Drug abuse affects people worldwide and causes significant health and social issues. According to a 2020 report, around 284 million people aged 15-64 used drugs, a 26% increase over the previous decade. Drugs of abuse fall into categories like depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens and are ingested, inhaled, smoked, injected or snorted. Both immediate and long-term effects of drug abuse include cognitive impairment, accidents, neurological disorders, cardiovascular issues, dependence, and transmission of diseases like HIV/AIDS. Drug abuse also impacts societies through increased crime, family conflicts, loss of human potential, and damage to youth development.

1. HAZARDS OF DRUG ABUSE

2. WHAT IS DRUG ABUSE?
� People take drugs to change
the way they feel, think, or behave.
� These kinds of substances are called psychoactive and cover
alcohol and tobacco as well as natural and manufactured
drugs.
� In the past, most of the drugs that were used were made from
plants, such as the coca bush for cocaine, opium poppies for
heroin and cannabis for hashish or marijuana.

3. PROBLEM AT OUR DOORSTEP
�According to the report, around 284 million people aged
15-64 used drugs worldwide in 2020, a 26 % increase over
the previous decade. Young people are using more drugs,
with use levels today in many countries higher than with
the previous generation. In Africa and Latin America,
people under 35 represent the majority of people being
treated for drug use disorders.

4. WHAT KIND OF DRUGS ARE BEING ABUSED?
� Drugs of abuse fall into three categories:
⚫Depressants (Heroin, barbiturates),
⚫Stimulants ( Cocaine, crack, amphetamines)
⚫Hallucinogens ( Marijuana, ecstasy, LSD1), and
are either ingested, inhaled, smoked, injected or
snorted.

5. WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?
� Drugs can be harmful in a number of ways, through both immediate
effects and damage to health over time.
� Even occasional use of marijuana affects cognitive development
and short- term memory.
� The effects of marijuana on perception, reaction and
coordination of movements can result in accidents.
� Hallucinogens (such as LSD) distort perceptions, alter heart-rate and
blood pressure and, in the long term, cause neurological
disorders, depressions, anxiety, visual hallucinations and
flashbacks.

6. STIMULANT ABUSE
� Cocaine and amphetamines first cause
tremors, headaches, hypertension and
increased heart-rate.
� Long-term effects are nausea, insomnia, loss of
weight, convulsions and depression.

8. DEPRESSANT
� Heroin use initially results in nausea, slow respiration, dry
skin, itching, slow speech and reflexes
� Over a long period, there is the serious risk of developing
physical and psychological dependence which in the end
can lead to acute overdose which can lead to death due to
respiratory depression.

10. HAZARDS OF DEPRESSANTS
� Depressants, like Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin, slow brain function,
which often causes people to lose concentration easily and
become dizzy and fatigued.
� Long-term effects of depressants use include sexual problems,
sleep problems, breathing difficulties, chronic fatigue and
depression.
� These drugs also increase your risk of developing high blood sugar
and diabetes.

11. DRUG ABUSE & HIV RISK
� Most evident problem caused by drug abuse is the role
of drug injecting in the spread of HIV/AIDS.
� Sharing injecting equipment, whether the injection
method be intravenous, intramuscular or beneath the
skin, carries a very high risk of transmission of HIV as
well as other blood-borne infectious diseases such as
hepatitis B and C

13. HIV/ AIDS
� Globally, the report estimates that 11.2 million
people worldwide were injecting drugs. Around
half of this number were living with hepatitis C, 1.4
million were living with HIV, and 1.2 million were
living with both.

15. ALCOHOL
� Alcohol is usually the first drug adolescents try even before they
reach high school.
� Because of its very widespread social use, alcohol is not
often seen as a drug.
� Many people think alcohol provides a “high”, but it actually
depresses the central nervous system.
� Its effect on the nervous system is to relieve inhibitions,
making a person feel more spontaneous and socially at ease

16. ALCOHOL
� The use of alcohol has the potential to cause death at its
greatest levels of concentration in the body it suppresses
breathing.
� The combination of alcohol and drugs, especially
barbiturates, is also highly lethal.
� Drinking and driving prominent causes of serious
and fatal road accidents is the greatest danger
surrounding the use of alcohol.

17. BURDEN ON WOMEN
� Drug use was considered a predominantly
� male phenomenon and the impact of male
� drug abuse on women
⚫ Economic crises
⚫ Stigmatisation,
⚫ Emotional and a whole range of relationship
difficulties
⚫ Neglect of children who were in turn more
prone to child labour or delinquency.
� Domestic violence, crime and increased
trafficking were recognised as possible outcomes

18. DRUG DEPENDENCY
Some people start
using drugs
simply to see
what the drug
high is like.
Unfortunately, this
begins the drug
cycle, which
eventually leads to
a chemical
dependency to the
drug.
People continue to
use drugs because
they don’t like the
way their body feels
when they come
down from their
high

19. HEALTH
RISKS
� Physical and mental dependence
� Memory loss
� Violent behavior, aggressive acts, and
angry feelings
� Headaches
� Nausea and/or vomiting
� Muscle weakness
� A drug tolerance
� Liver, lung, and kidney problems
� Brain damage

20. HEALTH
RISKS
� Hallucinations, tremors, and
convulsions
� Hyperactivity or Sluggish behavior
� Poor academic performance
� Unwanted sexual activity (i.e. date rape)
� Sexually transmitted diseases, including
HIV/AIDS
� Unwanted pregnancy
� Impact on future career prospects
� Adverse effects from withdrawal

21. IMPACT ON SOCIETY
� Drug abuse has led to a detrimental impact on the
society.
� It has led to increase in the crime rate.
� Addicts resort to crime to pay for their drugs.
� Drugs remove inhibition and impair judgment
egging one on to commit offences.
� Incidences of teasing, group clashes, assault and
impulsive murders increase with drug abuse.

22. � Apart from affecting the financial stability, addiction increases
conflicts and causes untold emotional pain for every member
of the family.
� With most drug users being in the productive age group of
18-35 years, the loss in terms of human potential is
incalculable.
� The damage to the physical, psychological, moral
and intellectual growth of the youth is very high.
IMPACT ON SOCIETY