Teo Nikolov, XI Grade

BIOLOGY PROJECT: Drugs Addiction

 Introduction:
A drug is any kind of substance, which is not food and is used in order to prevent, diagnose or heal a
disease – a medicine. Its function is to affect the human body and slow down or fasten some of its
functions and usually it is a chemical. The problem is that the most of the drugs are highly addictive and
very dangerous if not used exactly as prescribed or if not at all. In this project I will analyze different
types of drugs, how they affect the human body in both psychological and physiological aspects and why
do people get addicted to them.

 Classification of drugs:
I will explore four major drug groups: sedatives and tranquillizers, opiate narcotics, stimulants and
hallucinogens. For each there will be some examples and description of the effects.

1. Sedatives and tranquillizers: Those are drugs that are

usually prescribed as medications that act as central nervous
system depressants. Barbiturates – “sleeping pills”;
“benzodiazepines – tranquilizers”

Examples are Mebaral, Quaaludes, Xanax and Valium

(benzodiazepines), Nembutal.
The short-term effects are: Euphoria; slow normal brain function, which may result in slurred speech,
shallow breathing, sluggishness, fatigue, disorientation and lack of coordination or dilated pupils; feeling
sleepy and uncoordinated; higher doses might cause impairment of memory, judgment and
coordination, irritability, paranoid and suicidal ideation.
The long-term effects are: physical dependence; there can be a rebound effect, possibly leading to
seizures and other harmful consequences; addiction and taking higher doses which might lead to
overdose and death
2. Opiate narcotics: They are made from chemicals found
in the juice of the opium poppy. Prescription opioids,
which have essentially the same mechanism of action as
natural opiates, include drugs such
as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and fentanyl.
Examples: Opium, Morphine, codeine, Heroin
Short-term effects: Feelings of euphoria, Pain relief, Drowsiness,
Sedation.
Side effects: Drowsiness, Lethargy, Paranoia, Respiratory depression, Nausea.

Long-term effects: Nausea and vomiting, Abdominal distention and bloating, Constipation, Liver damage
(especially prevalent in abuse of drugs that combine opiates with acetaminophen), Brain damage due to
hypoxia, resulting from respiratory depression, Development of tolerance, Dependence.

3. Stimulants: They increase certain types of cell

signaling and boost various physiologic processes
throughout the brain and body. They are mostly
used because when using them, the release of
dopamine is heightened.

Examples: Prescription ADHD medications such

as Adderall (amphetamine & dextroamphetamine)
and Ritalin (methylphenidate),
Methamphetamine (including crystal meth),
Cocaine (including crack cocaine)

Short-term effects: Intense feelings of happiness, Increased energy/sociability and self-esteem,

Improved attention, Increased sexual desire and performance, Opened breathing passages/easier
breathing, Suppressed appetite.

All of those effects seem really tempting, but there is also a really high risk for the user’s life, because of
the side effects: Increased heart rate, heightened blood pressure, Very high body temperature, Muscle
shakes or tremors, Agitation.

Long-term effects: Extreme weight loss, Reduced sexual functioning, Gastrointestinal problems, Muscle
deterioration, Chronic exhaustion, Cardiovascular damage, Breathing problems, Headaches, Cerebral
hemorrhage, Stroke, Seizure.

4. Hallucinogens: cause profound distortions in a

person's perceptions of reality (hallucinations).
While under the influence of hallucinogens,
users might see images, hear sounds or feel
sensations that seem to be real but aren't

Examples: LSD, Mescaline, Psilocybin, PCP, DMT,

Ayahuasca

Short-term effects: feelings of euphoria; blurred vision;

sense of relaxation and well-being; hallucinations and distorted perception, including visual, auditory,
body, time and space; disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or
maintaining attention; anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic; dizziness; blurred vision; loss of
coordination; increased breathing rate; increased heart rate and blood pressure; irregular heartbeat,
palpitations; nausea and vomiting; increased body temperature and sweating, may alternate with chills
and shivering; numbness.
While there are also the so called “Bad trips”, in which the user might experience: unpleasant and/or
intense hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, panic or fear.

And the long-term effect in the most cases is the “flashback” in which you re-experience the drug days,
months and even years after you took it and you might see hallucinations everywhere at any time and
not even knowing it.

 How does the drug addiction begin? :

Like everything else, the addiction to drugs simply begins by curiosity. A lot of people tell themselves “I
just want know what it is like.”, or “Everybody should try it at least once.” Social media is the key factor
of why people think drugs are “cool”.

Another step is the social pressure by friends: in the most cases, drug addiction begins while being a
teenager. There is a friend of yours that tells you he has tried some drug and it’s “amazing” and you
should try it too. Usually this happens when you’re in the teenager years.

Some people start using drugs, because they want to get relief from the pain, depression, frustration
and even boredom and experience something new.

Another reason and mostly for the stimulants, is the desire to have “extra energy”. When you’re too
tired to study but have exams the next day, or your boss have told you that if you do not submit your
work the next day, you will get fired, a lot of people get to the stimulants for “help”.

Most of the hallucinogens give the feeling that you are going to a different world and/or you’re
improving your perception of this one. Mostly it is teenagers that fall for that and start using them,
without even knowing the consequences might be.

Even the drugs prescribed by doctors in order to relief the pain after a surgery might me really
dangerous to the psychic. They are highly addictive, because of the effect of “painkiller”, but when it is
over you want more, just to keep it going. A lot of people continue using them illegally after they’re
period of usage is over and can’t get rid of them. Another people start using them without even being
told by doctors to do so.

The most important thing that needs to be remembered is that any kind of drug is nothing but
temporary escape from the life problems and leads to serious psychical and physical problems.

 Alcohol and Tobacco

I am writing about alcohol and tobacco more thorough because
they are the legal and accepted by the society drugs, which are
not less harmful than any other drug, and even much more that the most. That is why I’ll pay more
attention in explaining their harms.

1. Alcohol: it is classified as a depressant drug, although many people us it as a stimulant, when

taken in small doses

Almost every adult is a light alcohol drinker (drinks 1-3 times a week) and it is believed to be absolutely
normal. Actually, up to 1 glass a day does not harm much the overall health, but when it becomes a
habit and you can’t stop after the 1st glass it is now a problem.

Digestive and endocrine glands: It might lead to abnormal activation of digestive enzymes produced by
the pancreas and even pancreatitis.

Inflammatory damage: The liver’s function is to break down and remove harmful substances from the
body, one of which is alcohol. But drinking too often/too much affects the work of the liver in a bad way.
The risk of chronic liver inflammation and liver diseases increase rapidly. Cirrhosis is frequently seen
because of the inflammation. The liver disease is dangerous for the life and is leading to toxins and
waste buildup in the human body.

Sugar levels: The pancreas helps regulate your body’s insulin use and response to glucose. When the
pancreas and liver aren’t functioning properly, you are in danger of hypoglycemia (experiencing low
blood sugar). It might also prevent the body from producing enough insulin to use sugar. This can lead
to hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood). And when the body can’t control normally the sugar
levels, then this might also lead to diabetes.

Central nervous system: One of the first indicators that the alcohol has had effect on your nervous
system is the slurred speech. Alcohol reduces the communication between the body and the brain,
which makes it difficult to coordinate. It harms the long-term memory, might damage front lobe of the
brain and even lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which is a brain disorder affecting the memory.

Dependency: it is highly addictive both psychically and physically and might be really harmful to quit it
without medical consultation, because if withdrawal suddenly, those symptoms might occur: anxiety,
nervousness, nausea, tremors, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heavy sweating. In some really
serious cases might be seen even: hallucinations, seizures and delirium.

Digestive system: in some cases drinking damages the tissues in the digestive tract, which prevents the
guts to digest food and absorb nutrients and vitamins. Thus might lead to malnutrition. Drinking in
higher doses might take to: gassiness, bloating, feeling of fullness in the abdomen, diarrhea or painful
stools. People who drink more often have high chance of developing cancer in the: mouth, throat,
esophagus, colon or liver. Combined with tobacco the risk becomes significantly higher.

Circulatory system: it affects seriously the heart and the lungs also. Alcohol might lead to many heart-
related issues. Complications with the circulatory system are: high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat,
difficulty pumping blood through the body, stroke, heart attack, heart disease, heart failure, and
because of the hard absorbing of vitamins and minerals from food anemia might occur. This is when a
person has low red blood cells count and one of the major symptoms of this disease is fatigue (huge
tiredness)

2. Tobacco: The main chemical in tobacco is

nicotine, which is a stimulant drug that speeds
up the messages travelling between the brain
and body. It may be even more addictive than
heroin.

Lung damage: Smoking affect really bad the lungs, not

only because of the nicotine as most people think, but
also because of the 7000 other chemicals, 70 of which
is known to cause cancer. Some of which, are:
Hydrogen cyanide, Formaldehyde, Lead, Arsenic,
Ammonia, Radioactive elements, such as uranium
Benzene, Carbon monoxide, Nitrosamines, Polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The risk of developing a lung cancer is 25 times for the men and 25.7
times for woman higher than non-smokers. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that
9 out of people suffering from lung cancer were smokers. Another unpleasant disorder is the chronic
obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). 80% of COPD deaths were caused by smoking.
Developing emphysema and chronic bronchitis is often seen with smokers. They can also trigger or
exacerbate an asthma attack.
Heart diseases: Smoking damages the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells. The chemicals and the tar
increase the risk of atherosclerosis. Smoking also increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD)
(the arteries to the arms and legs start to narrow, restricting blood flow) and people with PAD might
experience: blood clots, angina, or chest pain, a stroke, a heart attack.

Risk of pregnancy complications: smoking might affect pregnancy and the developing fetus in some
ways, such as increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy, reducing the baby's birth weight, increasing the
risk of preterm delivery, damaging the fetus's lungs, brain, and central nervous system, increasing the
risk of sudden infant death syndrome, contributing to congenital abnormalities, such as cleft lip or cleft
palate.
References:
https://ncapda.org/education/drugs/sedatives-and-tranquilizers/

https://drugabuse.com/opiates/effects-of-use/

https://drugabuse.com/stimulants/effects-use/

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-hallucinogens-63386

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-the-effects-of-hallucinogens-67500

https://www.mydr.com.au/addictions/hallucinogens-what-are-the-effects

https://www.healthline.com/health/alcohol/effects-on-body#1

https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/tobacco/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324644.php

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/carcinogens-found-in-tobacco-
products.html