Looking at Drugs and Behavior

Chapter 1Drugs and Our Society

The Definition of Drugs1. To understand the impact drugs have on

society, we must understand the terminology

2. Many factors affect how the words used in the study of drugs are defined- drugs / drug abuse / drug misuse / drug dependence

3. A substance is defined as a drug according to: behavioral affects / pharmacological affects / effects on society / or chemical makeup?

The way we are brought up may alter our perception of drugs

1. We watch family members drink, smoke, or take drugs

2. Religious groups and religious rituals play a crucial role in how drug use is defined- Native American Church - communion wine- beer, liquor, wine commercials

Any drug definition is limited

1. It is influenced by one’s back- ground and experiences

2. Definitions of drug use/misuse are arbitrary- left to one’s judgment/choice

3. Some believe anyone who drinks is abusing drugs

4. Others, getting drunk every friday night is acceptable

Drug Definitions1. Many definitions for the word

‘drug’ abound- but no legal definition- handout

2. The common word found in all of the definitions is “alters” the body function

3. Alter means to change or become different

A substance can be classified as a drug when:

1. It affects one’s ability to get along with others- to work / to cope / or to think rationally- it can be classified as a drug

2. Based on this definition, many substances could then be designated as drugs

3. Drugs encompass - illegal substances / prescription medicines / over-the-counter medications / and legal substances

There is one definition of a drug that is universal:1. Psychoactive drugs

- “Substances that act to alter mood, thought processes, perception or behavior, or that are used to manage neuropsychological illness.”

2. Psychoactive drugs are those that influence the functioning of the brain and thus, our behavior

Psychoactive drugs, cont.

1. Illicit psychoactive drugs:- the manufacture, sale, or possession are illegal- heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD

2. Licit psychoactive drugs:- the manufacture, sale, or possession are legal- alcohol, tobacco, prescription, caffeine

Other drug terms: drug misuse

1. Unintentional or inappropriate use of prescribed or over-the-counter drugs

2. The misuse arises from not understanding a drug’s effect

3. It may arise from deluding one’s self about the purpose for using drugs

Other drug terms:drug abuse1. Intentional and inappropriate use of a

drug resulting in:- physical / emotional / social / financial / or intellectual consequences

2. Any substance, if used by the wrong person, in the wrong dosage, or at the wrong time or place, can be abuse

Two factors association with drug abuse: addiction and dependency

1. Addiction – “A chronic, and for many people, reoccurring disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use in spite of negative consequences that result from the prolonged effects of drugs on the brain.”

Dependency1. “A condition in which an individual

feels a compulsive need to continue taking a drug. In the process, the drug assumes an increasingly central role in the individual’s life.”

2. There are three levels of drug dependence:- behavioral - physiological - social

Patterns of drug taking:

1. Instrumental use2. Experimental use3. Social-Recreational use4. Circumstantial-Situational use5. Intensified use6. Chronic use7. Compulsive use

History of Drug Use:Alcohol

1. Fermented early as 10,000 BC2. Significant role in early U.S. history3. Temperance movement, 18264. National Prohibition Party, 18745. Prohibition, 19196. Repealed, 1933