Drinking, Smoking, and Other Drugs

Modified: 2021-08-31 (8:15 pm CDST)

Drugs, licit and illicit, are a major problem in the modern world. College students are not immune from the problems caused by drugs and can easily become sidetracked by them. The two main, legal recreational drugs are alcohol and nicotine. Illegal drugs are also available on any college campus and can also ensnare students, diverting them from their studies. Yet another form of drug abuse is the misuse of prescription drugs. The "Pharm Party" is an example. In such parties, participants raid medicine cabinets and bring the drugs to the party. There, the drugs are tossed into a large bowl and often consumed at random.

Alcohol

• Alcohol is a large scale societal problem
  • 20 to 30 percent of college students report alcohol-related problems
  • Questions: What is Ogemaw? Want to run to the line? Let's go to Cairo (pronounced "kay row" btw).
    • Most of you should have not idea where Ogemaw is, unless you drive to Camden
    • Before Columbia County went wet a few years ago (and it was dry since 1943), Ogemaw was one of the closest places to Magnolia to by beer or liquor. Now those stores are long gone for lack of business.
    • The "line" was the Louisiana state line, another close place to buy alcohol. Springhill and Haynesville being two such destinations.
    • Cairo is on US 82 E a few miles into Union County. It's liquor store, too, is long gone.
  • Those towns used to be part of SAU lore because of Columbia County being dry.
  • FYI: the SAU campus is still dry as you should know.
• Dosage
  • Alcohol's effects vary by dosage
  • Blood Alcohol Level (BAL) is the main way to measure alcohol intoxication
    • number of grams of alcohol/100 milliliters of blood (as a percentage)
  • At lower BALs alcohol is a stimulant
  • After .05 BAL, sedation begins
  • Drinking more than one drink/hour will cause BAL to rise
  • Drinking Wheel shows relationship between dosage and body weight
    • Try the wheel site above. I'll ask you on the test for this section for how many beers or mixed drinks it would take you to get legally drunk over the course of four hours.
• Behavior
  • BAL = .025, energetic and animated
  • BAL = .05, rowdy and boisterous (getting buzzed)
  • BALs from .05 to .08, threshold for loss of coordination, clear thinking, and judgment
  • BALs greater than .08 lead to severe loss of coordination and sleep
• Death from alcohol
  • Nausea (can cause death while sleeping)
  • BALs of .30 or higher can cause alcohol poisoning
    • inability to wake
    • slow, shallow breathing
    • rapid, weak pulse
    • cool or damp skin
    • cyanosis (blue skin)
    • fall asleep and die of respiratory paralysis
  • If you ever encounter someone with the above symptoms get medical help or take the person to the emergency room
• Binge Drinking
  • Drinking more than 4 (female) or 5 (males) drinks at a time
  • Core Institute at Southern Illinois University studies binge drinking
  • Binge drinking has been associated with the following problems
    • poor test performance
    • missing classes
    • illegal behavior
    • violence
    • memory problems
    • drunk driving
    • regrets
    • vandalism
    • STDs (poor decision making)
  • Alcoholism and Problem Drinking
    • Self-Help programs include Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other similar groups
    • The Magnolia Chapter meets at 914Vine St.
      • Their not so secret code words is: "Are you a friend of Bill's?" (Bill referring to Bill Wilson, AA's founder)
      • So, if someone asks you that question and you say "who?" then, obviously you are not in AA
      • But, if you are in AA a conversation will follow with likely topics including the address of the club house and the dates of meetings
      • FYI, I'm not a member, but my father was and my brother is. In fact, he recently celebrated 43 years of sobriety
        • He visited Magnolia once, went to the meeting, and discovered that nearly everyone there knew me. That small town experience shocked him.

Tobacco

• HIGHLY addictive
• Leads to heart disease, cancer, and lung problems
• About 30% of college students smoke
• Many students begin smoking while in college
• Minor problems include:
  • more respiratory infections
  • exacerbates asthma
  • causes bad breath and stained teeth
  • expensive

Drug Abuse

• Prescription Drugs
  • Opioids
    • For pain relief (analgesia)
    • Stronger than over-the-counter analgesics (aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, etc.)
      • Morphine
      • Codeine
      • OxyContin
      • Darvon
      • Vicodin
      • Demerol
      • Dialudid
      • Fentanyl
    • Large doses can cause death by respiratory failure (like alcohol)
  • CNS Depressants (a.k.a. sedatives or tranquilizers)
    • For anxiety or sleep disorders
    • Tolerance is a problem
    • Rebound can occur as well (stop taking drug)
    • Barbiturates-Nembutal
    • Benzodiapenes-Valium, Xanax
  • Stimulants
    • For diet control and asthma
    • Also used to stay awake and to focus attention
    • Dexedrine
    • Ritalin
    • Adderall
      • All of the above used illegally on campus for cramming for tests
  • Anabolic Steroids
    • Legally used to treat victims of testicular cancer, male pituitary malfunctions, and to build up muscle tissue after surgery
    • Illegal usage primarily by males seeking to increase strength and musculature
    • Side effects (in males)
      • testicle shrinking
      • reduced sperm count
      • infertility
      • baldness
      • breast development
      • higher risk for prostate cancer
    • Female athletes, too, have begun to abuse steroids to get a"hard body"
  • Marijuana (legal in some US states: see map)
    • THC is active ingredient
    • Produces pleasant high (similar to low doses of alcohol)
    • Chronic use can lead to lethargy, lung infections, and cancer
    • NCHC met in Denver a while back
      • I did a seach for "marijuana dispensaries"
    • CBD (cannabidiol) is legal in Arkansas, but:
      • State employees risk termination if they test positively for it

Illegal Drugs

• Home Drug Test Kits
  • Any of you ever tested by parents?
• Ecstacy/Molly (MDMA, a designer drug)
  • Gives a pleasant high for several hours
  • Street MDMA can contain other drugs
  • Chronic use can lead to obsessive behavior, increased anxiety, paranoia, and sleep problems
  • Treat PTSD?
• Heroin
  • Highly addictive opioid
  • Causes euphoria along with relaxation, users go to sleep
  • Users develop tolerance (so more heroin is need to achieve same effect)
  • HIV risk because of shared needles
  • Chronic users may be medically at risk
  • America on Drugs (CNN)
• Cocaine (crack is crystalline form)
  • Powder cocaine is snorted
  • Crack cocaine is smoked
  • Both cause euphoria
  • Sudden cardiac arrest followed by death is possible
• Methamphetamine (Meth)
  • Easily "cooked" from common ingredients
  • Produces euphoria, wakefulness, activity, and appetite
  • Chronic use may lead to binges, psychotic behavior, intense paranoia, hallucinations, rage, and violent behavior
  • Breaking Bad early cook

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