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DRUG AWARENESS
SPECIFIC DRUGS
AND THEIR SYMPTOMS
Drugs & How They Are Used |
Noticeable Signs |
Short Term & Long Term Effects |
LSD, commonly referred to as "acid," is sold on the street in tablets, capsules, on blotter paper, and, occasionally, liquid form. It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste and is usually taken by mouth. |
Dilated (large) pupils, disorientation, rambling or strange speech, sweating, rapid mood changes, panic and/or heightened anxiety response, stamp-like items with pictures, erratic, unpredictable behavior |
Users of LSD may feel several emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations. The user's sense of time and self changes. Sensations may seem to "cross over," giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be frightening and can cause panic. Users refer to their experience with LSD as a "trip" and if scary and uncontrollable reactions occur, a "bad trip." LSD experiences are typically up to 12 hours long. |
PCP or Angel Dust (Phencyclidine) is ingested, injected, sniffed, or smoked. It is a dissociative anesthetic and central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, and is often classified as a hallucinogen due to its tendency to induce paranoid delusions. |
Dilated (large) pupils, slurred speech, blank stare; rapid eye movements, strange or uncoordinated gait, severe mood swings, extreme strength, lack of pain response, psychosis, paranoia, mania, mask-like facial expression, disoriented and/or easily agitated, violent |
PCP has a wide range of effects. The user's personality will often determine which effects are most pronounced in that individual. PCP was used as a veterinary anesthetic in the 1960s under the trade name Sernylan. PCP is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous and unpredictable drugs on the illicit market. |
Cocaine and/or Crack can be orally ingested, sniffed, ingested, or smoked (crack or freebase). In powder form it resembles baking soda. |
Dilated (large) pupils, hyper alertness hyper activity, sleeplessness, panic or heightened anxiety response
restlessness, paranoia, extremely talkative; fast speech, runny or bloody nose, seizures (high doses; bad reaction). Other visual clues include: white powder seen on face or clothes, small spoon-like items used for snorting, mirrors and razor blades used for making lines, rolled money bills used for snorting, small bottles with screw on lids for storing, small paper or plastic packets with white residue |
Short-term effects of cocaine/crack include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. Duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include energy, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on how it is used. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. However, the faster the absorption, the shorter the high lasts.The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking crack cocaine may last 5 to 10 minutes. Cocaine's effects are short lived, and once the drug leaves the brain, the user experiences a "coke crash" that includes depression, irritability, and fatigue. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often become depressed. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose. |
Prescription Drugs are numerous. From anti-anxiety pills to sedatives to psychotherapeutic drugs, (outside those being prescribed by a doctor) all are being used illegally by individuals seeking a high or sensation. Many are now popular drugs of abuse and are traded by adolescents. Teens who have been prescribed these types of medications may abuse them or trade them for the drugs prescribed to their peers. Others steal them from their parents, grandparents or friend's medicine cabinet. |
Prescription drug bottles with labels torn off, weight loss,
agitated or anxious behavior, sleepy or "out of it", pills missing for your medicine cabinet, unidentified pills found in child's belongings |
Prescription drugs abused by teens: Ritalin (often used as a study aid), Clonazepam or Klonopin, Ketamine, Fen-Phen, Valium, Xanax, antidepressants, OxyContin and others |
Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette or a form of pipe, either purchased or made from a using rolling papers, a variety of items. Hash can be smoked or eaten, and is sometimes cooked into baked goods. |
Dilated (large) pupils, cigarette rolling papers, seeds that have been cleaned from marijuana, smell on clothing, in room, or in car, bloodshot eyes, sleepy appearance, reduced motivation, pipes, bongs, homemade smoking devices (you may see sticky residue from burned marijuana) |
The potency of marijuana has increased exponentially over the past two decades. Today, marijuana contain high levels of THC, the drug that cause the high. Marijuana use can be difficult to recognize or identify, especially after the high wears off. |
Alcohol can be a beer or a shot of vodka. There are hundreds of varieties and potencies of hard liquor. Parents should never approve the use of, or dispense, alcohol. Intoxication has resulted in many a driving accident and death. |
Slurred speech, Acting silly, disorientation, sweating, poor coordination, smell of alcohol on clothing, breath, strange mood, fake IDs, bottles saved as souvenirs, Signs your child has vomited, difficulty waking up in the morning, excessive thirst in the morning |
Should your child come home and appears to be intoxicated, it is generally best to deal with the consequences in the morning, after they have slept off the effects. If the child comes home intoxicated, after driving a motor vehicle, the keys should be taken away and driving privileges removed. You will be saving their life, or the life of others. Many states have zero-tolerance laws for under aged drinkers who drive. This means any measurable amount of alcohol in their system will result in a DUI, and the consequences will be serious.
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Methamphetamine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant that affects dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that alters mood. It can cause extreme, long-term damage to the brain's ability to produce dopamine, and therefore users can feel depressed and lose the ability to experience normal feelings of happiness and contentment, even after they stop using. For this reason, Meth has a high relapse rate for addicts. It is extremely resistant to treatment. This highly addictive drug is sold as pills, capsules, or powder and it can be ingested, injected, snorted, or smoked. A toxic reaction can occur at relatively small doses (50 mg) in certain individuals, particularly first-time users. |
Euphoric "high" state of happiness, paranoia, decreased appetite and/or weight loss, increased physical activity and movement, anxiety, shaking hands, nervousness, incessant, fast talking, increased temperature , convulsions at high doses, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, dry or itchy skin, acne, sweating not related to physical activity, mood swings, aggressive or violent behavior, depression |
Immediately after smoking or injection, the user experiences an intense sensation, called a "rush" or "flash," that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or swallowing meth produces euphoria - a high, but not a rush. After the initial "rush," there is typically a state of high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent behavior. Other possible immediate effects include increased wakefulness and insomnia, decreased appetite, irritability/ aggression, anxiety, nervousness, convulsions and heart attack. Long-term, Methamphetamine is addictive, and users can develop a tolerance quickly, needing larger amounts to get high. In some cases, users forego food and sleep and take more meth every few hours for days, 'binging' until they run out of the drug or become too disorganized to continue. Chronic use can cause paranoia, hallucinations, repetitive behavior (such as compulsively cleaning, grooming or disassembling and assembling objects), and delusions of parasites or insects crawling under the skin. Users can obsessively scratch their skin to get rid of these imagined insects. Long-term use, high dosages, or both can bring on full-blown toxic psychosis (often exhibited as violent, aggressive behavior). This violent, aggressive behavior is usually coupled with extreme paranoia. Methamphetamine use can also cause strokes and death. |
Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a growing and very serious problem in the U.S. There has been a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking. Heroin abuse can cause serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. |
Dry mouth, droopy, dragging appearance, can be "up" then drowsy, disorientation, poor mental functioning, poor coordination, signs of injection; infections, shallow breathing |
Heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria ("rush") accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes "on the nod," an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. Other effects included slowed and slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, vomiting, constipation.
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Inhalants are readily available in your home: aerosols, paint thinners, glues, and other household chemical are all substances used to "get high." The substance can be inhaled from a paper bag or cloth. These chemicals and substances are deadly. Users can suffocate, suffer a stroke, choke to death, and cause serious damage to their lungs, livers, kidney, and other organs. |
Strong chemical odor on clothing or breath, chemicals or aerosols missing in the home , extremely drowsy appearance, possibly fainting, paper bags or rags used to sniff the chemicals, strange aerosolized or other chemicals found in child's room or school locker, discarded containers of whipped cream or spray paint, large supply of white-out or other office chemicals that have a strong odor. |
Parents and children need to know that experimentation with these substances should not be taken lightly. Regular abuse of these substances can result in serious harm to vital organs including the brain, heart, kidneys, and liver, and death.
Types of inhalants: Amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate, isobutyl nitrate, isosorbide dinitrate, nitroglycerin, isobutylnitrite, poppers.
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