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OVERVIEW
Each lesson begins with an examination of existing student perceptions, using it as a springboard to introduce pertinent information on drug use and abuse. Students study substance abuse from the perspectives of legal and ethical issues, scientific pharmacology, and social attitudes. The end goal of the course it to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the resulting effects of substance use and the possible approaches to treating and preventing it.
COURSE MATERIALS
Teleclass Guide:
SUBSTANCE ABUSE: CURRENT CONCEPTS by G. Glevins, Ph.D., University Park, IL:Governor State University, 2004
Text:
DRUGS, SOCIETY AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR, by R. Oakley and C. Ksir, WCB/McGraw-Hill, 1990.
COURSE LESSON DESCRIPTIONS
Class 1: Overview of Drug Use and Abuse
Provides an overview of the course. The lesson introduces and defines concepts used throughout the course. Discussion includes the drug use continuum, the basic principles that apply to all psychoactive drugs, and the dynamic relationship between society, culture, and drug use behavior. The lesson closes with a discussion on the bio/psycho/social approach to understanding drug use and abuse.
Class 2: Social Concerns about Drug Use
Focuses on the social and governmental issues.
Discussion examines the social context of drug use and the role that government plays in regulating it. Topics in this lesson cover the evolution of social concerns about drug use, the resulting conflicts caused by these concerns, and the questions and issues that need to be addressed in our ever-evolving drug policies.
Class 3: Substance Abuse Theory and Treatment
Presents a history of society’s attitudes toward drug use and its resulting methods of regulation. Students examine the process of drug regulation and review the treatment programs designed to ease the personal and social consequences of drug use and addiction. Several theories are explained, and treatment options are discussed.
Class 4: Regulating Drug Use
Introduces the legal issues involved with drug use. Students get an overview of American drug laws as they apply to both legal and illegal psychoactive drugs. Students learn about the two sets of drug regulations that exist in the U.S. and examine their resulting regulatory systems, which overlap in some areas but operate independently in others. Discussion considers how these regulations reflect differing definitions and values regarding drugs in our society.
Class 5: Understanding How Drugs Work
Introduces the affect of psychoactive drugs on the nervous system. This class gives a basic overview of the nervous system, placing particular emphasis on neural transmission as a key component in the modus operandi of psychoactive drugs. Discussion covers important definitions, and explains how drugs modify the human nervous system – a concept central to understanding the effects of drugs.
Class 6: Drug Actions
Continues to explore the interaction between drugs and human physiology. This lesson expands on the vital concepts introduced in Classes 5, which play a key role in understanding the complex relationships between drug, user, and environment. Students explore both the desired and undesired effects of drugs. They also discover that drugs work in different ways – with some resulting in physical effects specific to the drug (or drug class) and others resulting in non-specific effects related more to user expectations and environment.
Class 7: Stimulants: Cocaine and Amphetamine
Builds on previous lessons to compare and contrast the history, pharmacology, and patterns of use for stimulant drugs. The psychological effects and delivery mechanics of cocaine and amphetamine drugs are discussed. Students learn of the striking similarities between the two drugs from a user’s point of view, as well as the differing ways in which they affect human physiology.
Class 8: Sedative-Hypnotics
Focuses primarily on barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Students learn how sedative-hypnotics drugs reduce CNS (Central Nervous System) activity, despite their differing chemical origins. The lesson explains how use of these drugs can progress from simple relaxation (sedation) at low doses to coma and death in higher doses. Discussion also uncovers how these drugs, normally used to induce lethargy, can induce unexpected behaviors due to loss of inhibition.
Class 9: Drugs Used to Treat Mental Illnesses
Discusses the use of drugs for the treatment of temporary and long-term mental illness. The lesson explores the extent of mental illness in society (as high as 25%) and the medical treatments that may be used to treat them. Students discuss accepted drug use in the treatment of transient periods of mental illness (depression, anxiety, and disorientation/confusion) as well as commonplace drug treatments for chronic/acute mental illness. A variety of related issues affecting individuals, families, mental health professionals, and society in general are discussed.
Class 10: Alcohol
Examines the common uses and abuses of ethyl alcohol. Students review various types of alcohol-containing beverages, the pharmacological properties of alcohol, and the effects of alcohol use on both the individual consumer and society as a whole. The lesson concludes with a brief discussion of alcoholism as a disease.
Class 11: Tobacco and Nicotine
Discusses the history and pharmacological effects of tobacco use. This lesson reviews the history of tobacco preparation and usage, the pharmacology of nicotine, and the changing social values related to tobacco use. The lesson concludes with a brief discussion of nicotine addiction and treatment.
Class 12: Caffeine
Reviews the history, pharmacological properties, and effects of caffeine products. Discussion examines how this psychoactive drug is habitually perceived as a mild stimulant as opposed to an actual drug. Discussion uncovers how caffeine is restricted more by supply and demand than regulation, and students compare how the social status of caffeine contrasts dramatically with that of alcohol and tobacco. The lesson concludes with a discussion of concerns related to caffeine use.
Class 13: Over-the-Counter Drugs
Discusses the origins of OTC (Over-the-Counter) drugs and examines how their psychoactive properties go unnoticed by consumers. Students explore the properties of a wide range of OTC’s, including stimulants, diet pills, sleep aids, analgesics, and cold/allergy products. Discussion touches on the interplay between OTC drug use (dictated by changing consumer demands) and FDA regulations (dictated by concerns for safety and effectiveness). Discussion also examines how new psychoactive products are developed and what distinctions determine the difference between OTC and prescription drug status.
Class 14: Opiates I
Reviews the history of opiate use, particularly in the United States. The lesson traces the historical uses and pharmacology of such drugs as opium, morphine, codeine, heroin, and methadone. Discussion covers the medical uses of opiates (for managing pain or warding off dysentery), the popular use of opiates as recreational drugs, and the heated debate in both treatment centers and law enforcement that result from the general use of opiates.
Class 15: Opiates II
Continues the discussion of opiate pharmacology introduced in Class 14. This lesson reviews aspects of opiate use with regard to degrees of tolerance, physical dependency, withdrawal symptoms, and toxicity. Students follow the daily lifestyle of an opiate addict, uncover myths and misconceptions surrounding addiction, and trace both the science of and concerns over methadone treatment.
Class 16: Hallucinogens I
Introduces the pharmacology and uses of hallucinogens. The lesson discusses the use of hallucinogens in traditional tribal rituals and modern recreational practices. Students learn about hallucinogens found in nature and how they differ from developed synthetic versions. Discussion reveals the wide array of pharmacological effects generated by these drugs and examines how this complicates their drug classification in the United States. Discussion of the drug LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) exemplifies aspects of hallucinogen use and abuse, highlighting the medical and public issues raised by this class of drugs in society.
Class 17: Hallucinogens II
Expands on the discussion of hallucinogens introduced in Class 16. This lesson reviews the origins and effects of several drugs, including plant-based hallucinogens (such as “magic mushrooms” and peyote), Indole hallucinogens, Catechol hallucinogens, amphetamines, designer drugs, and Anticholinergic hallucinogens. Students get an in-depth look at the differing pharmacology and effects associated with these drugs.
Class 18: Marijuana I
Introduces the social, legal, and moral arguments that surround the topic of marijuana use. Students examine a balanced debate between proponents for legalization and those in favor of criminalization - both of whom often invoke scientific research to support their claims. The history, pharmacology, and concerns related to marijuana use are discussed, and students explore the wide-spread recreational use of marijuana across social demographics.
Class 19: Marijuana II
Continues the discussion of marijuana introduced in Class 18. Students review the pharmacological aspects of marijuana, discuss continuing medical interest in the substance, and further debate the controversies surrounding marijuana use, particularly with respect to its varying levels of toxicity.
Class 20: Drugs and Athletics
Explores the historical use of and current concerns over drug use by athletes. Students explore the use of drugs by athletes around the world. Discussion covers such topics as the elite social status enjoyed by these drugs, the competitive edge they are perceived to provide, the pain-numbing benefits drugs provide to injured athletes, and the unknown side effects and possible toxicity of performance-enhancing drugs. The lesson imparts medical research on the benefits and drawbacks of these drugs, and explores how they affect the mind as well as the body.
Class 21: Preventing Drug Abuse
Debates ways of improving existing prevention programs. Students discuss how such things as commitment of funding, supply and demand, and social attitudes affect the success of prevention programs. Distinctions are drawn between drug education and drug prevention, between primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention, and between differing target audiences. Students also learn how community values and societal attitudes affect program effectiveness.
Class 22: Summary, Conclusions, and Final Thoughts
Encourages students to add their personal insights to the body of knowledge gained from this course. Students debate such topics as the importance of “context” in understanding and treating drug-use behavior, the social concerns that affect use and treatment, and the issues involved in the legalization of a substance. |
