VELS VIDHYALAYA PALAYAMKOTTAI

BIOLOGY INVESTIGATORY PROJECT

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL ABUSE

DONE BY
E.MUKESH
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I thank the Almighty God who helped me to choose this project wisely.

I thank our respected Correspondent Mr. MVM Senthil Prakash and Principal Mrs. Murugeswari

for their encouragement, help and service in performing the project.

I Gratefully acknowledge my sincere thanks to my respected biology teachers Mrs.Sumathi and

Dr.Mandhiri kumar for her remarkable guidance throughout the project.

Last but not least I would to thank all those who helped me directly and indirectly towards the

completion on this project.

E.MUKESH

GRADE : XII

ROLL NO:
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Tableofcontents
➢ Certificate
➢ Acknowledgement
➢ Introduction
➢ Classificationofdrugs
➢ Someharmfuldrugs
• Heroin
• Cannabinoids
• Cocaine
• Tobacco
• Alcohol
➢ Adolescenceanddrug/alcoholabuse
• Howdrugaddictionbegin?
➢ Addictiontowardsdrugs
➢ Harmscausedbydrugsabuse
➢ Preventionandcontrol
• Somemeasurestopreventdrugabuse
➢ Bibliography
 Introduction
Drugabusealsocalledsubstanceabuseorchemicalabuse,isadisor
derthatischaracterizedbyadestructivepatternofusingasubstancet
hatleadstosignificantproblemsordistress.Teensareincreasinglye
ngaginginprescriptiondrugabuse,particularlynarcotics(whichare
prescribedtorelieveseverepain),andstimulantmedications,whicht
reatconditionslikeattentiondeficitdisorderandnarcolepsy.

Anysubstance,otherthanfood,usedinprevention,diagnosis,allavi
ationortreatmentofadiseaseiscalledadrug.Drugisalsoknownasa
medicine.Adrug,broadlyspeaking,canbecategorizedinmanyways
;hardorsoft,uppersordowners,addictiveornon-
addictive,mostharmfulorleastharmful,legalorillegal.Propereducat
ionandguidancewouldenableyouthtsafeguardthemselvesagainst
thesedangerousbehaviorpatternsandfollowhealthylifestyles.The
WorldHealthOrganization(WHO)reportsthattheharmfuluseofalco
holresultsinthreemilliondeathsperyeararoundtheworld.According
totheUSCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC),around
sixpercentofpeopleovertheageof18aredrinkingheavilyaround16p
ercentarebingedrinkingintheUS.
 Classi昀椀cationofdrugs
Therearealargenumberofdrugsonwhichpeoplebecomedependent.
Theseareclassifiedintofourmajorgroups:
• SedativesandTranquilizers
• Opiatenarcotics
• Stimulations
• Hallucinogens

Sr.no Typesofdrugs Effects Examples

1. Sedativesandtranquiliz DepressCNSactivitygivefeelin Barbiturates,benzo
ers gofcalmness,relaxation,drows diazepins
iness.
2. Opiatenarcotics Suppressbrainactivityandrelax
Opium,M
edpain. orphine,C
odeine,H
eroin
3. Stimulants Makeapersonmorewakeful,aler Amphetamines,
tandactive,causeexcitement. Caffeine,Cocai
ne
4. Hallucinogens Makeapersonmorewakeful,per LSQ,
ceptions. Mescaline,Psi
locybin,Ganja,
Charas,Hashi
sh
 Someharmfuldrugs
Onewaytoclassifydrugsisbasedontheirmakeup,chemicallysimilarsubsta
ncesareeithersyntheticallymanufactured,orderivedfromthesamenaturalso
urce.Ontheotherhand,somedrugscanhavedifferentstructures,butsimilareff
ectsonhumanbody.Asocialmenace,drugs,andalcoholsarepermeatingvery
deepintothelivesofinnocentyouth,whofallpreytothis.Theharmfuleffectsofdr
ugsandalcoholarefarandmany.Theynotonlyspoilthehealthoftheindividualb
utalsoslowlymakepeopleaddictedthem,whoturnouttobeant-
socialwithbehaviouralissues.

➢ HEROIN

▪ Heroiniswhitebrownpowderorblack,stickygoo.It‟sanopioiddru
gmadefrommorphine,anaturalsubstanceintheseedpodofthe
Asianpoppyplant.Itcanbemixedwithwaterandinjectedwithnee
dle.
▪ Heroincanalsobesmokedorsnortedupthenose.Allof
thesewaysoftakingheroinsendittothebrainveryquickly.Thism
akesitveryaddictive.
 ▪ Majorhealthproblemsfromheroinincludemiscarriages,heartin
fections,anddeathfromoverdose.Peoplewhoinjectthedrugals
oriskgettingdiseases,includingHIV/AIDSandhepatitis.
▪ Regularuseofheroincanleadtotolerance.Ifdependent
usersstopheroin,theyhavewithdrawalsymptoms.Thesesympt
omsincluderestlessness,muscleandbonepain,diarrheaandvo
miting,andcoldflasheswithgoosebumps.

Structureofopium Opiumpoppyplant

➢ Cannabinoids

▪ Cannabinoidsarenaturallyoccurringcompoundsfoundincann
abissativaplant.Ofover480differentcompoundspresentinthe
plant,onlyaround66aretermedcannabinoids,whichinteractwit
hcannabinoidreceptorspresentprincipallyinbrain.
▪ Naturalcannabinoidsareobtainedfromtheinflorescences
oftheplantcannabissativa.Theflowertops,leavesandtheresino
fcannabisplantareusedinvariouscombinationstoproducemari
juana,hashish,charasandganja.
 ▪ In1992,anaturallyoccurringsubstanceinthebrainthatbindstoC
B1wasdiscovered,calledanandamide.
▪
▪

▪ Generally,takenbyinhalationandoralingestion,theseareknow
nfortheireffectsoncardiovascularsystemofthebody.Theyarea
busedbysportspersoninrecenttimes.

Cannabinoidstructure Cannabissativaplant
➢ Cocaine

▪ Thecocaplant,Erythroxylumcoca,andrelatedspecieshave
grownnaturallyinthenothernmountainsofSouthAmericafor
thousandyears.
▪ Itinterfereswiththetransportoftheneuro-transmitter
dopamine.Cocaine,commonlycalledcokeorcrackisusually
snorted.
▪ Atthecoreofthisprogressionistheintenseeuphoric
andhedomicjoyproducedinitiallybycocaine,quicklyfollowe
dbydrughunger.
▪ Ithasapotentstimulatingactiononcentralnervous
system,producingasenseofeuphoriaandincreasedenergy
.Excessivedosageofcocainecauseshallucinations.
 ➢ Tobacco

▪ ItisanativeofSouthAfrica,wheretheRedIndianfirststarteds
moking.Nowthetobaccoplanthasbeenusedbyhumanbeing
sformorethan4000years.Itissmoked,chewedorusedasasn
uff.
▪ Inhalingtobaccosmokefromcigars,cigarettes,biddies,
pipesandhubble-bubbleiscalledsmoking.
▪ Cigaretteiscuttobaccowrappedinpaper.Bidiis
tobaccowrapped,inapieceofleaf.Smokingmaygivesomete
mporaryrelieftothestrainednervesbutinthelongrunitproves
adangeroushealthhazard.

Tobacco
plant

➢ Alcohol
▪ Analcoholicbeverageisadrinkcontainingethanol.Ethanolis
acentrally-
actingdrugwithdepressanteffect.Alcoholistakeninlowconc
entration,asbeer,toddyandwineandinrelativelyhighconcen
trationasbrandy,whiskey,rumetc.
▪ Ethylalcohol,orethanol,flammable,colorlessliquid
havingpenetrateodorandburningtaste.Itisoneofthe
 productsofdistillationoffermentedgrains,fruitjuicesandstarc
heswiththehelpofyeastenzyme.

▪ Unlikeotherfoods,alcoholdoesnotrequiredigestion.Alcoholi
sabsorbeddirectlyintothebloodstreamthroughwallofthesto
machandtheintestine.
Adolescenceanddrug/alcoholabuse
Adolescencemeansboth„aperiod‟and„aprocess‟duringwhichachildbecomes
matureintermsofhis/herattitudesandbeliefsforeffectiveparticipationinsociety.
Theperiodbetween12-18yearsofagemaybethoughtofasadolescenceperiod.
Adolescenceisaccompaniedbyseveralbiologicalandbehaviouralchanges.O
ncetheyareexposedtotheuseofalcoholanddrugs,itishighlylikelyforthemtoget
addictedtothemthusresultinginalcoholanddrugabuse.

• Howdrugaddictionbegin?

1. Curiosity:Frequentreferencestodrugsbypublicmediacreatecurio
sityforhavingapersonalexperienceofthedrugs.
2. Friendspressure:frequentappreciationofdrugexperiencebyfrien
dsalluresotherstostarttheuseofdrugs
3. FrustrationandDepression:Somepeoplestarttakingdrugstogetr
elieffromfrustrationanddepression.
4. Desireformorework:Studentssometimestakedrugstokeepawak
ethewholenighttoprepareforexamination.Itisnotdesirableasitm
aycausementalbreakdown.
5. Lookingforadifferentworld:Awrongnotionthatthedrugsopenupane
wworldtemptssomeyoungpupilstostarttakingdrugs.
6. Relieffrompain:Aprolongeduseofpain-
relievingdrugswithphysician‟sadviceattimesleadstoaddiction.
7. FamilyHistory:Childrenmaytakedrugsbyseeingtheireldersinthefa
mily.
8. ExcitementandAdventure:Theyoungsterstakedrugstosatisfytheiri
nstinctforexcitementandadventure.
 Addictiontowardsdrugs
• Drugaddiction,alsocalledsubstanceusedisorder,isadiseasethataffect
saperson‟sbrainandbehaviorandleadstoaninabilitytocontroltheuseof
alegalorillegaldrugandmedicine.
• Substancesuchasalcohol,marijuanaandnicotineareconsidered
drugs.Whenyou‟readdicted,youmaycontinueusingthedrugdespitetheh
armitcauses.
• Somedrugs,suchasopioidpainkillers,haveahigherriskandcause
addictionmorequicklythanothers.Astimepasses,youmayneedlargerdo
sesofthedrugtogethigh.Soonyoumayneedthedrugjusttofeelgood.
• Asyourdrugincrease,youmayfindthatit‟sincreasinglydifficulttogowithout
thedrug.Attemptstostopdrugusemaycauseintense
cravingsandmakeyoufeelphysicallyill.Thesearecalledwithdrawalsympto
ms.

• Theaddictivepotentialofdrugsandalcohol,pulltheuserintoaviciouscir
cleleadingtotheirregularuse(abuse)fromwhichhe/shemaynotbeablet
ogetout.
• Intheabsenceofanyguidanceorcounselling,thepersongets
addictedandbecomesdependentontheiruse.Dependenceisthetendency
ofthebodytomanifestacharacteristicandunpleasantwithdrawalsyndrome
ifregulardoseofdrugs/alcoholisabruptlydiscontinued.
Thisischaracterizedbyanxiety,shakiness,nausea,andsweatingwhic
hmayberelievedwhenuseisresumedagain.
 Harmscausedbydrugabuse
• Excessivedosesofdrugsmayleadtocomaanddeathduetorespir
atoryfailure,heartfailureorcerebralhemorrhage.
• Themostcommonwarningsignsofdrugandalcoholabuseamong
youthincludedropinacademicperformance,unexplainedabsence,lackofi
nterestinthepersonalhygiene,withdrawal,isolation,depression,fatigue,a
ggressivebehavior,deterioratingrelationshipschangeinsleepingandeatin
ghabits,fluctuationsinweight,appetite,etc.
• Ifanabuserisunabletogetmoneytobuydrugs/alcoholhe/shemayturntost
ealing.Attimes,adrugaddictbecomesthecauseofmentalandfinancialdis
tresstohis/herentirefamilyandfriends.
• Thosewhotakedrugsintravenouslyaremuchmorelikelytoacquire
seriousinfectionslikeAIDSandhepatitisB.
• Theuseofalcoholduringadolescencemayalsohavebeenlong
termeffects.Itcouldleadtoheavydrinkinginadulthood.Thechronicuseof
drugsandalcoholduringpregnancyisalsoknowntoadverselyaffectfoetu
s.
• Anothermisuseofdrugsiswhatiscertainissportspersonsdotoenhan
cetheirperformance.Theymisusenarcoticsanalgesics,
anabolicsteroids,diureticsandcertainhormonesinsportstoincreasemus
clestrengthandbulkandtopromoteaggressivenessandasresultincreas
eathleticperformance.
• Thesideeffectsoftheuseofanabolicsteroidsinfemaleincludemasculinis
ation,increasedaggressiveness,moodswings,
depression,abnormalmenstrualcycles,excessivehairgrowthonthefacean
dbody.
 Preventionandcontrol
Theagesoldadageof„preventionisbetterthancure‟holdstrueherealso.Itistru
ethathabitssuchassmoking,takingdrugoralcoholaremorelikelytobetakenup
atayoungage,moreduringadolescence.Hence,itisbesttoidentifythesituatio
nsthatmaypushanadolescenttowardsuseofdrugsandalcohol,andttakerem
edialmeasureswellintime.Inthisregard,theparentsandtheteachershaveasp
ecialresponsibility.Parentingthatcombinewithhighlevelsofnurturanceandc
onsistentdiscipline,hasbeenassociatedwithloweredriskofsubstance(drug/
alcohol/tobacco)abuse.

• Someofthemeasuresmentionedherewou
ldbeusefulforpreventionandcontrolofdr
ugsabuse:
1. Understandhowsubstanceabusedevelops

Substanceabusestartsby:
• Usingaddictivedrugs(illicitorprescribed)forrecreationalpurposes.
• Seekingoutintoxicationeverytimeyouuse.
• Abusingprescriptionmedication.
2. Avoidtemptationandpeerpressure.

Develophealthyfriendshipsrelationshipsbyavoidingfriend
sorfamilymemberwhopressureyoutousesubstances.It‟softensaid“we
becomemostlikethosewesurroundourselvesby,”meaningifyousurrou
ndyourselfwithpeoplewhoabusedrugsandalcoholaremorelikelytoas
well.Peerpressureismajorpartoflifeforteensandadults.

3. Seekhelpformentalillness

Mentalillnessandsubstanceabuseoftengohandinhand.Ify
ouaredealingwithamentalillnesssuchasanxiety,depressionorpost-
traumaticstressdisorderyoushouldseekprofessionalhelpfromalicens
edtherapistorcounselor.Aprofessionalwillprovideyouwithhealthycopi
ngskillstoalleviateyoursymptomswithoutturningtodrugsandalcohol.

4. Examinetheriskfactors

Lookatyourfamilyhistoryofmentalillnessandaddicti
on,severalstudieshaveshownthatthisdiseasetends
toruninthefamily,butcanbeprevented.Themoreyouareawareofyourbi
ological,environmentalandphysicalriskfactorsthemorelikelyyouareto
overcomethem.

5. Keepawell-balancedlife

Peopleoftenturntodrugsandalcoholwhensomethinginthei
rlifeismissingornotworking.Practicingstressmanagementskillscanhel
pyouovercometheselifestressorsandwillhelpyouliveabalancedandhe
althylife.

6. Schoolbaseddrugabusepreventionprograms

Preschoolchildrencanbenefitfromlearninghowtohandlea
ggression,solveproblems,andcommunicatebetterthattheycanavoidp
uttingthemselvesatriskfordrugabuselaterinlife.
 Bibliography
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substance_abuse
• https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html
• https://www.quora.com/What-is-drug-abuse-1
• https://rehabs.in/learn/drug-addiction-explained
• NCERTBIOLOGYBOOK