Session 2 with Dr. Attari
Substance Abuse Awareness
Substance abuse awareness is important due to the prevalent substance abuse epidemic
Certain stigma against substance abuse treatment–common misconception that individuals will just go back to the drug after healing
Cause of relapse: addiction
Alcohol Consumption
Very popular and prevalent as alcohol is accessible and legal at 21
Drinking and driving–worse than you think!
Slows down reaction time → can lead to serious accidents
Nicotine Usage
Side effects–addiction
Passive exposure
Second hand–someone takes in nicotine someone else directly exhales (e.g. through smoke)
Third hand–unintentional ingestion of nicotine residues previously released
How nicotine works:
Binds to acetylcholine & nicotine receptors in brain neurons
Leads to dopamine release (short term reward system)
Men and women affected in different ways–women are more reliant on nicotine and cannot stop quit easily
Adolescent nicotine will affect prefrontal cortex which affects development and decision making
Nicotine is also a gateway drug → leads to more prevalent usage of other drugs later in drug
Marijuana Usage
Long term negative effects:
Permanent IQ loss
Alters hippocampus function → affects memory
Common misconception: marijuana is not addictive…
Marijuana IS very addictive
Harms movement and coordination
Slower reactions under marijuana influence
Amphetamines & Cocaine
Amphetamines stimulate and speed up messages around the body
Increases serotonin & dopamine → feelings of highness
Cocaine binds to serotonin transporters, blocks reuptake of serotonin
Keeps users in state of highness & euphoria
Opiods
Cause drowsiness, vomiting, constipation, etc. short term
Cardiovascular complications long time
Similar to epinephrine, which is a naturally-produced pain killer
Fentanyl
Very potent opioid–very little amount is needed for an overdose
Can be prescribed for extreme cases of pain
Narcan–reversible nasal opioid antagonist
Very little side effects
Useful for stopping overdoses as lacing may occur
Narcan is available in local pharmacies OR libraries/hospitals
Guest Speaker–Dr. Huma Attari
Reasons for doing drugs: peer pressure, coping mechanism, curiosity + drug culture, pain management, parental influence, ignorance to how addictive
Genetics may influence addiction
Biological development of addiction
Increased agonist of neurotransmitter/substances leads to increased receptors
More substance/drug will be needed to stimulate for the same response
People may proceed to more potent drugs since more stimulus is needed
Stopping addiction is very difficult since it is biologically difficult to wean off drugs and change receptor expression
Poverty is linked w/ drug use but ANYONE can have a drug addiction–every ethic group, every religion, etc.
Why can’t people just quit?
Sudden quitting can have health detriments
Smoking/alcohol–physical detriments (GABA receptors suddenly stopped)
Extremely painful withdrawal effects
