PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND THE WAYS OF AVOIDING BAD HABITS

DANGEROUS PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES: - tobacco; - alcohol; - drugs.

KEY FACTS: Tobacco use killed one hundred million people in the 20th century and if current trends continue, will kill one billion people in the 21st century; Almost one billion men (35 percent in developed countries and 50 percent in developing countries) and 250 million women (22 percent of women in developed countries and 9 percent in developing countries) smoke cigarettes; 5 million people will die worldwide this year from tobacco-related diseases; By 2025, tobacco will be the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, killing more than 10 million people every year; 70 percent of these deaths will occur in developing countries; Worldwide, over 15 billion cigarettes are smoked every day; The top five cigarette consuming countries are: China, United States, Russia, Japan and Indonesia.

WHAT EFFECTS CAN ALCOHOL HAVE ON YOU? Alcohol goes directly into the bloodstream which is why it has effects on every system in the body; Heavy drinking can cause cirrhosis and cancer of the liver; Alcohol abuse can lead to both homicides and suicides; Long-term effects of heavy alcohol use include loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, stomach ailments, heart and central nervous system damage, and memory loss; Alcohol blocks the messages going to your brain and alters your perceptions and emotions, vision, hearing, and coordination.

I think smoking is stupid! And I expect you do too after reading all this sad stuff.

QUICK TIPS AND FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL One 12-ounce beer has as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of whiskey or a 5-ounce glass of wine, or wine coolers. Drinking increases the risk of injury. Car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and suicide are all linked to alcohol and other drug use.

Alcohol can ruin your looks, give you bad breath, and make you gain weight. Drinking can lead to intoxication and even death. Drinking puts your health, education, family ties, and social life at risk.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF USING DRUGS? Increases in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature; Reduction of the bodys ability to resist and combat infection; Violent, erratic, or paranoid behavior; Hallucinations and "coke bugs" -- a sensation of imaginary insects crawling over the skin; "Cocaine psychosis" -- losing touch with reality, loss of interest in friends, family, sports, hobbies, and other activities

Drug use can make you depressed, and contribute to slipping grades. Using drugs wont help you escape your problems, it will only create more.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRUGS Get the facts right Even one hit of crack or cocaine can be fatal. Stay informed Injecting cocaine can give you hepatitis and AIDS.

MECHANISMS RELATING PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USE TO HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS Form and patterns of substance use Amount of substance use Chronic disease Acute social problems Chronic social problems Accidents, injuries Psychoactive effects (intoxication) Toxic and other biochemical effects Dependence

WHAT SMOKING DOES TO PEOPLE? over one in ten of all deaths in the world is due to smoking it killed almost 5 million people worldwide in 2000 people who don't smoke (also called 'passive or secondary smoking') breathe in the pollution from smokers' cigarettes if your parents smoke, it will damage your lungs too more than half of all deaths from smoking are among people between 30 to 69 years of age women who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day run four times the risk of getting breast cancer