Drug and Alcohol Risks

Appendix 1

Health Risks Associated with the Use of Illicit Drugs and Alcohol

	Physical Dependence	Psychological Dependence	Possible Effects	Effects of Overdose	Withdrawal Syndrome
Narcotics
Heroin	High	High			Yawning
Morphine	High	High			Loss of appetite
Codeine	Moderate	Moderate	Euphoria	Slow and shallow breathing	Irritability
Hydrocodone	High	High	Drowsiness	Clammy skin	Tremors
Hydromorphone	High	High	Respiratory depression	Convulsions	Panic Cramps
Oxycodone	High	High	Constricted Pupils	Coma	Nausea
Methadone and LAAM	High	High	Nausea	Possible death	Runny nose
Fentanyl and Analogs	High	High			Chills and sweating
Other Narcotics	High – Low	High – Low			Watery Eyes
Depressants			-->
Chloral Hydrate	Moderate	Moderate	Slurred speech	Shallow respiration	Anxiety
Barbiturates	High-Moderate	High-Moderate	Disorientation	Clammy skin	Insomnia
Benzodiazepines	Low	Low	Drunken behavior w/o odor of alcohol	Dilated pupils Weak and rapid pulse	Tremors Delirium
Glutethimide	High	Moderate		Come	Convulsions
Other Depressants	Moderate	Moderate		Possible Death	Possible Death
Stimulants
Cocaine	Possible	High	Increased alertness	Agitation	Apathy
Amphetamine/ Methamphetamine	Possible	High	Euphoria Increased pulse rate and blood pressure Excitation	Increased body temp. Hallucinations Convulsions	Long periods of sleep Irritability Depression
Methylphenidate	Possible	High	Insomnia	Possible death	Disorientation
Other Stimulants	Possible	High	Loss of appetite
Cannabis
Marijuana	Unknown	Moderate	Euphoria Relaxed inhibitions	Fatigue Paranoia	Occasional reports of insomnia
Tetrahydrocannabinol	Unknown	Moderate	Increased appetite	Possible psychosis	Hyperactivity
Hashish and Hashish Oil	Unknown	Moderate	Disorientation		Decreased appetite
Hallucinogens
LSD	None	Unknown	Illusions and hallucinations	Longer	Unknown
Mescaline and Peyote	None	Unknown	Altered perception of time and distance	More intense ‘trip’ episodes
Amphetamine Variants	Unknown	Unknown		Psychosis
Phencyclidine and Analogs	Unknown	High		Possible Death
Other Hallucinogens	None	Unknown
Anabolic Steroids
Testosterone	Unknown	Unknown	Virilization Acne	Unknown	Possible depression
Nandrolone	Unknown	Unknown	Testicular atrophy Gynecomastia Aggressive behavior
Oxymetholone	Unknown	Unknown	Edema

Alcohol Effects

Alcohol consumption causes a number of marked changes in behavior. Even low doses significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely, increasing the likelihood that the driver will be involved in an accident. Low to moderate doses of alcohol also increases the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse. Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn and remember information. Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death. If combined with other depressants of the central nervous system, much lower doses of alcohol will produce the effects just described.

Repeated use of alcohol can lead to dependence. Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions. Alcohol withdrawal can be life threatening. Long-term consumption of large quantities of alcohol, particularly when combined with poor nutrition, can also lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and the liver. Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants have irreversible physical abnormalities and mental retardation. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other youngsters of becoming alcoholics.