PS268 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Harm Reduction, Impulsivity, Binge Drinking
Module I: Introduction to Psychoactive Drugs, Behaviour, and the Brain
(Chapter One – Drug Use: An Overview)
1.1 – The Drug Problem
- Talking about Drug Use
o Not all drugs demand the same level of concern
o 5 Questions:
▪ Who?
• Who’s taking the drugs?
o Majority of Canadians perceive drug and alcohol abuse to be
a serious problem
o More concerned when age is lower or if it’s a girl vs. boy
▪ What?
• What drug is being taken?
o Drug is a large umbrella term
▪ Includes tobacco, alcohol, and more serious drugs
▪ When and Where?
• What is the situation of the drug use?
• Is the time of the drug use appropriate?
▪ Why?
• Why are they taking drugs?
• Motives of the drug use can be complex
▪ How?
• How is the drug taken?
o Different methods of intake give different results
• How is the drug being used?
o )s their use considered normal?
- Four Principles of Psychoactive Drugs
o Psychoactive Drugs: having effects on thoughts, emotions, or behaviour
o Four Principles:
1. Drugs, per se, are Not Good or Bad
• No bad drug, but behaviour
• Drugs are not good or bad, but the effects it has on people is what is
the most dangerous
2. Every Drug has Multiple Effects
• All psychoactive drugs act on more than one place in the brain
• Virtually every drug that acts in the brain also has effects on the rest
of the body
3. Both Size and Quality of a Drug’s Effects Depend on the Amount the
Individual Has Taken
• Different dose levels often show a change in the kind of effect
• Increase in dosage causes an increase in the same effects noticed at
lower drug levels
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4. Effect of Any Psychoactive Drug Depends on the Individual’s History and
Expectations
• )ndividual’s attitude has a major effect on perception of drug
experience
• )f they perceive the drug as high quality, then effects will be
perceived to be greater
1.2 − (ow Did We Get (ere?
- Drug-free society has never existed and will most likely never exist
- Early Cultures
o Psychoactive drug use was intertwined with spirituality
- Have Things Really Changed?
o What happens when drug use conflicts with religious practices?
▪ Some psychoactive drugs have been granted exemption from the controlled
drugs and substances act if drug use is used in religious ceremonies
o Some drugs play a huge part in the economy of the country
▪ Tobacco brings in a large amount of tax revenue
o Legal pharmaceutical market
o Proportion of economy devoted to psychoactive drugs has expanded considerably
o Canada’s Drug Strategy CDS addresses ongoing public health concerns
▪ Education, prevention, harm reduction, and enforcement
• Needle exchange programs
1.3 − Drugs and Drug Use Today
- Gathering information about drug use in today’s society is not easy
o Cannot measure illegal substances because tracking sales is impossible
- Extent of Drug Use
o Many surveys proposed to students to gather large amounts of information easily
▪ Most interested in students because this is when drug use typically begins
and reaches highest levels
o Can only gather information from students in school
▪ Bias – students who drop out are more likely to engage in drug use
o Must assume that self-reports are done honestly
- Trends in Drug Use
o Surveys done have four main objectives:
1. Determine prevalence, incidence, and patterns of drug and alcohol use
2. To measure personal and social harms associated with patterns of different
drug use during lifetime and 12-month period during survey
3. Assess context of use and identify risk and protective factors related to drug
use and consequences
4. Establish baseline data to evaluate the success of CDS strategies
o Data collected provides wealth of information about trends in drug and alcohol use
in Canada
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
