Week 7

• It should come as no surprise that drugs and alcohol can have negative effects on your life. Although sometimes it may be difficult to imagine, the abuse of these substances can change everything from your body to your bank account.
• This can include anything from altered brain chemistry, health complications, infections, legal issues, financial problems, accidental injuries, and even death.
• The fact is, that while it may seem that drugs are making you feel better, they're actually causing long-term damage, and you're likely better off without it.
• Mental Health/ Psychological Effects


  • Disturbance in Perception- auditory and visual hallucination
  • Disturbance in Orientation- paranoia, psychosis
  • Disturbance in Memory
  • Disturbance in Judgment- depression that may lead to suicide
• Physical Health/Physiological Effects


  • Systemic
  • Cardiac (heart) Pathology – irregularity of heart beat, elevated or lowered blood pressure. Chest pain, convulsion or death from cardiac arrest.
  • Pulmonary (lung)illnesses
  • Hepatic (liver) problems
  • Renal (kidney) diseases
  • Malnutrition or weight loss
  • Infection
  • Accidents
  • Blood Transmitted Disease
• Behavioral Effects Physical Health/Physiological Effects

  Substance seeking behavior can lead to various criminal and anti- social acts.
• Common Signs of Drug Abuse

  • Change in attendance in school or work
  • Change in the normal capabilities in school/work
  • Abrupt changes in overall attitude
  • Generally lazy, irritable, discourteous, aggressive
  • Usually untrustworthy and lack self-confidence
  • Manipulative
  • Have a distorted view of reality
  • Low frustration tolerance
  • Con-game player
  • Lacks interest in his studies/work (withdrawal from responsibilities)
  • Blames everybody but himself (blame tosser)
  • No respect for the rights of others
  • Prefer to stay with peers (barkada)
  • May frequently go to odd places (to take drugs)
  • Poor physical appearance (unconcerned with grooming and hygiene)
  • Wearing of sunglasses at inappropriate times
  • Unusual effort to cover arms to hide needle marks (long-sleeved garments)
  • Stealing items which can be readily sold
  • Unusual borrowing of money from relatives and friends
  • Association with known drug abusers
• Classification of Drug Abuse

  • Experimenters
  • Occasional Users
  • Regular Users
  • Drug Dependents
  • Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser/Substance Induced Psychosis
• Criteria for Drug Dependency

  • Withdrawal symptoms
  • Need to take drugs to overcome withdrawal symptoms compulsion
  • Tolerance Relapse
  • Reduce social/occupational act
• How Can You Stay Away from Drugs?

  • Devote yourself to your studies and other productive activities at home or in school
  • Stay away from people, places and events that promote drug use
  • Learn to manage feelings and cope with stress without using drugs
  • Develop a strong moral and spiritual foundation
  • Educate yourself about the effects of drug abuse always
• Counter-measures for Substance Abuse

  • Abstainer - Preventive Education
  • Experimenters - Counselling
  • Occasional Users - Counselling
  • Regular Users - Counselling
  • Drug Dependent - Psychiatric Treatment
  • Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser (Substance Included Psychosis - Psychiatric Treatment
• There are some of the important provisions in Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act 2002.
• A person apprehended or arrested, who is found to be positive for use of any dangerous drug, after a confirmatory test, shall be imposed a penalty of a minimum of six (6) months rehabilitation in a government center for the first offense
• If apprehended using any dangerous drug for the second time, he/she shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment ranging from six (6) years and one (1) day to twelve (12) years and a fine ranging from Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) to Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00)
• This Section shall not be applicable where the person tested is also found to have in his/her possession such quantity of any dangerous drug provided for under Section 11 of this Act, in which case the provisions stated therein shall apply
• The penalty of life imprisonment to death and a fine ranging from Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00) to Ten million pesos (P10,000,000.00) shall be imposed upon any person, who, unless authorized by law, shall make or issue a prescription or any other writing purporting to be a prescription for any dangerous drug
• Authorized drug testing


  1. Screening test

  2. Confirmatory test
• Persons subjected to drug testing


  • Applicants for driver's license
  • Applicants for firearm's license and for permit to carry firearms outside of residence
  • Students of secondary and tertiary schools
  • Officers and employees of public and private offices
  • Officers and members of the military, police and other law enforcement agencies
  • All persons charged before the prosecutor's office with a criminal offense having an imposable penalty of imprisonment of not less than six (6) years and one (1) day
  • All candidates for public office whether appointed or elected both in the national or local government
• Those found to be positive for dangerous drugs use shall be subject to the provisions of Section his Act
• A drug dependent or any person who violates Section 15 of this Act may, by himself/herself or through his/her parent, spouse, guardian or relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, apply to the Board or its duly recognized representative, for treatment and rehabilitation of the drug dependency
• If the examination by a DOH-accredited physician results in the issuance of a certification that the applicant is a drug dependent, he/she shall be ordered by the Court to undergo treatment and rehabilitation in a Center designated by the Board for a period of not less than six (6) months
• Judicial and medical records of drug dependents under the voluntary submission program shall be confidential and shall not be used against him for any purpose, except to determine how many times, by himself/herself or through his/her parent, spouse, guardian or relative within the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity, he/she voluntarily submitted himself/herself for confinement, treatment and rehabilitation or has been committed to a Center under this program
• Any person determined and found to be dependent on dangerous drugs shall, upon petition by the Board or any of its authorized representative, be confined for treatment and rehabilitation in any Center duly designated or accredited for the purpose