are not predictable
◦ Same drug can affect different people in different
ways
◦ Same drug can affect one person differently at
different times
Effects different when combined
◦ Combinations can be more risky
◦ Unintended, unexpected consequences
34. Common Uses
◦ Reduce fatigue
◦ Speed up metabolism
Reasons for abuse
◦ To stay awake
◦ Lose weight
◦ Exhilarating "high"
Despite unpleasant "crash"
Some stimulants relatively mild
Stronger stimulants used illegally
Serious short- and long-term health risks
35. Most widely used stimulant
Found in coffee beans and other plants
Usually mild feelings of alertness
◦ A lot can cause nervousness, insomnia,
dependence
Average U.S. coffee drinker has 1,000
cups/year
Also found in
◦ Other beverages
◦ Chocolates
◦ Non-prescription medications
36. Found in tobacco products
Second most widely used stimulant
◦ 30% of Americans 12 and older
Largest cause of preventable U.S. deaths
◦ 400,000 each year
◦ One in every five deaths
More than combined deaths from:
◦ Alcohol and all other drugs
◦ Car crashes, murders, suicides, fires, etc.
37. Very addictive
35 million Americans each year seriously try
to quit
◦ Fewer than 7 percent who try on their own stop
for more than a year
◦ Most relapse within a few days
38. Smoking increases risks of:
◦ Strokes
◦ Heart attacks
◦ Other heart diseases
Nicotine replacements do not increase risk
Nicotine doses are:
◦ Slower and lower
◦ Without toxins found in tobacco smoke
39. Powerful, highly addictive stimulants
Usually taken orally
◦ Injected by "speed freaks"
◦ Potent form, "ice," is smoked
60's abuse led to tighter controls
Psychosis-like symptoms can occur with
chronic use
40. Amphetamines are used in medicine
◦ Treat obesity, narcolepsy
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
◦ Treatment of ADHD (Attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder)
Increased abuse potential among kids
41. "Street" meth diverted from legal use
◦ Or made in secret labs
Meth labs” spring up quickly
◦ Homes, hotel rooms
◦ Shacks in the woods
Nightmare for law enforcement
Labs can explode, burn
◦ Extensive environmental damage
42. Made from leaves of coca tree
◦ Columbia, other S. American countries
Most powerful stimulant found in nature
Second most used illicit drug in U.S.
◦ 14 percent over age 12 have tried
Usually a white powder, sniffed
Crack is very potent, smokeable
◦ Looks like off-white slivers of soap
43. Crack considered relatively cheap high
◦ Dose typically $10 to $20
One reason dealers target kids
Large percentage of high-schoolers
◦ Say it's easy to get
44. Cocaine, crack both highly addictive
Research shows crack may be more so
◦ Since it is smoked
Almost immediate, very intense “high”
Cocaine high only lasts for minutes
◦ Not hours like amphetamines
Overdose can lead to
◦ Seizures, breathing/heart failure, stroke, death
No antidote
45. "Downers" slow down body's central
nervous system
Some, like alcohol, are legal
◦ Medicines for sleep, anxiety, pain
Others (heroin) have no medical uses
All have short/long-term health risks
◦ Many highly addictive
◦ Overdosing on some can kill
46. Sedatives, tranquilizers
◦ Prescribed for stress, anxiety, convulsions
◦ Hypnotics treat insomnia
Made legally in laboratories
◦ Diverted for illegal sale
Many are addictive
◦ Withdrawal can be life threatening
Overdosing on some can be fatal
47. Widely prescribed in early 1900's
◦ Until addiction risk became clear
◦ Only handful still prescribed
Abused for "high", like alcohol
◦ Reduce coordination, alertness
◦ Driving hazardous, even next day
Seconal, Nembutal, Tuinal
Mixing with alcohol dangerous
Overdose can be fatal
48. Developed in 60's to replace barbiturates
◦ One of most widely prescribed meds
Large doses not usually fatal
◦ Unless mixed: alcohol, cocaine, heroin
Prolonged use can cause dependence
Abused by adolescents, young adults
◦ Reduces inhibitions, impairs judgment
49. Three other widely abused depressants
◦ GHB (gamma hydroxy butyric acid)
◦ Rohypnol (flunitrazepam)
◦ Quaalude (methaqualone)
50. Also called narcotics
Family of powerful, addictive drugs
"Natural opiates" from poppy plants
◦ "Synthetic opiates" made in labs
Morphine, codeine have medical uses
◦ Control diarrhea, suppress coughing
◦ Most effective painkillers
Heroine, others have no medical uses
◦ Highly addictive, frequently abused
51. Morphine is a natural opiate
Highly effective for pain relief
◦ Especially during surgery
Abusers commonly inject it
Tolerance, dependence develop rapidly
52. Heroin produced from morphine
Most widely abused, rapidly acting opiate
Highly addictive
No medical use
53. Codeine is a natural opiate
Opiate most widely used in medicine
Relieves moderate pain
◦ Mixed with aspirin, Tylenol
◦ Used in prescription cough syrups
54. Oxycodone similar to codeine
◦ But more potent
Mixed with acetaminophen for Percocet
◦ With aspirin for Percodan
Rapid recent increase in abuse
55. Products with breathable chemical vapors
1,000s of common home, workplace
products
Intoxicating effects similar to alcohol
◦ Short but intense "high"
◦ Distorts perceptions of time, space
◦ Loss of inhibition
◦ Slurred speech, loss of coordination
56. Common industrial, household products
◦ Art and office products
Examples
◦ Correction/felt-tip-marker fluid
◦ Nail polish remover
◦ Lighter fluid, gasoline
◦ Paint and paint thinner
◦ Rubber glue, waxes, varnishes
◦ Degreasers and cleaning fluids
57. Products with gases used as inhalants
◦ Butane lighters, propane tanks
◦ Whipping cream dispensers
◦ Refrigerant gases
◦ Spray paints
◦ Hair and deodorant sprays
◦ Fabric protector sprays
58. Simple to get
◦ Cheap, legal
◦ Easy to hide
Often first substance kids abuse
Hard for parents, supervisors to detect
59. Inhalants are sniffed, huffed, bagged
Huffing soak rags, hold to face
Bagging concentrate vapors in paper bag
Some people put on hands, fingernails
◦ Shirtsleeves, wristbands
◦ For repeated use
60. Among junior, senior high students
◦ 15-20 percent have tried
Highest use among 10-12 year-olds
Few people abuse for long periods
61. Lower breathing and blood pressure
Users can lose consciousness and die
◦ Heart failure or suffocation
Long term use can cause
◦ Kidney abnormalities
◦ Impaired memory
◦ Attention deficits
◦ Hearing loss
◦ Brain, liver, bone marrow damage
62. Uppers stimulate central nervous system
Downers depress central nervous system
"All-arounders"
◦ Have diverse, mixed effects
Three types:
Cannabinoids, including marijuana
Hallucinogens, or psychedelics
Steroids
63. Includes marijuana, hashish, hash oil
From Cannabis sativa plant
Smoked or eaten in foods
Pot, grass, reefer, weed, sensimilla
Marijuana is controversial
◦ There is lots of misinformation
64. Marijuana now 2-3 times stronger than in
the 1960’s and 70’s
Marijuana users can become dependent
Long-term use causes:
◦ Respiratory diseases
◦ Possibly thinking impairments
Some states have medical marijuana laws
◦ U.S. FDA hasn't approved medical uses
U.S. law supersedes state law
65. Found in many plants and fungi
◦ Such as mushrooms
More powerful ones created in labs
◦ Like LSD
Alters perceptions, thoughts, moods
Abusers sometimes die from overdose
Greatest risk is impaired judgment
◦ Leading to accidents, injuries
66. Don't always produce hallucinations
Increase heart rate, blood pressure
◦ Dilate pupils
Distort perceptions of time, space
◦ Time may seem to stand still
Forms, colors change
Seem to take on new meanings
Effects are unpredictable
◦ Pleasurable or terrifying
◦ Users can experience flashbacks
67. LSD is the strongest hallucinogen
Dose the size of a few grains of salt
◦ Produces intense effects
Sold in several forms
◦ Soaked paper (blotter acid)
◦ Tablets (microdots)
◦ Thin gelatin squares (window pane)
A “trip” lasts 10-12 hours
68. PCP (Phencyclidine)
Ketamine (Special or Super K)
Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms)
Mescaline (Peyote Buttons)
Ectasy
69. Chemically like male hormone testosterone
Effects more physical, less psychological
Illegal use for muscle growth, endurance
◦ Increasingly younger male athletes
◦ Weight-lifting, cycling, track and field
◦ Jobs requiring physical strength
Disturbing side effects
Raised blood pressure, cholesterol
Severe acne, premature balding
Reduced sexual function
Long-term damage to heart, liver
70. You should now be familiar with major
drugs of abuse
Harmful short-/long-term effects
Drug abuse affects all of us