Drugs & Alcohol. Lesson. By Carone Fitness. Drugs & Alcohol

Transcription

1 Lesson By Carone Fitness In order to maintain a balanced, healthy life, it is important to avoid high-risk behavior. Drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and using drugs are all high-risk behaviors that can negatively impact every dimension of wellness. To understand how these behaviors can be harmful, you need to gain an understanding of the effects of these behaviors. 1

2 Substance abuse is the unnecessary or improper use of a drug for nonmedical purposes. Substance abuse includes taking more medicine than necessary or prescribed, which is called overdosing. This practice of overdosing on prescription drugs or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can be fatal. Substance abuse can also occur when drugs, including alcohol and tobacco products, are used simply for recreational purposes. 2

3 The effects of any form of substance abuse are serious and dangerous. Some of the physical and psychological consequences of substance abuse include the following: Tolerance Withdrawal symptoms Physical dependency Psychological dependency Addiction Tolerance is the need for more and more of a substance to achieve the same effects. 3

4 Withdrawal symptoms are physical and psychological responses to the absence of a given substance. Physical dependency is when the body acquires a chemical need for the substance. 4

5 Psychological dependency occurs when a person believes that the specific drug is needed in order to be happy or to function normally. Addiction The effects of using a controlled substance can lead to addiction. Addiction is a physical and psychological dependency on the drug. Substance abuse and addiction can negatively influence your personal wellness. On the following slides are examples of how this occurs. 5

6 Physical Wellness Your physical wellness can be harmed by the negative side-effects that are associated with a substance. Most substances can damage major organs of your body, including your heart, lungs, liver, and brain. Damage to these organs not only reduces the length of your life, but also the quality of your life. Physical Wellness Because substance abuse impairs your judgment, you may do things you don t want to do or are not ready to do, like participate in sexual activity. Therefore, substance abuse increases your risk for an unplanned pregnancy or an STD. 6

7 Emotional Wellness If you participate in substance abuse, you can lose your selfrespect. Not only might you possibly disappoint your parents, go against your personal beliefs, and disappoint yourself, but you may lose control of your life. You can become a slave to the substance. Intellectual Wellness Substance abuse damages your brain so that it is harder to think clearly, memorize things, and to concentrate. In addition, your life begins to revolve around the substance rather than important things like school and work. 7

8 Spiritual Wellness When you participate in substance abuse, the meaning of your life and your values gets distorted, as the things that were once important no longer matter to you. Social Wellness If you participate in substance abuse, you may think you are being accepted by your peers, but eventually substance abuse leads to social isolation. Social isolation is the inability to interact with people normally. This social isolation can severely damage important relationships, like those with your family. Social isolation occurs as a consequence of substance abuse, as you isolate yourself in order to maintain your habit. 8

9 Environmental Wellness Tobacco smoke causes air pollution and is damaging not only to the smoker but also to others who breathe in the secondhand smoke. Presented By Carone Fitness 9