Describe types of substances often abused by people.
-Substance abuse is the taking something often that the body does not need and for wrong reasons. For example, taking medicine when one is not sick is substance abuse.
Classification of substances
Substances fall into two major categories: over the counter substances and controlled substances.
i. Over the counter substances
– These are substances that can be easily bought over the counter such as panadol and aspirin. One can buy these medicines of without a prescription.
ii. Controlled substances:
-These are substances which can only be obtained if one has a prescription or special authorization.
-They can be dangerous if not used properly.
– Examples of such medicines are valium (diazepam), morphine, mandrax, cocaine, pethidine and
marijuana.
Classification of substances according to their chemical structure, or effects on the user
The following are some example:
Depressants: these are substances that slow down the action of the central nervous system.
– They are sometimes called sedatives or hypnotics. Alcohol and mandrax are the examples of depressant drugs.
– When taken in small amounts decreases awareness and tension.
– If taken in large amounts, they can lead into deep unconsciousness which may result in death.
Stimulants: this stimulates the central nervous system.
– They speed up the body processes.
– The most common are caffeine which is found in coffee, coca cola, chocolate and diet pills.
– Other stimulants include cocaine and nicotine. If stimulants are taken in large amounts, they
become depressants and they slow down the central nervous system.
Hallucinogens: are substances that distort the way the brain translates impulses or the
messages from the sensory organs, producing perceptual changes.
– Distortion makes the brain change massages about something real producing an illusion.
– The brain also produces images which do not exist in reality called hallucinations.
– Cocaine, magic mushrooms ecstasy are good examples.
Narcotics or Opiates: these are substances that make senses dull and relieve pain by
depressing the cerebral cortex.
– The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain responsible for consciousness including
perception, memory and learning.
– These substances affect the thalamus which is the body‟s mood regulating centre
-Narcotics are mainly derived from the opium poppy plant. They include raw opium, pethidine,marijuana, morphine, heroine methadone and codeine.
Inhalants or solvents: they are substances that are normally sniffed.
– These are substances found in household products such as glue, deodorants like perfume spray and fuel gases.
– Once inhaled, the capillaries to the surface of the lungs allow rapid absorption of the substance.
– It enters the brain at a very fast rate; intoxicating effects are very high.
Discuss substances and their effects
a) Alcohol
– Though only adults are allowed to drink. Alcohol is a pure colourless liquid present in
drinks such as beer, wines and brandy.
– Alcohol is also taken for medicinal purposes for many medicines contain alcohol in
small percentages.
– Alcohol is abused when one takes too much and often. An alcoholic is a person who is
addicted to alcohol beverages like beer.
– Alcoholism is a dangerous and severe condition caused by physical dependence on
alcohol. It can destroy physical and mental health.
– The strength of any alcoholic beverages depend on the percentage concentration of a
chemical known as ethanol per given volume.
**If the beverage has a higher percentage of ethanol per volume, then a drink is more
potent.
Effects of alcohol
– Increases blood pressure and heart problems.
– Causes violent behaviour
– Negatively affects the brain
– Causes cirrhosis; diseases of the liver: the liver becomes fatty and enlarged causing
inflammation. This causes loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort and death, makes
one feel warm, when one in reality is losing heat leading to hypothermia.
– Distort understanding of time and space and affects the sight causing one having
double or multiple vision.
– Causes withdrawal conditions called Delirium tremens.
b) Tobacco
– This is a substance that is commonly abused. It contains Nicotine, Tar and Carbon
Monoxide which are harmful to the body.
– When a person smokes these substances, they enter the blood stream and lungs.
– Nicotine is a colourless harmful drug. It acts as a stimulant and speeds up the
transmission of nerve impulses if taken in small dose. If taken in large doses, it
slows nerve impulses resulting in reduction of heart beat.
– Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that affects the blood‟s ability to carry oxygen
around the body. It also affects the action of the cilia (hair).
– It contains substances that cause cancer.
Effects of smoking
-Bronchitis
-Emphysema; lung disease which affects breathing
– Heart diseases; nicotine increases heartbeat which wears down the heart
– Cancer; 90% of deaths from cancer are due to cancer caused by smoking)
– Blood clots and stomach Ulcers.
– Damage to the unborn baby.
– Shortness of breath.
– Colds, flu and other infection.
– Non – smokers inhale smoke which makes them passive smokers.
– Deforestation due massive cutting of tree used as firewood in curing tobacco
c) Inhalants
-High blood pressure
-Headaches, stuttered speech and loss of motor co-ordination
– Rush around the nose and mouth.
– Violent behaviour.
– Unpredictable behaviour.
-Memory impairments.
– Abnormalities of the liver and kidney.
– Red, glassy watery eyes.
– Distorts understanding of time and space.
d) Drugs
– A drug is any substance which changes the chemistry of the body and affects the natural
balance of the mind and the emotions.
– Drugs can either be natural or synthetic chemicals.
– Natural drugs are those found in certain plants such as Caffeine in coffee, tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC), found in cannabis and nicotine in tobacco. Synthetic drugs are manufactured drugs such as
Panadol and Asprin.
- Cannabis
– This is a hard brown material or herbal mixture that comes from a cannabis plant and it is
an illegal plant in Zambia.
– It is locally known as icamba.
– Thus cannabis is in three form:
– Marijuana: this comes from the dried leaves, flowers or stems of the
cannabis plant. It has a concentration of delta – 9 – tetrahydrocannibinol
(THC) of about 0 – 12 %.
– Hashish: this is made from the stick of the plant. It contains 12 – 18 % of
THC.
– Hashish Oil: made from compressing hashish to produce oil using solvent.
Concentration of THC is about 18 – 25 % and its more potent than the rest
-Makes the user feel exhausted.
-Makes one have high appetite for food
-Affects the memory, concentration and co – ordination.
– Affects the reproductive system by reducing the sperm count in males and irregular
menstrual cycles in females.
-Causes cancer.
– Makes the user paranoid and anxious
– Makes the user to be talkative.
- Heroin
It is a brown or white speckled powder made from juice extract from unripe capsules of opium
poppy plants.
Heroin is formed through a chemical process of modifying morphine known as acetylation.
Morphine is used to ease severe pain; however, it is very dangerous when not used properly.
Heroine is taken mainly by smoking, sniffing injecting into the veins. The street names for heroine
are brown sugar, smack, skag, horse.
Effects of heroine
– Causes death due to over doze.
– Irregular menstrual periods in women.
– Damages the heart and the kidneys.
– Causes mood swings.
– Causes depression.
– Loss of appetite.
– Distorts the understanding of things.
– Disturbs the pattern of nerve, activity. - Cocaine
– Cocaine is a white powder made from the leaves of a coca plant.
– The leaves of coca plant when chewed can relieve fatigue and hunger. Cocaine can be
smoked or injected in the blood.
– It can also be orally taken by mixing with a liquid or in a capsule form.
-Coca cola is said to have contained very small amounts of cocaine before it was removed
in 1903.
-The street names for cocaine are coke, Charlie, snow lady and dust.
Effects of cocaine
-Dry mouth.
– Sweating.
– Severe weight loss.
– Indigestion.
– Exhaustion and lack of sleep (Insomnia).
– Transmission of HIV/ AIDS through the sharing of needles.
– Death due to overdose
– Ulceration of the nasal passage (sore s in the nasal passages)
– Irregular menstrual circle in women.
– Heart and blood circulation problems.
– Over alertness and elevation of mood.
Explain reasons for substance abuse
Reason for substance abuse
– Curiosity: a situation where one wants to taste and experience how it feels. This is done by young people who are keen to be adventurous and experiment things for themselves.
– Peer pressure: some young people end up using substances because they want to do what their friends are doing.
– Ignorance: some people take substances because they are not aware of the effects of which it may be too late when they realise it. Damage would have been done.
– Stress: sometimes people take substances because of stress, and they feel that drugs can console them. Stress can result from death loved ones, divorce and failure of an examination.
– Availability of substances: substances are readily available at the market. Substances such as solvents (glue, tipex and methylated spirit). Also, alcoholic beverages are sold on the market.
– Alienation: when a person feels isolated, fights to find a group to belong to especially those who are also isolated. Such a person may like to be in a group where substances being abused. Street kids and teenagers are examples.
– Unemployment: many young people are unable to find jobs despite being qualified. Such people resort to substances.
– Lack of recreation activities: many people have nowhere to spend their leisure time due to lack of recreational facilities, substance abuse becomes leisure to them.
– Enhancement of self-confidence and performance: some people believe that taking certain drugs may help them improve their self-confidence and performance in sports, sexual intercourse, examination and other activities.
Signs and symptoms of substance abuse
– Sudden change in personality.
– Unusual mood swing.
– Decline in school performance.
– Spending more time away from home and school.
– Theft and over borrowing of money.
– Heavy use of perfumes to disguise the smell of substance.
– Loss of appetite.
– Wearing of sunglasses to disguise ones appearance.
– Possession of certain materials such as straws, pill boxes, needles, glass bottles.
How to avoid substances abuse
– Say NO THANK YOU! When somebody gives you a substance or drug.
– Giving a reason or excuse
– Changing the subject
– Walking away
– Avoid the situations where substances are abused
– Associate with non-users of substances
– Keeping one-self busy.
Dependence on substances
– When someone entirely depends on substances, the situation is called addiction or dependence.
– Substance dependence can either take physical or psychological form.
– Physical dependence is when one tries to withdraw using a substance but faces physical effects such as shaking and poor coordination.
– While psychological effects is where one experiences anxiety and depression due to withdraw of abused substance.
– Some substance users may only feel the effect when they take larger doses of the substance. These users have reached the drug tolerance levels.
Discuss impact of substance abuse on individuals, community, national and international levels
Impact of substance abuse on society
Individual level: an abuser of a substance is likely to have health problems resulting from the effects of the substance taken.
– Owing to poor health, the victims may affect working and studying culture.
– The victim may not have support from his or her loved ones.
– Due to overdependence, the abuser may be speeding a lot on substances.
Family level: substance abusers may tend to ignore their families as they only care about having the substance.
– As a result they tend to have a lot of credit and stealing from their families and friends. Hence, their families and affected.
– This teaches young ones in the family to start abusing themselves also.
Community and national levels: some substance abusers end up committing crimes like murder and robbery to acquire money for the substance.
– Others may be involved in prostitution and drug trafficking.
– These illegal activities have a negative effect on the community and the nation at large.
– The spread of HIV and AIDS is likely to be very high among substance abusers due to risk of
behaviour such as unprotected sex, and sharing of needles. The abuser when sick the all nation and community is affected.
– It causes accidents and violent behaviour such as GBV. International level: drug trafficking is a major international proble
– It refers to the manufacturing and selling of illegal drugs.
– Money laundering is common in drug trafficking for example, some drug traffickers use money obtained illegally to destabilise governments through corruption, violence and buying votes.
– Money laundering affects the economy of the nation by causing inflation.
– Therefore, the substance abuse has negatively affected societies at international level due to drug trafficking and money laundering.
Role of the community in combating substance abuse
– Abolishing of the cultivating of drug crops like marijuana and opium. The government musts come in to make sure that no one is cultivating such crops.
– Educating the people on the bad effects of substance effects. And the need to control the use of these substances anyhow.
– Taking keen interest in one‟s community; people should love their community and identify the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, and report to the institutions concerned with such issues.
– Employment: the government and community at large should provide a wide range of employment opportunities to discourage unemployed people from substance abuse.
– Changing people‟s attitude towards substance abuse; through entertainment such as poems, drama and debate.
– Establishing groups and clubs; this may include anti – drug abuse club and community
rehabilitation centres which control substance abuse.
Measures used to control and fight substance abuse in Zambia
– Government has enacted the law under Act No 37 of 1993 to prohibit trafficking, exporting,
possessing, cultivating, manufacturing and use of Narcotics and psychotropic substances
– The public is sensitised on the dangers of substances abuse and the legal implication. Drug abuse is liable for punishment for a period not exceeding ten (10) years if found guilty.
– The government of Zambia also works with other countries to exchange information on drug trafficking and related crime in order to arrest offenders.
Identify institutions involved in fighting substance abuse in Zambia
Institution that fight substance abuse
– In 1989, the government established the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC).
– This is a government department charged with the responsibility of curbing substance abuse.
– This commission has offices in all the provinces in Zambia with a National Education Campaign Division. The division is responsible for dissemination of information intended to sensitise the public on the effects of drug abuse.
– The department also works with Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs) and other government departments to rehabilitate victims of substance abuse. Some NGOs involved are:
-Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (PPAZ)
-Youth Alive
– Young Women‟s Christian Association (YMCA)
– Society for Family Health (SFH); Churches
– Sports in Action (SIA)
-Youth Media (trendsetters)
