Disturbing Trends in Alcohol and Drug Abuse

DISTURBING TRENDS IN ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE

TRAINING COURTESY OF:

Today’s training is funded by a TxDOT Highway Safety Grant.

OBJECTIVES

• Recognize unique challenges related to underage drinking and substance abuse; • Recognize substances, effects, and methods of use; • Demonstrate techniques of verifying authenticity of driver’s licenses and identification cards; and • Summarize investigative techniques frequently used to combat underage drinking and driving.

3 2

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO UNDERAGE IMPAIRED DRIVING FATALITIES

• Lack of driving experience puts young drivers at increased risk. They are less able to scan their environment and detect or recognize imminent hazards.

• In addition, after they have been drinking or taking drugs, young drivers tend to engage in very risky behavior. For example, they are more likely to drive 20 or more miles over the speed limit, run red lights and make illegal turns.

• They are less likely to wear safety belts.

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN TEENAGERS

• The brain grows and changes continually in young people and it is only about 80 percent developed in adolescents. The last section to mature is the frontal lobe, responsible for things such as reasoning, planning and judgment. Maturation occurs around 25.

• Alcohol reduces the level of serotonin in the brain. One of serotonin’smostimportantrolesistohelpcontrolimpulses, which may help to explain why drinking teens often engage in foolish, irresponsible, and dangerous activities.

• Studies suggest that alcohol‐induced memory impairments, such as "blackouts," may be more common among young drinkers than adult drinkers. 5

ALCOHOL AND BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

6 3

MIDDLE /HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

• In Texas, 1 in 4 students had their first drink before the age of 13.

• 72% of Texas secondary students report that they had used alcohol at some point in their lives and 39.7% report they have used in the last month.

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

• 17% of Texas high school seniors said they have driven after having several drinks and 34.7% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

• Alcoholisconsidereda“gateway”drug meaning early use is a predictor that an adolescent will try other substances.

ALOCOHOL USE ‐ POPULAR TRENDS

• Energy Drinks • Tampons • Gummy bears • Soaking candy • Fruit • Smoking Alcohol

9 4

ENERGY DRINKS AND ALCOHOL • These drinks contain caffeine and/or other herbal stimulants,aswellasalcohol. • The alcohol volume varies between 6% and 12%. One 23.5 can may contain nearly a six pack of beer’s worth of ethanol. • Due to the stimulants in the drink, the user may be less aware of their level of intoxication. • Examples: Four Loko, Joose, Full Tilt • FDA banned these drinks in November of 2010 (specific to the addition of caffeine) but due to their popularity, teens may make them on their own or find them online.

TAMPONS

• Soak tampons in vodka • May be inserted vaginally or in the rectum • Allows alcohol to enter the bloodstream faster than the acid protected gastrointestinal tract • There is no way for the body to eliminate the excess alcohol and no way for them to gauge how much they have really consumed • Breath does not smell like alcohol

LIQUOR SOAKED TAMPONS

12 5

GUMMY BEARS

• “Drunk bears” • Pour liquor such as vodka over gummy bears in a dish • Let them sit for a couple of hours or overnight • Gummy bears will soak up the liquor and expand in size • May also use gummy worms or red fish • Don’t realize how much they are ingesting

CANDY SOAKED VODKA

• Use skittles, jolly ranchers, starburst or peppermints • Separate the candy by color and put in jars or water bottles • Pour in vodka and agitate until the skittles are dissolved • Let the mixture sit for a day or two • Filter through a coffee filter • Refrigerate 14

VODKA SOAKED FRUIT

Students inject vodka into an orange with a syringe or soak watermelon with vodka so that they can consume the fruit in class or on school grounds without detection.

15 6

SMOKING ALCOHOL • Alcohol is poured over dry ice and inhaled • Alcohol is poured into a bottle, the bottle is corked, and a bicycle pump needle is poked through the top of the cork. Air is then pumped into the bottle in order to vaporize the alcohol and the user inhales. • “Vaportinis” –Availables at bar

• Dangerous because it is unknown exactly how much alcohol is being ingested directly into the bloodstream through the lungs. The alcohol isn’t metabolized or expelled through vomiting. • Risk of lungs filling up with liquid. 16

COMMONLY ABUSED SUBSTANCES • Marijuana • Medication • Synthetics • Inhalants • Mushrooms • Ecstasy • Herbs and Plants • Cocaine • Heroin

MARIJUANA (Duration of effects: 2‐3 hours but up to 24 hours)

What an you might see: • Body tremors • Panic attacks • Eyelid tremors • Psychosis • Sleepiness • Debris in mouth • Increased heart rate • Relaxed inhibitions • Paranoia • Impaired perception of • Hallucinations time and distance • Disorientation

18 7

MEDICATION ‐ PSYCHOSTIMULANTS

• Although stimulants, these drugs have a calming and focusing effect on those with a hyperactivity disorder.

• Those without ADHD use the drugs for the stimulant effect. They increase the amount of circulating brain chemicals that raise blood pressure and heart rate, speed up breathing, decrease appetite, increase concentration, gives a sense of euphoria and causes insomnia.

MEDICATION ‐ PSYCHOSTIMULANTS (Duration of effects: 4‐8 hours) What an you might see:

• Body Tremors • Grinding teeth • Restlessness • Loss of appetite • Talkative • Cardiac irregularities • Exaggerated reflexes • Convulsions • Anxiety • Seizures • Irritability • Dry mouth

MEDICATION ‐ ANTI‐ANXIETY TRANQUILIZERS

Examples: •Xanax (aka “Xannies”, “Handle Bars”, “Bars”) •Valium •Ativan

21 8

MEDICATION ‐ ANTI‐ANXIETY TRANQUILIZERS (Duration of effects: 4‐8 hours) What an you might see: • Uncoordinated and/or fumbling • Disoriented • Sluggish • Thick, slurred speech • Sleepy • Droopy eyelids • Over sedation looks like alcohol impairment 22

MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS

A recent report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that each year, more people die from prescription painkiller overdoses than from heroin and cocaine overdoses combined.

MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS

Examples: • Vicodin • Lortab • Oxycodone • “Hillbilly Heroin” • “OC” • “Oxy” • Codeine (aka “Purple Drank”)

24 9

MEDICATION ‐ OPIODS (Duration of Effects: Varies) What an you might see: • Low, raspy slow speech • Dry mouth • Euphoria • Sensory distortion • Droopy eyelids • Drowsy • Constricted pupils • Itching

MEDICATION ‐ OVER‐THE‐COUNTER Examples: Dextromethorphan (DXM) Brands: Robitussin (aka“Robo”,“Triple C’s”,“Skittles”) Sleeping Pills/Allergy Medication Brands: Sominex, Benadryl Doxylamine Brands: Unisom, Nyquil Effects: • Similar to alcohol impairment • May have mild hallucinations

PHARMING PARTIES

During these parties, students take whatever drugs and medications that they can get and combine them in a bag or bowl. They take handfuls at one time without knowing exactly what they are taking and what interactions the drugs may have when mixed together.

27 10

SYNERGISTIC EFFECT

• A biologic response to multiple substances where one substance worsens the effect of another substance. The combined effect of the substances acting together is greater than the sum of the effects of the substances acting by themselves. • This is a common concern involving college age students that frequently mix alcohol with substances or various substances together. • Poly drug use is becoming very popular as students mix multiple “uppers” and “downers” in order to maintain a consistent high. • Happens during “Pharming Parties”

SYNTHETIC DRUGS

• Drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine and LSD. • In many cases, the effects might be stronger and more unpredictable. • Examples: K2 or Spice aka “fake weed” Bath Salts aka “fake cocaine”

• DEA has banned the chemicals used to make these products.

INHALANTS

Examples: • Nitrous Oxide (aka: laughing gas, whippets) • Dust Off • Cooking Spray • Spray Paint • Glue

30 11

INHALANTS (Duration of effects: very short)

What an officer may see: • Feels like being drunk with dizziness, dreaminess and fits of giggles • May cause hallucinations • Constricted pupils • Possible nausea • Disorientation • Confusion • Bloodshot watery eyes • Lack of muscle control • Flushed face • May leave a rash around the mouth 31

INHALANTS

Methods of Ingestion: • Sniffing through the nose • “Huffing”‐inhaling fumes through the open mouth • “Bagging”‐spraying the substance into a bag and placing the bag over their head • “Dusting”‐inhaling compressed air from sprays used for cleaning computer keyboards.

MUSHROOMS

• Contain hallucinogenic properties, which can alter states of consciousness. • May be eaten raw, cooked (made into a tea or soup), or ground into a powder and smoked, often on top of marijuana. • Side effects include stomach pain, increased heart rate, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety/panic attacks, mental disorders, flashbacks and impaired judgment. 33 12

MDMA (ECSTASY) • Psychoactive drug similar to methamphetamine and mescaline. • Effects the neurons in the brain that use serotonin, by causing excessive release of serotonin. This produces an energizing effect and feelings of euphoria, emotional warmth and distortions in time perception and tactile experiences. • Side effects include confusion, depression, insomnia, drug craving and severe anxiety.

SALVIA May be purchased at a head shop or directions are available online for extracting and purifying the substance out of the plant that is smoked.

Effects: •Uncontrollable laughter •Lack of coordination

SALVIA TRIP

36 13

JIMSON WEED User may eat the seeds or drink them in a tea. The entire plant is poisonous. The experience is typically described as unpleasant. Effects: •Hallucinations •Dry Mouth

•Euphoria 37

MORNING GLORY

Must purchase untreated seeds to be eaten. The kind that is sold for planting is usually treated and will make the user sick to their stomach. Effects: •Similar to LSD •Mood Swings 38

COCAINE

• Cocaine is used for its exhilarating and intense high. Cocaine can be snorted or injected, or crack cocaine—cocaine mixed with baking soda—can be smoked.

• Cocaine depletes all of the body’s feel‐good chemicals after the user’s high is over, thus causing depression and other symptoms, called a cocaine crash.

39 14

COCAINE Effects: • Nausea • Increased blood pressure • Headaches • Insomnia • Erratic heart beat

HEROIN

• Heroin is a highly addictive drug that is processed from morphine, which comes from the seedpod of the opium Asian poppy plant. It is a depressant that inhibits the central nervous system.

• Heroin in its purest form is usually a white powder. Less pure forms have varied colors ranging from white to brown. "Black tar" heroin is dark brown or black and has a tar‐like sticky feel to it.

HEROIN Effects: • Itching • Reddening of the eyes • Dry mouth • Flushing of the skin • Pupil constriction • Nodding out • Heaviness of the extremities

42 15

CONCEALING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS

• Students may use soda cans, water bottles, batteries, pens, clothing, etc. • These items can be purchased at head shops, online or made at home.

CONCEALING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS

CONCLUSIONS

• We must look beyond underage drinking, and look at the larger issue of substance abuse. • Trends and methods of ingestion used by youth may be far different from those of adults. • New substances and methods of abuse are occurring regularly. • This makes recognition of drugs and their effects a considerable challenge. 45 16

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

If you have any questions, or wish to obtain more information regarding alcohol and drug abuse trends, please contact the FRIDAY program at:

Phone: 800‐848‐2088 Email: [email protected] Website: www.texasfriday.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/fridayandadapt