|
What are Drugs?
For parents who wish to encourage their children to do art at home, I'd like to offer some general principles.
Read our review of this book!
You know you need to talk to your kids about drugs. But where do you even start? A new book by authors by Dominic Cappello and Xenia G. Becher, MSW,
CSW offers practical advice on how to begin and what to say -- not just about drugs, but about peer pressure, stress, health, the law, and mixed messages in the
media. "Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Their Children About Drugs and Choices" is easy to use, with family-tested strategies for kids of all ages.
|
Dominic Cappello designs safety, health, and communication programs for parents and educators. He's the author of "Ten Talks Parents Must Have With
Their Children About Sex and Character," and the creator of the National Education Association's "Can We Talk?" family programs. He's appeared on Oprah,
Today, and ABC News. He lives in New York City.
|
|
Xenia G. Becher, MSW, CSW, is a community mental health educator with Contact Community Services in Syracuse, New York. She is an educator in the
areas of parent-child communication, youth development, alcohol and drug abuse prevention, and comprehensive health promotion. She lives in New York with
her husband and three children.
|
The following is a list of words that even the youngest children have probably heard from TV or at school:
Addiction: losing control over the use of a substance, like alcohol, or an activity, like gambling.
alcohol: wine, beer, liquor, and other beverages that impact the body by causing loss of motor control. They impact a person's feelings by promoting relaxation,
loss of inhibitions, and emotional changes including happy, angry, or sad feelings, depending on the person.
Alcoholism: the continued and compulsive use of alcohol, despite negative consequences.
Antidepressant: a drug that is most often prescribed to treat depression. It may impact a person's feelings by reducing feelings of hopelessness and sadness, and
increase confidence and ability to engage in enjoyable activities.
Caffeine: a drug that stimulates the brain and heart, elevates alertness and concentration, and sometimes causes nervousness and agitation. Caffeine is found in
coffee, tea, some sodas, over-the-counter medicines, and prescription drugs. Caffeine can be addictive.
Choice: an ability people have to use free will to make a decision for themselves. This ability can be affected by the use of alcohol and other drugs.
Cocaine: a substance that is found in the leaves of several types of plants. It is a stimulant that can induce a variety of reactions, including feelings of euphoria,
extreme happiness, aggression, anxiety, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and complacency. Cocaine is a white powder that is snorted.
Crack: cocaine that's in a rocklike form. When heated, the vapors are inhaled and delivered quickly to the bloodstream through the lungs. Crack is typically
smoked.
Coping mechanisms: ways people deal with stress or painful feelings without drugs. Examples include sports, exercise, meditation, and talking with a friend.
Designer drugs: a slang term for synthetic drugs, often used in clubs, that alter a person's consciousness and perceptions, stimulate euphoria, and increase
energy.
Drug: any substance, legal or illegal, that is used to alter a person's consciousness, perceptions, or feelings. Drugs are thought of by doctors as compounds used
to combat disease and improve health. Drugs are defined by courts and police officers as illegal substances whose sale or use has legal consequences.
Ecstasy (also called MDMA, "e," or "x"): a compound manufactured illegally and used to create feelings of joy and happiness for three to six hours. It impacts a
person's feelings by causing lack of stress and loss of inhibitions, and is often used in combination with other drugs. Taken in the form of a pill, it elevates the body
temperature and can cause dehydration, muscle cramping, and nausea. Studies indicate MDMA causes destruction in the brain.
Enabling: protecting a drug user from the consequences of his or her actions (for example: not mentioning a person's rude behavior when he was drunk, ignoring
clear signs that one's child is using alcohol or other drugs).
Feelings: sensations that help us regulate our choices and behaviors. Stress, anger, sadness, depression, lack of self-esteem, and fear are some feelings that may
be difficult to experience and may serve as catalysts for alcohol, tobacco, or drug use.
Hallucinogens: (examples include LSD, or "acid"; mushrooms; peyote): synthetic or natural substances that impact a person's feelings by creating visual and
auditory hallucinations and a feeling of "mind expansion" or altered reality.
Heroin: an opiate, a drug similar to morphine but many times more powerful. It impacts a person's feelings by reducing pain, creating euphoria, reducing stress,
and removing inhibitions. It can be injected, smoked, or snorted.
Inhalants: chemical vapors (found in many household products like hair spray and paint thinner) that can be inhaled to produce a mind-altering effect. Inhalants
can be deadly.
Marijuana (called "pot," "herb," "weed"): A plant which is smoked or eaten. It can produce a sense of euphoria, stimulate hunger, and can sometimes cause
anxiety and paranoia. Forms of marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes. For example, patients recovering from chemotherapy might receive marijuana to
reduce nausea and stimulate appetite.
Nicotine: The addictive ingredient in tobacco is highly habit-forming and impacts a person's body by increasing heart rate and constricting blood vessels. Nicotine
users continuously experience, to varying degrees, a state of withdrawal. Tobacco can be smoked or absorbed through the mouth.
opiates: group of drugs derived from the opium poppy, including morphine, heroin, and several other medications used to treat pain by doctors. They impact a
person's feelings by reducing pain awareness, promoting sleep, and for some, inducing a feeling of complacency or euphoria.
Recovery: the process of becoming sober and learning to live without addictive drugs.
Recreational drug use: using a drug for the purpose of enjoying its effects rather than because of a chemical addiction. This term is often misused by those who
are in fact addicted but who may be in denial about it.
Sedative: also referred to as a depressant or tranquilizer, a drug that is often prescribed to treat anxiety or insomnia. It impacts a person's feelings by promoting
sleep and feelings of relaxation.
Self-medicating: using alcohol or other drugs to alter one's feelings. People often report drinking alcohol or taking another mind-altering substance because of
boredom, sadness, anger, fear, or depression.
Set and setting: the environment a drug is taken in, which affects your reaction to how a drug feels. Taking a drug with a group of people who are all using the
same drug feels different psychologically and physically from taking it when one is alone or among people who are not using the same drug.
Speed: a synthetic stimulant. Speed affects a person's central nervous system in the same way adrenaline (the body's natural stimulant) works. It speeds up the
body's functioning by increasing heart rate, which in turn intensifies concentration and thought processes.
Stimulants (other terms: amphetamines, speed): substances that impact a person's feelings by creating increased alertness and feelings of euphoria, which people
find pleasurable. However, they also experience central nervous system stimulation, which increases heart rate and blood pressure.
Withdrawal syndrome (also "Jones-ing"): a physical and psychological reaction to not having a drug that one has developed a dependence on. Examples include
withdrawal from caffeine (severe headaches); marijuana, or cocaine (psychological symptoms); or opiates (shaking, altered sensations, runny nose, feelings of
pain and nausea). Withdrawal from alcohol is considered one of the most severe.
Copyright © 2001 Dominic Cappello. The above is an excerpt from "Ten Talks Parents Must Have With Their Children About Drugs and Choices" (Published by Hyperion;
September 2001; $13.95US/$19.95CAN; 0-7868-8664-1). Reprinted with permission.
|
