JKO Joint Staff Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention - I hate CBT (2023)

Laut CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) 2011

47.9% took at least one prescribed medication in the last month

21.4% took three or more prescription drugs in the last month

10.5% took five or more prescription drugs in the last month

Prescription drugs are the third biggest problem behind alcohol and marijuana abuse

Use of a prescribed medication in a manner not intended by the prescribing physician.

Prescription drug abuse includes everything from taking a friend's prescription pain reliever for back pain to snorting group pills to get high.

* To feel good or get high

*To be sure, it's a misconception that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs

* To relax or relieve tension

*To be legal: There is a misconception that taking over-the-counter medications is legal

* To try

* To satisfy an addiction

* Being accepted by peers (peer pressure) or being social

* Opioid pain relievers such as oxycodone (OxyContin) and those containing hydrocodone (Vicodin).

* Sedatives and tranquilizers such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan)

* Stimulants such as methylphenidate (Ritalin), used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep disorders.

Often prescribed for its potent analgesic or analgesic properties.

Drugs that belong to this class, called prescription narcotics, include morphine (eg, Kadian, Avinza), codeine, oxycodone (eg, OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet) and related drugs. Morphine, for example, is often used before and after surgery to relieve severe pain. Codeine, on the other hand, is often prescribed for mild pain.

In addition to their analgesic properties, some of these medications, such as codeine and diphenoxylate (Lomotil), can be used to relieve coughing and diarrhea.

Opioids work in the brain and body by binding to specific proteins called opioid receptors, located in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract. When these drugs bind to certain opioid receptors, they can block the perception of pain.

Opioids can cause drowsiness, nausea, constipation, and respiratory depression. Opioid drugs can also induce euphoria by affecting brain regions that mediate what we perceive as pleasure.

This feeling is often aggravated in those who abuse opioids when they are administered by routes other than those recommended. For example, OxyContin is often inhaled or injected to enhance its euphoric effects while increasing the risk of serious medical consequences, such as an opioid overdose.

When taken as directed, opioids can be used to effectively treat pain. Many studies have shown that short-term medical use of opioid analgesics, when administered correctly, is safe and rarely addictive.

Withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, chills with goosebumps, and involuntary leg movements.

Long-term use of opioids can lead to physical dependence and addiction. Taking a single large dose of an opioid can cause severe respiratory depression, which can lead to death.

CNS depressants, sometimes called sedatives and tranquilizers, are substances that can slow down normal brain function. Because of this property, some CNS depressants are useful in treating anxiety and sleep disorders. Medications commonly prescribed for these purposes include the following:

Barbiturates: such as mephobarbital (Mebaral) and sodium pentobarbital (Nembutal), are used to treat anxiety, tension, and trouble sleeping.

Benzodiazepines: such as diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide HCI (Librium), and alprazolam (Xanax) are prescribed to treat anxiety, acute stress reactions, and panic attacks. The more sedating benzodiazepines, such as triazolam (Halcion) and estazolam (ProSom), are prescribed for the short-term treatment of insomnia. Benzodiazepines are generally not prescribed for long-term use.

Most act in the brain by affecting the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that facilitate communication between brain cells. GABA works by decreasing brain activity.

Due to their ability to increase GABA activity, they produce a drowsy or sedative effect, which is beneficial for those suffering from anxiety or sleep disorders.

Despite their many beneficial effects, barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be abused and should only be used as directed.

With prolonged use of these drugs, the body develops a tolerance to the drugs and larger doses are needed to achieve the same initial effects.

Continued use can lead to physical dependence and, if use is reduced or stopped, withdrawal. Since all CNS depressants work by decreasing brain activity, when a person stops taking them, brain activity can increase and get out of control, which can lead to seizures and other harmful outcomes.

Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, fever, rapid heartbeat, headache, palpitations, anxiety, hallucinations

memory loss, depression, dizziness, insomnia, personality changes, restlessness or irritability

Sensitivity to sound or light, confusion, panic attacks, sweating, seizures, tension

Stimulants are a class of psychotropic drugs that increase activity in the brain. These drugs can temporarily increase alertness, mood, and awareness.

Historically, prescription stimulants were used to treat asthma, obesity, neurological disorders and a host of other conditions before their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent.

Medically, they are now only prescribed for a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and short-term treatment of obesity.

Drugs classified as stimulants include: caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs (Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, etc.)

Stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine and Adderall) and methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta) have chemical structures similar to a family of important neurotransmitters in the brain called monoamines, which includes norepinephrine and dopamine.

Stimulants increase the effects of these chemicals in the brain. Stimulants also increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels, raise blood sugar, and open up passages in the respiratory system.

The increase in dopamine is associated with a feeling of euphoria that can accompany the use of these medications.

As with other drugs of abuse, people can become dependent or addicted to many stimulants.

Repeated use of some stimulants over a short period of time can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia.

Taking high doses of a stimulant can cause a dangerously high body temperature and irregular heartbeat.

There is also the possibility of cardiovascular failure or fatal seizures.