Drug Free Workplace Awareness Training

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