Stephanie A. Strutner, MPH Executive Director

1. Stephanie A. Strutner, MPH Executive Director To engage community partners in the prevention of substance abuse in Anderson County through awareness, education, and policy change.

2. Who We Are • Non-profit prevention agency • Established in the fall of 2008 • Coalition of volunteers • Representing each sector of the community • Anyone is welcome • Identify problems; develop solutions • Full-time staff since October, 2010

3. Why Does ASAP Exist • 104 Clandestine meth lab seizures (2008) • Prevalence of use (Middle School, 2008): • 35% smoked cigarettes • 33% drank alcohol (43% of 8th graders) • 15% used inhalants • 14% used prescription medicine • 12% used marijuana

4. Affect on Community • Drug use or impairment leads to negative consequences: • Physical health • Disease • Injury • Sexual promiscuity • STD • Pregnancy • Mental health (depression) • Economic impact • Abuse/Neglect of children

5. Commonly Abused Drugs • Cannabinoids • Depressants • Dissociative Anesthetics • Hallucinogens • Opioids (Narcotics) • Stimulants • Others (inhalants, steroids)

6. Cannabinoids • Medical uses: • None • Marinol (synthetic compound approved by FDA) • Quick signs of abuse: • Causes slowed thinking and reaction time; bloodshot eyes; dilated pupils; impaired motor skills.

7. Marijuana and the Brain

8. “Normal” Becomes Less Efficient

9. Depressants • Medical uses: • Anesthetic, anticonvulsant, hypnotic, sedative, anti-anxiety, some have no medical use • Quick signs of abuse: • Drunken-like state; drowsiness; slowed body functions.

10. Alcohol and the Brain Less than 100% Less than 100% Less than 100% Less than 100%

11. Dissociative Anesthetics • Medical uses: • Anesthetic, sedative • Quick signs of abuse: • Blank stare • Difficulty speaking, incomplete verbal responses, repetitive speaking • Increased pain threshold • Cyclic behavior

12. Hallucinogens • Medical uses: • None (humans) • Quick signs of abuse: • Dazed appearance • Body tremors, uncoordinated • Poor perception of time and distance

13. Opioids/Narcotics • Medical uses: • Analgesic (painkiller) • Antidiarrheal • Antitussive • Quick signs of abuse: • Drowsiness • Droopy eyelids • Confusion • Sedation • Track marks

14. Drug-Induced Deaths Second Only to Motor Vehicle Fatalities, 1999–2007 Motor vehicle fatalities Drug-induced deaths Suicides Gunshot deaths Homicides Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Reports Deaths: Final Data for the years 1999 to 2007 (2001 to 2010).

15. Stimulants • Medical uses: • Narcolepsy • ADHD • Quick signs of abuse: • Increased energy • Nervousness • Bruxism

16. Meth Lab-Risk to Children • Children are at greater risk • Fumes from mixing chemicals used to make meth hover near the floor • Drug paraphernalia are often within reach (razor blades, syringes, pipes, etc.)

17. Meth Labs • 1 pound of meth produced = 6 pounds toxic waste

18. Child Exposure (Meth) • Signs a child has been exposed to meth manufacturing: • Eyes: watery, discharge, blurred vision, pain, burning • Skin: irritation, redness, mild to severe burns, jaundice • Sneezing or coughing • Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, congestion of voice box • Chest pain, rapid heart rate • Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, headache • Dark colored urine • Fever • Decreased mental status, hallucinations, extreme irritability

19. Energy Drinks • Some may contain alcohol • Some have an “Energy Blend” of caffeine, taurine, guarine and you don’t know how much you are consuming • Some cans/bottles have up to 4 servings per container • Some employers are beginning to regulate energy drinks on the worksite

20. Underage Drug Use and Negative Brain Development • Smaller hippocampus (associated with memory and learning) • Smaller prefrontal cortex (planning, goal direction) • Decreased myelinization (allows brain to function in a syncronous way) • Lack of synapse pruning (attention problems and executive function failure seen behaviorally) • Decrease in spatial memory tasks (less memory retrieval using more areas of the brain) Dr. Howard Moss, US NIAAA Assistant Director of Clinical Research, Does Underage Drinking Cause Brain Damage - Convergent Evidence from Imaging Research

21. Memory Recall and Learning Hippocampal Volume in Adolescent-Onset Alcohol Use Disorders. Michael D. De Bellis, M.D, et. al. 2000.

22. Hippocampal Volume and Learning Hippocampal Volume in Adolescent-Onset Alcohol Use Disorders. Michael D. De Bellis, M.D, et. al. 2000.

23. Suspect a Drug-Exposed Child? • Contact local law enforcement immediately • ACSO 24-hour Crime Hotline: (865) 463-6880 • Immediately refer to DCS • DCS Central Intake: (877) 237-0004

24. Referral to Treatment • www.ASAPofAnderson.org • “Find Treatment” • Crisis Hotline • (855) CRISIS-1 / (855) 274-7471

25. Stephanie A. Strutner 865-457-3007 sastrutner@gmail.com Follow ASAPofAndersonon your favorite social media sitewww.ASAPofAnderson.org

26. Alcohol and Drug IQ Quiz

27. MYTH or FACT? Alcohol decreases sexual desire and ability. FACT Contrary to popular belief, the more you drink, the less your sexual capacity. The depressant action of alcohol lowers inhibitions. Therefore, the drinker may respond more freely to sexual stimulation. But, like other activities, too much alcohol reduces performance abilities.

28. MYTH or FACT? If the parents don't drink, the children won't drink. MYTH The highest incident of alcoholism occurs among offspring of parents who are either non-drinkers or alcoholics. Perhaps the "extremism" of the parents' attitudes is an important factor.

29. MYTH or FACT? Alcohol warms the body. MYTH Alcohol makes the drinker feel warmer because it causes blood to rise to the skin's surface. However, when this happens, the body temperature is actually lowered because the surface heat is lost.

30. MYTH or FACT? After a prolonged period of drug abuse, the brain needs more drug to get the same effect FACT At first, drug use may cause floods of dopamine. But prolonged drug abuse causes the brain’s dopamine levels to decrease. That means the brain might need more of the drug just to get the dopamine levels back to normal and even more to produce the high that it craves.

31. MYTH or FACT? Black coffee and a cold shower will sober you up. MYTH Alleged methods for sobering up range from hot coffee to cold showers, from fresh air to food. The only effect these treatments can have is to produce a wide-awake drunk. An awakened drunk, feeling sobered up, may attempt to perform tasks such as driving, of which he/she is no more capable than the sleepy drunk is. Time is the only method of sobering up. There is no way to increase the oxidation rate--the rate at which the body naturally eliminates alcohol.

32. MYTH or FACT? There is a scientific reason for the minimum drinking age to be 21. FACT Scientific research proves the human brain continues to develop up to age 21. Alcohol hinders progression of a maturing brain.

33. Why is the legal drinking age 21?

34. MYTH or FACT? You have to want drug treatment for it to be effective. MYTH Virtually no one wants drug treatment. Two of the primary reasons people seek drug treatment are because the court ordered them to do so, or because loved ones urged them to seek treatment. Many scientific studies have shown convincingly that those who enter drug treatment programs in which they face "high pressure" to confront and attempt to surmount their addiction do comparatively better in treatment, regardless of the reason they sought treatment in the first place.