» illicit drug & alcohol information
Alcohol
Opiates (Heroin, Codeine)
Benzodiazepines
Cannabis
Ecstasy
Amphetamines
Cocaine
The effects of any drug will vary from person to person. It can be dependant on factors such as:
- The individuals size, weight and health
- The persons mood
- How the drug is taken
- How much of the drug is taken
- The strength of the drug
- Whether other drugs are taken
- The setting that the drug is taken in i.e. whether the person is alone or in a setting with other people
Alcohol
Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug around the world, due to its relative social acceptability. In Australia, most adults have used alcohol at least once in their life, and nearly 10% drink at levels that are considered high-risk for both short and long term harm (1).
Alcohol is a depressant. It is produced by the process of fermentation i.e. the action of yeast on liquids containing sugars and starches. Alcohol is usually ingested as a drink.
Slang names for alcohol include grog and booze.
Alcohol can be consumed in small sensible amounts, but it is often drunk in more dangerous quantities.
Short term side effects can include:
- Feeling relaxed, reduced concentration, slower reflexes and reduced coordination.
- More confidence and fewer inhibitions. Intense moods i.e. sad, happy, angry. Slurred speech.
- More alcohol can cause confusion, blurred vision, poor muscle control.
- Extreme drunkenness will often lead to nausea, vomiting and sleep or unconsciousness.
- Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can even lead to coma or death.
- People often have undesirable social experiences due to lowering of inhibitions when intoxicated.
Long term alcohol abuse can affect many organs of the body including:
- Liver swelling and pain, hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
- Inflamed lining of the stomach, bleeding and ulcers.
- The nervous system can be affected leading to tingling and loss of sensation in hands and feet.
- Brain injury, loss of memory, confusion and hallucinations
- Females have greater risk of gynaecological problems
- Men can suffer from impotence, shrinking of testicles and damaged/fewer sperm
- Greater chance of high blood pressure, lung infections inflamed intestinal lining and ulcers, inflamed pancreas, muscle weakness.
- Alcohol can be physically and psychologically addictive
- Long term alcohol abuse can also lead to serious social problems such as loss of work and relationships due to continued abuse problems.
- Legal problems from drunk and disorderly behaviour as well as drink driving charges can also occur.
Most alcohol consumed is broken down and cleared by the liver. The rate at which this is done will depend on several factors such as the drinkers body size, body fat level, sex (women will have higher BAC than men usually after consuming the same amount of alcohol) and stomach contents (if the drinker has just eaten the alcohol will be released in to the blood stream slower).
Opiates (Heroin, Codeine)
Opiates are drugs that briefly stimulate the higher centres of the brain and then depress activity of the Central Nervous System. This alters the messages going to and from the brain and body, slowing physical, mental and emotional responses. They are used medicinally to relieve pain. They can include natural and synthetic forms. Natural opiates, such as Codeine and Morphine, are derived from the opium extracted from the seed pod of the Asian poppy. Other drugs such as heroin are further processed from morphine and others from Codeine.
Codeine
Codeine (also Oxycodone) is usually in the form of an over the counter pain killer such as Panadeine or Nurofen Plus, or can be prescribed by GPs as a severe pain reliever such as Oxycontin or Mersyndol. Pain Killers such as these are commonly abused by the Australian public, with 3% recently using analgesics for non-medicinal purposes. Another problem is people self-medicating with them as opposed to going to a doctor or taking the recommended dose, potentially leading to 'accidental' abuse and impairment to perform specific tasks. Impairment effects can include drowsiness, diminished response time and respiratory depression. Addiction to severe pain killers can develop.
Codeine Chemical Structure
Heroin
Heroin is not a widely used drug in Australia, but approximately 2.3% of people have tried Heroin, and 0.5% of people are current users.
Heroin is made from morphine or codeine (which are derived from the opium poppy) by using a chemical process. It is often of varying potency and usually includes other substances that are used to 'cut' the drug. Heroin is usually injected into a vein, but can also be smoked or snorted.
Other commonly used names for Heroin are smack, skag, dope, H, junk, hammer, slow, gear and horse.
The short term effects of using heroin include:
- An intense surge of euphoria
- Diminishing feelings of physical pain, hunger and sexual urges
- Central Nervous System depression including breathing, blood pressure and pulse becoming slower, dry mouth and increasing drowsiness.
- Nausea and vomiting can occur, particularly in cases of overdose
- Due to the unpredictable strength of the street drug, overdoses are common
- Heroin is highly addictive, both physically (the body undergoes a strong withdrawal from each hit, but adapts to heroin and becomes used to functioning with the drug present) and psychologically (emotional dependence).
The long term effects of using heroin can have side effects such as:
Heroin has a short half life in the body, and the high commonly lasts from 15 minutes to 4 hours. It will usually take about 12-24 hours for most of the heroin to be eradicated from the body.
Heroin Chemical Structure
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are prescribed and used commonly in Australia as sleeping tablets or muscle relaxants (i.e. anti-anxiety or sedative type medication). 3. 2% of Australians have used pain tranquilisers/sleeping pills for non-medicinal purposes in the past.
Benzodiazepines are usually prescribed, so there is very little of the drug available that has not been produced in hygienic situations. Benzodiazepines are most often prescribed in tablet or capsule form. They are usually taken orally or injected.
Other common names for Benzodiazepines are Benzos, tranxs, downers and sleepers.
If taken according to directions benzodiazepines should have the following effects:
- Relaxation, calmness and relief from tension and anxiety
- Sometimes side effects such as drowsiness, tiredness, dizziness and lethargy can occur
- Blurred or double vision, impairment of thought processes including depression and memory, vertigo and stuttering can be more unpleasant effects.
- If higher doses are taken over-sedation can occur leading to drowsiness or sleep.
Long term use of Benzodiazepines (2 weeks to a few months or more) usually leads to addiction. It is not recommended to use them for longer than two or three weeks. They can provide short term relief for sleeping and anxiety problems, but it is advised that these problems be dealt with properly with the guidance of a health professional.
Long term benzodiazepine use can cause:
- Difficulty sleeping and disturbing dreams (therefore not being useful for sleep disorders anyway)
- Nausea, headaches, skin rash, sexual problems, menstrual problems, weight gain, greater appetite and increased risk of accidents.
- Drowsiness, lack of motivation, difficulty thinking clearly, memory loss, and may even cause such side effects as personality change, changes in emotional response and anxiety problems (which also will make Benzodiazepine use not relevant for treatment of anxiety problems as well)
Many addicts to benzodiazepines become so accidentally and report severe and traumatic side effects when going through withdrawal.
Depending on dose taken and amount of time that benzodiazepines have been taken for it will usually take approximately 1-4 days for the drugs to be cleared from the system enough to be able to pass a urine drug test.
Oxazepam Chemical Structure
Cannabis
Marijuana is the most commonly used of all of the illicit drugs. In Australia, 33.1% of people have tried marijuana at least once in their lives, and 12.9% are current users of the drug (at least once a month) (1).
Cannabinoids are derived from the plant Cannabis Sativa. Marijuana is the dried leaves, flowers and stem of the plant. Hashish consists mainly of the resin from the flower clusters on the female plant. It is usually either smoked or ingested mixed or cooked in with food or liquids such as tea.
Other common names used for cannabinoids are marijuana, dope, pot, herb, weed, grass, ganja, mary jane and hash.
The short term effects of ingesting or smoking marijuana are:
- A high that lasts for 3-4 hours after smoking, the maximum high is within about 15-30 minutes after smoking the drug. Onset of the high and length of the high can be extended when ingesting the marijuana instead of smoking it.
- Mild euphoria, contentment, and changes in sensory perception and ability to perform coordinated movements. This may affect motor skills such as driving a car.
- Memory, concentration and problem solving skills required for performing simple tasks is adversely affected.
- Driving studies tend to show that the driver is more cautious, but less able to make quick decisions if necessary.
- Increased heart rate, a user's risk of heart attack more than quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana (1).
The long term effects of continuous use of marijuana can have side effects such as:
- Can promote cancer of the lungs or other parts of the respiratory tract.
- THC can impair the immune system's ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer.
- Depression, anxiety and personality disturbances are all associated with marijuana use.
- Learning and memory skills are affected for up to months after use of the drug has ceased.
- Workers who smoke marijuana are more likely than their co-workers to have problems on the job.
- Long term marijuana use can lead to psychological addiction for some people.
The time that it takes before the average persons will stop testing positive for THC is extremely variable and dependent on several factors. THC is the only one of the illicit drugs that is stored in the fat tissue, so it can take longer to be cleared from the system. Every individual has a different body size and shape and metabolism, which are all factors in how quickly the drug will be eradicated. The concentration of THC can also vary greatly between plants, from 1-30% of the total dry weight, thus a person who ingests or smokes marijuana with a very high THC level will probably take longer than someone who has taken marijuana with a low THC level to clear the drug from their system. It is very dependant on how much an individual has smoked, how often, what they have smoked and how long they have been smoking for. Usually someone who has one dose of marijuana and is not a common smoker it would probably take between 1-4 days to be cleared from the system, but for a very heavy and constant smoker it can take up to 6 weeks.
THC Chemical Structure
Ecstasy
Ecstasy is one of the drugs of which use in Australia is increasing. 6.1% of Australians have tried Ecstasy/designer drugs and 2.9 % have used these drugs in the last 12 months (1). Nearly 20% of 20-29 year olds have used ecstasy/designer drugs.
Ecstasy is similar in structure to MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), but can often contain very little MDMA in the drug. There is little or no quality control regarding hygiene and additives when these drugs are made, increasing the risks of being poisoned for users.
Other common names for Ecstasy include E, XTC, eccy and the love drug.
The usual effects (within 30 minutes of taking the drug to 6 hours after) of taking Ecstasy include:
- A 'coming up', possibly involving a rush
- Increase in heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure. Loss of appetite, jaw clenching and teeth grinding.
- Increase in confidence and positive feelings
- A 'plateau' where the user generally feels happy and relaxed
- A 'coming down' period where users can feel depressed, exhausted and irritable, and sometimes suffer from paranoia and anxiety
- Higher quantities can result in convulsions, vomiting, floating sensations, irrational behaviour, hallucinations
- Overdoses can occur, but some users have died from overheating (dancing and using the drug with not enough fluid intake), and even drinking too much (dilutional hyponatremia).
There is little knowledge of what long term use of ecstasy can do to individuals. It is thought that the pleasurable effects diminish, whilst the undesirable ones increase. There is some evidence that excessive ecstasy use can lead to brain damage, possibly leading to depression and anxiety.
Usually it will take the average person between 1-2 days for ecstasy to be cleared from their system. This will of course be dependant on factors such as fluid intake, body size, metabolism, general health and strength of the drug that was taken.
Amphetamine and Methamphetamine
Amphetamines are a commonly used drug amongst young people aged between 20-29. 8.9% of Australians have tried Amphetamines in their life, with 3.4% having used them in the last 12 months. However, 22% of 20-29 year olds have tried amphetamines and 4.8% have used them in the last month, which is well above the national average.
Amphetamine and methamphetamine are chemically very similar in structure. They are usually made in backyard labs, and are therefore of varying strength and purity. Many other substances can be mixed in with Amphetamines such as other drugs, sugar, glucose, bicarbonate of soda and ephedrine. They are usually taken by mouth, intranasally (by 'snorting'), smoking or via injection.
Other common names for Amphetamines or Methamphetamines are aped, up, fast, louee, goey, whiz, pep pills, crystal meth, ice, shabu and uppers. They usually come in either a white to brown powder form, capsules, tablets, crystals or red liquid.
Amphetamines are synthetic Central Nervous System stimulants. Their action mimics that of the human body hormone, adrenaline, and includes the Ecstasy type drugs.
Short term effects of using Amphetamines include:
- A rush which includes speeding up of bodily activities such as heart rate, breathing and blood pressure. The mouth can dry up, sweating increases and headaches can occur.
- Amphetamine users usually report feeling more energetic and alert, increased confidence and reduced appetite.
- Some people can become irritable, anxious, depressed, hostile and aggressive. Panic attacks can also occur.
- Because of the impure nature of most amphetamines overdoses can result in strokes, heart failure, seizures and high body temperatures.
- Coming down can give the user feelings of violence, tension, radical mood swings, depression and total exhaustion. It can also cause shaking and feelings of nausea.
The long term effects of abusing amphetamines can be:
- Chronic sleeping problems
- Anxiety, paranoia and depression, possibly even psychosis
- High blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat
- Many long term amphetamine users are malnourished because of having a loss of appetite
- Aggressive tendencies
- Immune system damage from lack of sleep and malnourishment, leading to reduced resistance to infections.
Amphetamines can take varying time to be cleared from the body, depending on factors such as potency of the drug taken, weight, metabolism, amount of drug taken, whether the person has taken other drugs and the environment that the person is taking the drug in. Usually it will take between 1-2 days for the drug to be cleared from the system enough to be able to pass a drug test.
Amphetamine Chemical Structure
Cocaine
Cocaine is not a commonly used drug in Australia, with only 4.4% of people having tried it and 0.4% of people being current users of the drug (1). It can, however, have strong effects that can highly alter a users ability to perform tasks, and it is highly addictive. It is most commonly used by people between the ages of 20-29.
Cocaine hydrochloride is derived from the leaves of the Coca bush. It is usually either a fine white/cream powder or in small rock like forms ("crack" cocaine). It is taken by sniffing or snorting, injecting and smoking.
Common names for Cocaine include Coke, C, Crack, rock, snow, blow and freebase.
The short term effects of taking Cocaine include:
- A short high - usually 15-30 minutes if the cocaine is snorted, or 5-10 minutes after smoking the Cocaine.
- Cocaine is a powerful Central Nervous System stimulant. It is rapidly absorbed and transmitted to the brain, causing an intense and immediate high typified by hyper-stimulation, reduced fatigue and mental clarity.
- Some users report restlessness, irritability and anxiety.
- Poor concentration and judgement.
- Inhibition of normal feelings of tiredness.
- Constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils and increased temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.
The long term effects of using Cocaine can be:
Many cocaine/amphetamine users also use benzodiazepines in conjunction so as to get to sleep after drug use.
Usually a Cocaine user will take 12hours to 3 days to test negative to a drug test after ceasing use.
References
(1) 2001 National Drug Strategy Household Survey Detailed Findings, December 2002, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. Report available from www.aihw.gov.au .
Information was also obtained from the Australian Drug Foundation 'Drug Info Clearinghouse' Website at www.druginfo.adf.org.au/index.asp