health

• Gateway drugs


  Legal drugs that can be accessed and can be used by everyone at any age through the local store like cigarettes and consumable alcohol
• Alcohol


  Colorless, bitter-tasting substance that humans have been consuming since the ancient times, extracted from plants through fermentation
• Types of Alcohol


  • Isopropyl – colorless, volatile, flammable chemical (rubbing alcohol)
  • Methanol – colorless, volatile, flammable and poisonous (solvent, fuel)
  • Ethanol – this is what humans consume that intoxicates and alters the nervous system (beer, wine spirits)
• Alcohol Path


  1. Mouth – alcohol enters the body

  2. Stomach – some alcohol gets into the bloodstream in the stomach but most goes onto the small intestine

  3. Small Intestine – alcohol enters the bloodstream through the wall of the small intestine

  4. Heart – pumps alcohol in the bloodstream throughout the body

  5. Brain – within 10 – 20 heartbeats, alcohol in the bloodstream reaches the brain

  6. Liver – alcohol is broken down into a chemical called acetaldehyde which is toxic
• Short-term effects of alcohol

  • Drowsiness
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Upset stomach
  • Headaches
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Distorted vision and hearing
  • Impaired judgment
• Long-term effects of alcohol

  • Permanent damage to the brain
  • Vitamin B1 deficiency, which can lead to a disorder characterized by amnesia, apathy and disorientation
  • Ulcers
  • Gastritis (inflammation of stomach walls)
  • Malnutrition
  • Cancer of the mouth and throat
  • Increased on-the-job injuries and loss of productivity
  • Increased family problems, broken relationships
• Depressant


  A drug that suppresses the central nervous system, slows down body function
• Stimulant


  A drug which temporarily quickens the central nervous system
• Blood-Alcohol Concentration (BAC)


  The amount of alcohol that has entered a person's bloodstream at certain duration
• Intoxication

  Physical and mental changes that the body is experiencing upon consuming alcohol
• Hangover


  Physical effects that give discomfort to humans who heavily consumed alcohol
• Alcoholism


  A condition when a person heavily consumes alcohol consistently which results to numerous body damages and malfunctions
• Multiplier Effect


  Condition when alcohol is consumed simultaneously with any drug or medicine, causing impairments in the physical and mental functioning of the body
• Cigarette


  A small cylinder of finely cut tobacco leaves rolled in thin paper for smoking
• Tobacco

  A tall, leafy plant, originally grown in South and Central America, but now cultivated throughout the world
• Each time a person puffs a cigarette or chew tobacco, more than 4,000 chemicals comes into his/her contact
• 43 of these chemicals are known carcinogens
• Carcinogens

  Substances which cause cancer
• Nicotine


  The addictive drug found in tobacco products like cigarettes, a poisonous stimulant that increases the central nervous system (CNS) activity
• Smoke produced by cigarette smoking

  • Mainstream Smoke – refers specifically to the smoke that a smoker directly inhales
  • Sidestream Smoke – the smoke that comes out of the lighted end of the cigarette or pipe. This can be also called "Secondhand Smoke (SHS)" or "Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS)"
  • Third-Hand Smoke – smoke left for a protracted time on sofa, beddings, pillow, and other objects. This smoke also called residual tobacco smoke (RTS) settles together with dust and might last for months
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies second-hand smoke as a Group A Carcinogen
• Effects of Cigarette Smoking

  • Lung Damage
  • Heart Disease
  • Fertility Problems
  • Risk of pregnancy complications
  • Risk of type 2 diabetes
  • Weakened immune system
  • Vision problems
  • Risk of other cancers