TYPES OF DRUGS
Alcohol
Alcohol is
the most common drug used and abused. It is an intoxicant that depresses the
central nervous system and can lead to a temporary loss of control over physical
and mental powers. The signs of drunkenness are well known: lack of
coordination, slurred speech, blurred vision,
and poor judgment.
The amount of alcohol in liquor is measured by a "proof
rating." For example, 45 percent pure alcohol would be 90-proof liquor. A
twelve-ounce can of beer, four ounces of wine, and alone-shot glass of 100-proof
liquor all contain the same amount of alcohol
In recent years, debate has raged over whether alcoholism is a sin or a
sickness. The Bible clearly labels drunkenness a sin (Deut. 21:20-21; 1 Cor.
6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-20), but that doesn't mitigate against the growing
physiological evidence that certain people's biochemistry makes them more prone
to addiction.
Some studies suggest that the body chemistry of alcoholics processes alcohol
differently than that of non-alcoholics. Acetaldehyde is the intermediate
by-product of alcohol metabolism, butte biochemistry of some people make it
difficult to process acetaldehyde into acetate. Thus, acetaldehyde builds up in
the body and begins to affect a person's brain chemistry. Thchemicals produced
(called isoquinolines) act very much like opiates and therefore contribute to
alcoholism.
Other
studies have tried to establish a connection between certain types of
personalities analcoholism. The general conclusion has been that there is no
connection. But more recentstudies seem to suggest some correlation between
personality type and drug abuse. Onpersonality type that seems to be at risk is
the anti-social personality (ASP), who is oftencharming, manipulative,
impulsive,and egocentric. ASPs make up 25 percent of the alcohol-
and drug-abuse population, yet only comprise about 3 percent of the general
population.
The social
costs of alcohol are staggering. Alcoholism is the third largest health problem
(following heart disease and cancer). There are an estimated 10 million problem
drinkers in the American adult population and an estimated 3.3 million teenage
problem drinkers. Half of all traffic fatalities and one-third of all traffic
injuries are alcohol-related. Alcohol is involved in 67percent of all murders
and 33 percent of all suicides Alcohol is also a prime reason for the breakdown
of the family. High percentages of family violence, parental abuse and neglect,
lost wages, and divorce are tied to the abuse of alcohol in this country. In one
poll on alcohol done for Christianity Today by George Gallup, nearly one-fourth
of all Americans cited alcohol and/or drug abuse as one of the three reasons most responsible
for the high divorce rate in this country.
Since the publication of Janet Geringer Woitiz's book Adult Children of
Alcoholics, society has begun to understand the long-term effect of alcoholism
on future generations. Children of Alcoholics (COAs) exhibit a number of traits
including guessing what normal behavior is, having difficulty following a
project from beginning to end, judging themselves without mercy, and
having difficulty with intimate relationships.
The toxic
effects of alcohol are also well known: they often cause permanent damage to
vital
organs like the brain and the liver. Death occurs if alcohol is taken in large
enough amounts.
When the blood alcohol level reaches four-tenths of 1 percent, unconsciousness
occurs; at
five-tenths of 1 percent, alcohol poisoning and death occurs
Marijuana
Marijuana is produced from the hemp plant (Cannabis
sativa), which grows well throughout
the world.
Marijuana has been considered a "gateway drug" because of its
potential to lead
young people to experiment with stronger drugs such as heroin and cocaine. In
1978, an
alarming 10 percent of all high-school seniors smoked marijuana every day.
Although that
percentage has dropped significantly, officials still estimate that about
one-third of all teenagers
have tried marijuana.
Marijuana is
an intoxicant that is usually smoked in order to induce a feeling of euphoria
lasting
two to four hours. Physical effects include an increase in heart rate, bloodshot
eyes, a dry mouth
and throat, and increased appetite.
Marijuana
can impair or reduce short-term memory and comprehension. It can reduce one's
ability to perform tasks requiring concentration (such as driving a car).
Marijuana can also
produce paranoia and psychosis.
Because most
marijuana users inhale unfiltered smoke and hold it in their lungs for as long
as
possible, it causes damage to the lungs and pulmonary system. Marijuana smoke
also has more
cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke. Marijuana also interferes with the
immune systeand reduces the sperm count in males.
Cocaine
Cocaine
occurs naturally in the leaves of coca plants and was reportedly chewed by
natives in
Peru as early as the sixth century. It became widely used in beverages (like
Coca-Cola) and
medicines in the nineteenth century but was restricted in 1914 by the Harrison
Narcotics Act.
Some experts
estimate that more than 30 million Americans have tried cocaine. Government
surveys suggest there may be as many as 6 million regular users. Every day some
5,000
neophytes sniff a line of coke for the first time.
When the
popularity of cocaine grew in the 1970s, most snorted cocaine and some dissolved
the drug in water and injected it intravenously. Today the government estimates
more than
300,000 Americans are intravenous cocaine users.
In recent years, snorting cocaine has given way to smoking it. Snorting cocaine
limits the
intensity of the effect because the blood vessels in the nose are
constricted.Smoking cocaine
delivers a much more intense high. Smoke goes directly to the lungs and then to
the heart.On
the next heartbeat, it is on the way to the brain. Dr. Anna Rose Childress at
the University of
Pennsylvania notes that "you can become compulsively involved with snorted
cocaine. We have
many Hollywood movie stars without nasal septums to prove that." But when
cocaine is
smoked "it seems to have incredibly powerful effects that tend to set up a
compulsive addictive
cycle more quickly than anything that we've seen."
Cocaine is a
stimulant and increases heart rate, restricts blood vessels, and stimulates
mental
awareness. Users say it is an ego- builder. Along with increased energy comes a
feeling of
personal supremacy: the illusion of being smarter, sexier, and more competent
than anyone else.
But while the cocaine confidence makes users feel indestructible, the crash from
cocaine leaves
them depressed, paranoid, and searching for more.
Until
recently, people speaking of cocaine dependence never called it an addiction.
Cocaine's
withdrawal symptoms are not physically wrenching like those of heroin and
alcohol. Yet cocaine
involves compulsion, loss of control, and continued use in spite of the
consequences.
The death of University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias and an article by
Dr. Jeffery Isner
in the New England Journal of Medicine that same year have established that
cocaine can
cause fatal heart problems. These deaths can occur regardless of whether the
user has had
previous heart problems and regardless of how the cocaine was taken.
Cocaine
users also describe its effect in sexual terms. Its intense and sensual effect
makes it a
stronger aphrodisiac than sex itself. Research at UCLA with apes given large
amounts of
cocaine showed they preferred the drug to food or sexual partners and were
willing to endure
severe electric shocks in exchange for large doses. The cocaine problem in this
country has
been made worse by the introduction of crack:ordinary coke mixed with baking
soda and water
into a solution and heated. This material is then dried and broken into tiny
chunks that resemble
rock candy. Users usually smoke these crack rocks in glass pipes.
Crack
(so-called because of the cracking sound it makes when heated) has become the
scourge of the war on drugs.A single hit of crack provides an intense, wrenching
rush in a
matter of seconds. Because crack is absorbed rapidly through the lungs and hits
the brain within
seconds, it is the most dangerous form of cocaine and also the most addicting.
Another
major difference is not physiological but economic. According to Dr. Mark Gold,
founder of the nationwide cocaine hotline, the cost to an addict using crack is
one-tenth the cost
he would have paid for the equivalent in cocaine powder just a decade ago. Since
crack costs
much less than normal cocaine, it is particularly appealing to adolescents.
About one in five 12th
graders has tried cocaine, and that percentage is certain to increase because of
the price and
availability of crack.
Hallucinogens
The
drug of choice during the 1960s was LSD. People looking for the "ultimate
trip" would take
LSD or perhaps peyote and experience bizarre illusions and hallucinations.
In the last few decades, these hallucinogens have been replaced by PCP
(Phencyclidine), often
known as "angel dust" or "killer weed." First synthesized in
the 1950s as an anesthetic, PCP
was discontinued because of its side effects but is now manufactured illegally
and sold to
thousands of teenagers.
PCP is often
sprayed on cigarettes or marijuana and then smoked. Users report a sense of
distance and estrangement. PCP creates body-image distortion, dizziness, and
double vision.
The drug distorts reality in such a way that it can resemble mental illness.
Because the drug
blocks pain receptors, violent PCP episodes may result in self-inflicted
injuries.
Chronic PCP
users have persistent memory problems and speech difficulties. Mood disorders
such as depression, anxiety, and violent behavior, are also reported. High doses
of PCP can
produce a coma that can last for days or weeks.
Synthetic Drugs
The latest scourge in the drug business has been so-called designer drugs. These
synthetic
drugs, manufactured in underground laboratories, mimic the effects of commonly
abused drugs.
Since they
were not even anticipated when our current drug laws were written, they exist in
a
legal limbo, and their use is increasing. One drug is MDMA, also know as
"Ecstasy." It has
been called the "LSD of the '80s" and gives the user a cocaine-like
rush with a hallucinogen
euphoria. Ecstasy was sold legally for a few years despite National Institute on
Drug Abuse
fears that it could cause brain damage. In 1985 the DEA outlawed MDMA, although
it is still
widely available.
Other drugs
have been marketed as a variation of the painkillers Demerol and Fentanyl. The
synthetic variation of the anesthetic Fentanyl is considered more potent than
heroin and is
known on the street as "synthetic heroin"and "China White."
Designer drugs may become a growth industry in the '90s. Creative drug makers in
clandestine
laboratories can produce these drugs for a fraction of the cost of smuggled
drugs and with much
less hassle from law enforcement agencies.
