Realistically, because of the environment in college, your own independence, and peer pressure, you are confronted with complex decisions about your body, your relationships, and your personal values. Illicit drug use is prevalent among many students at most campuses and most of them do not realize the permanent effects drugs can have on them. Drugs produce varying negative effects and consequences such as addiction and a reduction of awareness in your environment. Drug use can lead to many unwanted physical and health ailments like depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, AIDS, or even rape.

Educating yourself about drugs may prevent and protect you from future drug addictions, trouble with the law, brain damage, or even death. Staying clean and drug free is ultimately beneficial to your mental and physical health, your ambition, your social relationships and ultimately, your success.

• How well do you know the adverse reactions to common drugs?
• What are stimulants, depressants, narcotics and hallucinogens?
• What are their street names?
• What the withdrawal symptoms and adverse/overdose reactions of drug use?

II. Identify the proper categories of drugs

Match each recreational drug with its respective drug category.

Drug	Drug Category
Cocaine (coke, blow, toot, snow, lady, crack)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Amphetamines (speed)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Benzedrine	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Dexedrine	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Ecstasy	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Phencyclidine (PCP, angel-dust, hog, rocket-fuel, superweed, peace pill, elephant tranquilizer, sut, bad pizza)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Barbiturates (yellowjackets, yellows, reds)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Nembutal	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Seconal	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Phenobarbital	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Alcohol (booze, hooch)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Heroin (H, hombre, junk, smack, dope, horse, crap)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Morphine (drugstore dope, cube, first line, mud)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Marijuana (bhang, Kif, ganja, dope, grass, pot, smoke, hemp, weed, mary-jane, herb, tea, spliff)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Hashish (hash-oil)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
LSD (dose, trips, acid, electricity, quasey, blotter, microdot, white lightning, purple barrels)	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens

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III. Matching

Identify the adverse/overdose reactions and withdrawal symptoms of drugs. Match the adverse and overdose reactions and the withdrawal symptoms with their correct drug category.

Adverse/Overdose Reaction	Drug Category
Severe reactions are rare but include panic, paranoia, fatigue, bizarre and dangerous behavior, decreased testosterone over long term, immune system effects	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Depressed levels of consciousness, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, possible death	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Confusion, decreased response to pain, shallow respiration, dilated pupils, weak and rapid pulse, coma, possible death	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Elevated blood pressure increase in body temperature, face-picking, suspiciousness, bizarre behaviors and repetitious behavior, vivid hallucinations, convulsions, possible death	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens

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Withdrawal Symptom	Drug Category
Hyperactivity, insomnia, decreased appetite	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Vomiting, sneezing, diarrhea, lower back pain, watery eyes, runny nose, yawning, , tremors, panic, chills and sweating, cramps	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Weakness, restlessness, nausea and vomiting, headaches, nightmares, acute anxiety, hallucinations, seizures, possible death	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens
Apathy, general fatigue, prolonged sleep, disorientation, suicidal thoughts, agitated motor activity, bizarre dreams	Stimulants Depressants Narcotics Hallucinogens

Note: Irritability, anxiety, and depression are common withdrawal symptoms of the categories above.

Ecstasy is a popular “party drug” on college campuses or at rave parties. But health officials define it as a psychoactive drug that permanently distorts the serotonin levels in the brain and has brain-damaging effects. Not so much of a party after all. Educate yourself about Ecstasy and research the complexities of this popular drug.

To learn more about the health hazards of Ecstasy click on:

http://www.nida.nih.gov/Infofax/ecstasy.html
Defines the components of Ecstasy, scientifically known as MDMA a synthetic psychoactive drug. Focuses on neurotoxins and chemical effects that ecstasy has on your brain.

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/mdma/ecstasy020700.htm
A scientific article that explains the damages and the memory impairment that Ecstasy has on the brain.