Drug Dependence

A Presentation on Legal Medicine

drug /dr/
noun.
In medicine, it refers to any substance with the potential to prevent or cure disease or enhance
physical or mental welfare.
In pharmacology, it refers to any chemical agent that alters the biochemical or physiological
processes of tissues or organisms.
In common usage, the term often refers specifically to Psychoactive Drugs, and often to illicit
drugs, of which there is non-medical use in addition to any medical use.

dependence /dpendns/
noun.
As a general term, dependence is the state of needing or depending on something or someone
for support or to function or survive. As applied to alcohol and other drugs, the term includes
psychological and physiological aspects.
Psychological dependence involves impaired control over drug use and a need or craving for
repeated doses of the drug, to feel good or avoid feeling bad.
Physiological, or physical, dependence is associated with tolerance, where increased doses of
the drug are required to produce the effects originally produced by lower doses, and
development of withdrawal syndrome when the drug is withdrawn.

Facts on Drugs: Philippines

Drug Abuse:
By the numbers

Estimated Drug Users in the

Philippines: 1.3 million
Profile of drug users
Mean Age: 20 29 years old
Ratio of Male to Female: 10:1
Civil Status: Married
Employment Status: Employed
Educational Attainment: High
School

Data taken from: http://www.ddb.gov.ph/newsroom/46-sidebar/58-facts-on-drugs

Profile of Drug
Abusers

Mean age of 31 years old

Ratio of male to female 14:1
Single 49.13%
Unemployed 53.20%
Average monthly income P10,172
Mostly in urban (NCR 43.89%)
Usually taking the drugs for more
than 6 months

Data taken from: http://www.ddb.gov.ph/newsroom/46-sidebar/58-facts-on-drugs

Effects of illegal drug use

The level of harm is affected by:

Dosage of the drug the more of a drug that is taken on a specific occasion, the
higher the risk of the user experiencing acute effects, including intoxication and
overdose. The greater the amount taken over time, the higher the risk of chronic toxic
effects.
Pattern of drug use which is determined by the frequency of variability of drug use
Mode of administration which depends on the way the drug is ingested (e.g.
swallowed, snorted, injected, etc).
The level of harm will also be affected by the purity of the drug. Many illegal drugs
are commonly found to contain adulterants that can increase the rate of morbidity or
mortality.

Commonly abused drugs and their effects

Methamphetamine hydrochloride
It is found to have harmful effects to the
brain.
It changes how the brain functions.
Studies have shown that methamphetamine
abusers have reduced motor skills and
impaired verbal learning as a result of
alterations in the activity of the dopamine
Street names: shabs, ice, meth, crystal,
basura, tawas

Commonly abused drugs and their effects

Cannibis sativa (marijuana)
Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to
form new memories and to shift focus.
Its active component, tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) also disrupts coordination and
balance, posture, and reaction time
Studies also show that marijuana use can
lead to lung cancer and other problems in
the respiratory and immune systems.
Street names: weed, jutes, pot, grass, damo,
chongke

Commonly abused drugs and their effects

Inhalants
The effects of inhalants are similar to that of
alcohol, including slurred speech, lack of
coordination, euphoria and dizziness.
Inhalant abusers may also experience
lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions.
Harmful irreversible effects of inhalants:
Hearing loss
Limb spasms
Central nervous system or brain damage
Bone marrow damage

Brain comparison: Normal vs. Cocaine Abuser

How do we develop dependence?

What happens in our brain?

Normal Pleasure Response

nucleus accumbens

Increased Dopamine Release

Pleasure/Motivation Response

Brain Reward Pathway

Psychoactive Addictive
Drugs Act on this Pathway

Brain Reward Pathway

Wow!!!

Drug

Dopamine surge!!!

Reward Pathway
Drugs act on the
Brain Reward
Pathway
The Wow!!! is
a big reason
people take
drugs but other
things also
happen

Reward Pathway
Areas
Emotional & behavioral
learning
Control of body movement
Early learning and
memory processing
Attention states and
automatic function

Recognize the Signs and

Symptoms

There is no safe High

What happens with continued

drug use?
Wow!!!

locus ceruleus

Healthy
Control

Drug

Drug
Abuser

Tolerance and Withdrawal Develop

Finally the System Breaks

Wow!!!

substantia nigra

Brain cellslocus
become
ceruleus
damaged

Drug

A molecular switch is thrown in the brain

The person becomes a drug addict
Loss of control over drug use
Compulsive drug seeking behavior

Addiction is a Brain Disease

Opiates
Alcohol
Depressants
Cocaine
Amphetamines
Marijuana

In summary
Drugs interact with nerve circuits, centers and chemical messengers resulting to the
following feelings:
I feel good euphoria and reward
I feel better reduces negative feelings
This feels normal creates cravings, tolerating and effects, withdrawing and feeling sick.

These pleasure becomes a routine and eventually becomes a habit.