Drugs:Myths Vs. Facts
Repeated drug use has no long term permanent damage.
MYTH: Repeated drug use can reset the brain’s pleasure meter, so that without the drug, you feel hopeless and sad. Eventually, everyday fun stuff like spending time with friends or playing with your dog doesn’t make you happy anymore.
What is the most commonly abused drug by teenagers?
ALCOHOL! Marijuana is a close second.
Finish this sentence: On average 136 Americans die from opioid overdose every ________.
Day. The weekly average for US overdose deaths is 1,500.
What drug if used causes the IQ to lower an average of 8 points if used between the ages of 13 to 38?
Marijuana
What drug is the most addictive benzodiazepine?
Xanax
4 in 10 people who began drinking before the age 15 become alcoholics.
FACT: The use of alcohol and drugs during vital brain development increases the chances that your brain will become dependent on the substance.
In the U.S., 1 in __ teens have abused prescription medications.
1 in 5
What drug has caused the most deaths in the opioid crisis?
Fentanyl
What drug can cause problems including nasal deformities, heart attack, overdose and death?
Cocaine
What drug negatively affect a person’s memory and ability to respond to stimuli and stressful situations?
ALL when used under the age of 25 years old because the brain cannot develop properly.
More people die from heroin than any other drug.
MYTH: Actually more people die from prescription opioids each year than heroin and cocaine combined.
_______ is the number one cause of death for American teenagers.
Overdose/ Drug Related Deaths. This is the number one cause of death for ALL Americans under the age of 50.
List 3 drugs that are being laced with fentanyl and why.
Heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, xanax, AND marijuana.
To make the drug as physically addictive as opioids.
What drug is known as one of the most dangerous drugs because of its use being associated with a number of physical health problems, including high blood pressure, convulsions and brain damage that can lead to stroke?
Crystal Meth
What drugs long term effects include the possibility of brain damage and problems with the digestive system, immune system, the heart, and infertility?
Alcohol
Marijuana is addictive.
Fact: 1 in 11 people who use marijuana become addicted to it. For those who smoke it to cope with mental disorders, these number is higher. Often people become addicted to the feeling of being high- not the specific substance.
In America, 1 in __ young adults, ages 18-25, meet the DSM criteria for Substance Use Disorder.
1 in 6.
Doctors in the U.S. write enough opioid prescriptions for ___% of Americans to receive one.
47%. America has an estimated population of 334 million people.
What drug can lead to cause long-term health problems such as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder?
LSD, DMT, and other hallucinogens. This disorder causes flashbacks to spontaneous visual distortions that may reoccur months to years after a person quits using LSD.
What drug is a prescription that has similar effects on the brain and body as heroin?
Oxycodone and hydrocodone
Most drugs of abuse target the brain's reward system by flooding it with dopamine.
FACT: Dopamine tells the brain's reward center to give signals to your brain that you are experiencing happiness/ joy.
Why are teens the most vulnerable population to develop an addiction?
Their brains are still developing and can be shaped by the effects of drug abuse.
Combined, the number of opioid overdose deaths in 2016 and 2017 was 91,317 -- in 2020 the number of deaths in one year was higher than this at 96,776 deaths.
This number is well beyond the number of U.S. deaths in the __________ War.
Vietnam
What drug is directly linked to heart disease, lung disease, and decreased cognitive functioning?
Marijuana
What combination of drugs is particularly harmful because it produces a dangerous chemical called cocaethylene?
Alcohol and Cocaine - Cocaethylene is toxic to the liver and can cause seizures.