Chapter 1 Notes - Summary Drug Use and Abuse PDF

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1.1 Social Messages about Drug Use 

It has been established that the degree of positive expectancies about alcohol (viewing drinking as a way of gaining social acceptance, for example) predicts the onset age of drinking and the tendency to engage in high-risk alcohol use over time.

1.2.1 Two Ways of Looking at Drugs and Behavior First Way - Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Effects  Psychoactive drugs: substances that alter our feelings, our thoughts, our perceptions of the world, and our behavior o They have the ability to alter the functioning of the brain and hence produce changes in our behavior and experience  Illicit (Illegal) drugs: drugs whos manufacture, sale, or possession is illegal o Heroin, cocaine, club drugs, and (some states) marijuana  Licit (legal) drugs o Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and certain prescription medications Second Way - Complex Interplay of Circumstances That Lead to Drug-Taking  Drug dependence: A condition in which an individual feels a compulsive need to continue taking a drug 1.2.2 Instrumental/Recreational Drug Use 

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Instrumental Use: the motivation for a drug user who takes the drug for a specific purpose other than getting "high" o Stay awake longer, fall asleep more quickly, or recover from an illness Recreational Use: the motivation of a drug user who takes the drug only to get "high" or achieve some pleasurable effect

1.2.3 Drug Misuse or Drug Abuse?  

Drug Misuse: Drug-taking behavior in which a prescription or OTC drug is used inappropriately Drug Abuse: Drug-taking behavior resulting in some form of physical, mental, or social impairment o Primary motivation: recreational

1.3 Drugs in Early Times    

Shamanism: the philosophy and practice of healing in which diagnosis or treatment is based on trancelike states, on the part of either the healer (shaman) or the patient Shaman: a healer whose diagnosis or treatment of patients is based at least in part on trances which are frequently induced by hallucinogenic drugs Ebers Papyrus: An Egyptian document - dated 1500 b.c., containing more than 800 prescriptions for common ailments and diseases Placebo effect: any change in a person's condition after taking a drug, based solely on that person's beliefs about the drug rather than on any physical effects of the drug

1.4 Drugs in the Nineteenth Century 

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By the end of the 19th century, the medical profession had made significant strides with respect to the medicinal healing o Morphine, syringe, cocaine There were also new drugs for specific purposes or particular diseases o Anesthetic drugs, pharmaceutical products Patent medicines: A drug or combination of drugs sold through peddlers, shops, or mail-order advertisements

1.5 Drugs and Behavior in the 20th Century 

For a short while after its production, morphine was completely legal and considered safe o Some physicians even recommended heroin as a treatment for morphine addiction

1.5.1 Drugs and Behavior from 1945 to 1960 

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In the years following WWII - for the first time - physicians were able to control bacteria-borne infectious diseases through the administration of antibiotic drugs o Penicillin, Streptomycin Chlorpromazine: reduced the hallucinations, agitation, and disordered thinking common to schizophrenia

1.5.2 Drugs and Behavior after 1960 

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Disturbing events occurred (assassination of MLK and JFK) o College students became less optimistic of the future o Searched for answers to old problems, and their search led to experimentation with drugs o Uppers, downers, and marijuana Neuroscience: the scientific study of the nervous system o One of the important discoveries that emerged from this era was the identification of receptors in the brain that tailored specifically for drugs taken into the body

1.6 Present-Day Attitudes Towards Drugs  

First, there is a far greater awareness today that a wide range of psychoactive drugs, whether they are illicit or licit, qualify as substances with varying levels of potential for misuse and abuse Second, the difference in attitudes toward drug-taking behavior is related to the history of sub behavior in our society since the later 1960s

1.7 Patterns of Drug Use in the United States 

The only possible way to obtain information on drug-taking behavior today is through surveys

1.7.1 Illicit Drug Use among High School Seniors

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By the end of the 1970s, drug use reached historically high levels Annual prevalence rates for illicit drug use among high school seniors showed a steep decline through the 1980s, hitting a historically low level in 1992 The rate of daily marijuana smoking in 2013 stood at 6.5 percent, the highest it has been since 1981

1.7.2 Illicit Drug Use among 8th and 10th Graders 

The percentages of annual drug use among 8th and 10th graders in the years 1991-1996 were very high

1.7.3 Illicit Drug Use among College Students 

College students (in 2013) reported 37% in the use of illicit drugs in general

1.7.4 Alcohol Use among High School and College Students   

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39% of high schools reporting drinking an alcoholic beverage in the past month (2013), and 22% reported an instance of binge drinking In 1970, 72% reported drinking in the past month, and 41% reported binge drinking The general decline in alcohol use and heavy drinking from 2018 to 2013 stems from a number of factors o National campaigns o DD's o Reduced accessibility (age requirement) In 2013, 56% of 8th graders found it "very easy" to obtain alcohol o It was 71% in 2000 In 2013, 63% of college students drank at least once in the previous month, and 35% reported an instance of binge drinking...