For the purposes of this program, our focus in this module will be on nicotine and alcohol. Our objectives in this module are to provide you with information about the most lethal drugs in America and to help you better understand the principles of drug action. This module also includes information about the use and abuse of marijuana. Let’s get started!

Nicotine

Nicotine addiction is a useful model for understanding other addictions.  Nicotine is a central nervous system stimulant. It is absorbed quickly and completely into the bloodstream through the stomach and upper intestines.  Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The strain on your heart is multiplied by both reducing oxygen flow to the heart and increasing heart activity.

Every year smoking kills more Americans than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, auto accidents, fire, and AIDS combined! But, after quitting, lung function can improve up to 30% after just 3 months.

So, knowing these dangers, why do people still smoke? Because it’s legal and readily available, but most importantly, because it is addictive. This is why it is so hard for people who smoke to quit, regardless of the risk to their lives.

Alcohol as a Drug

Alcohol is also legal, readily available, and addictive. 

Alcohol is considered a sedative-hypnotic similar to barbiturates such as seconal, and benzodiazepines like valium. The initial experience of stimulation from alcohol is, in part, because alcohol is an irritant to our system by agitating the cells it contacts.

Even in low doses, alcohol causes dis-inhibition and poor judgement. This is reason enough for anyone with a history of drug problems to avoid alcohol. As the dosage increases, the drinker is increasingly incapacitated, unpredictable, and likely to engage in dangerous, inappropriate, or uncharacteristic behavior.

Alcohol is involved in 60% of all fatal car crashes, 50% of all violent crime, and in 75% of all rapes. Alcohol is a drug! It should not be used in any amount by a person with a history of problems with other drugs. Especially while in recovery from other drugs, even mild alcohol use can increase a person’s potential to return to their drug of choice.  

Marijuana

Marijuana is a drug! It enters the brain and alters its function. The primary effects of marijuana are on the brain, heart, and lungs. Secondary effects are on the reproductive system and the immune system. Marijuana also has a negative effect on the nose and throat of all smokers. In the brain, heavy users show changes in EEG tracings (the electrical impulses of the brain) that may last up to three months. THC, the psycho-active ingredient in marijuana, also acts in the area of the brain that controls emotion. This is of special concern for the brain during emotional development.

Neurotransmission produces the mood-altering effects of drugs. Marijuana does not resemble any known neurotransmitters and its mechanisms of action is unclear.  This fact alone makes marijuana dangerous for the user. Marijuana has 50% more carcinogens than tobacco. In addition to inflammation of the nose and throat, contraction of bronchitis and a syndrome like asthma, an increased risk of cancer is noted.

Amotivational syndrome, which is associated with marijuana use, is well documented. This is likely linked to the storage of THC in brain cells. These effects can be reversed with discontinued use but can take anywhere from months to years to fully clear.

Claims are being made that marijuana is an effective treatment for a wide range of problems.  This is irrelevant to those with alcohol or drug problems, just as penicillin is irrelevant to those who are allergic to it.

Opioids

It is impossible to ignore the devastation caused by the opioid epidemic in the United States. A combination of societal factors, both legal and illegal, have led to this national crisis. The number of annual drug overdose deaths has quadrupled from 16,849 in 1999 to 70,237 in 2017. Sadly, this number continues to grow. Any amount of alcohol in combination with prescribed or illegal opioids greatly enhances the effects of both substances. Never drive a motor vehicle when taking opioids, especially in combination with alcohol.

There are informational programs (like this one) that are specifically designed to address this important issue. For the purposes of this program we will continue our focus on alcohol and other drugs that are most associated with driving under the influence in Oregon.