Substance use and abuse is commonly caused by ignorance or underestimating drugs' effects, especially addiction. Young people often start using drugs out of curiosity or to relieve stress. Drug education is important for prevention. Key factors influencing substance use include lack of parental supervision, peer pressure, feelings of pleasure, and relief from stress. Drugs are classified as substances that affect the body or mind and are intended for diagnosis, cure, treatment or prevention of disease. Prohibited drugs include opiates and hallucinogens, while regulated drugs are sedatives. Common classes of substances discussed are stimulants, depressants, inhalants, narcotics, and hallucinogens.

2. Substance Use and Abuse
One of the most common yet
preventable causes of substance use and abuse
among young people like you is ignorance or
lack of knowledge about their ill effects and
the damage they can do to your body. Many
young people start using drugs out of curiosity.

3. Others fail to realize or underestimate the
ill effects of drugs, particularly it’s addictive
effects. They begin with occasional use, thinking
they can control themselves, only to succumb to
addiction.
Drug education is therefore crucial in
preventing substance use and abuse.

4. Factors Influencing Substance Use and Abuse
1. Lack of parental supervision and support

5. 2. Strong peer pressure and curiosity

6. 3. Intense feelings of pleasure

7. 4. Relief from stress, anxiety, and depression

8. 5. Increased physical and cognitive performance

9. Drugs may be defined as:
1. A chemical substance that has an effect on the body or
mind.
2. A substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure,
treatment, and prevention of disease in man and
animals.
3. An article other than food which is intended to alter
the structure and/or function of the body.

10. Drug Awareness
Drug Awareness

11. Prohibited Drugs
The prohibited drugs include opium and
its active components and derivatives
principally cocaine, alpha and beta cocaine;
hallucinogenic drugs, such as mescaline,
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and other
substances producing similar effects.

12. Regulated Drugs
The regulated drugs include self-inducing
sedatives, such as secobarbital, phenobarbital,
pentobarbital, amobarbital and any other drug
which contains salt or a derivative of salt or
barbituric acid.

13. Substances
Stimulants
Stimulants are a class of drugs that consists of
illegal drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine
and MDMA (ecstasy), as well as legal drugs such
as nicotine, caffeine and prescription medications such
as Ritalin and Adderall. These drugs increase alertness,
energy and attention and boost mood.

15. Stimulants, sometimes called “uppers,”
temporarily increase alertness and energy. The
most commonly used street drugs that fall into
this category are cocaine and amphetamines.
Prescription stimulants come in tablets or
capsules. When abused, they are swallowed,
injected in liquid form or crushed and snorted.

16. As the name suggests, stimulants
increase alertness, attention, and energy, as
well as elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and
respiration. Stimulants historically were used
to treat asthma and other respiratory
problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and
a variety of other ailments.

17. But as their potential for abuse and
addiction became apparent, the medical use
of stimulants began to wane. Now, stimulants
are prescribed to treat only a few health
conditions, including ADHD, narcolepsy, and
occasionally depression—in those who have
not responded to other treatments.

18. Short-term effects
•Loss of appetite.
•Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature.
•Dilation of pupils.
•Disturbed sleep patterns.
•Nausea.
•Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior.
•Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability.
•Panic and psychosis.

20. Depressants
A depressant, or central depressant, is
a drug that lowers neurotransmission levels, which
is to depress or reduce arousal or stimulation, in
various areas of the brain. Depressants are also
occasionally referred to as "downers" as they lower
the level of arousal when taken.

21. Depressants are widely used throughout the
world as prescription medicines and as illicit
substances. Alcohol is a very prominent depressant.
Depressants are drugs that calm nerves and relax
muscles. Depressants do exactly what the name
suggests — they depress a person's nervous system.
Doctors use them to treat things like
insomnia or anxiety.

22. Inhalants
Inhalants are a broad range of intoxicative
drugs whose gases or volatile vapors are breathed
in via the nose or mouth. They are taken by room
temperature volatilization or from a pressurized
container (e.g., nitrous oxide), and do not include
drugs that are sniffed after burning or heating.

24. Inhalants are volatile substances that produce
chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a
psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect. Although
other abused substances can be inhaled, the term
"inhalants" is used to describe a variety of
substances whose main common characteristic is
that they are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other
than inhalation.

26. Narcotics
Narcotics are also called opioid pain relievers.
They are used only for pain that is severe and is not
helped by other types of painkillers. When used
carefully and under a health care provider's direct
care, these drugs can be effective at reducing pain.

28. Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that cause
hallucinations—profound distortions in a person’s
perceptions of reality. Hallucinogens can be found
in some plants and mushrooms (or their extracts) or
can be man-made, and they are commonly divided
into two broad categories: classic hallucinogens
(such as LSD) and dissociative drugs (such as PCP).

29. When under the influence of either type
of drug, people often report rapid, intense
emotional swings and seeing images, hearing
sounds, and feeling sensations that seem real
but are not.