Understanding Medications and Drug Misuse

1. Do Now Create an outline of the human body. Label the different parts of the body for which we use Over-the-Counter and Prescription Medications. List the specific medications and what they are used for.

3. Brainstorm: OTC vs. Rx • List the differences between Over-the-Counter Medications and Prescription Medications.

4. Over the Counter (OTC) • Purchased without prescription • Used to prevent, diagnose, or treat discomfort or disease • Treats problems that can go away by themselves Prescription Meds (Rx) • Need a prescription from a physician • Used to prevent, diagnose, or treat discomfort or disease • Greater potency and more potential side effects than OTC • Treats problems that will not go away by themselves

5. 20 Questions • Answer the 20 questions of drug use, misuse, and abuse based on your current knowledge. • Let’s review your answers. Through a show of hands, we will determine what the class thinks for each of the 20 scenarios • Now, let’s find out what the actual definitions of use, misuse and abuse are.

6. Use, Misuse, and Abuse • Differentiating Between Use, Misuse and Abuse • Use - Using any medications while following the directions • Misuse - Using any medications or drugs without following the specific directions • Abuse - Using any medication to altar one’s mood, thought and perceptions; and use of any illegal drug.

7. Revisiting 20 Questions • Have any of your answers changed now that you know the definitions? • Which scenarios do you now view differently?

8. Notes on use, misuse, and abuse • Someone who is sensitive to caffeine or someone that uses more than a reasonable amount could misuse caffeine; it might even be abused if someone uses high amounts of it. • Even aspirin may be misused if someone uses it without considering any treatments for pain. • Because marijuana is an illegal drug, any use of it would be considered abuse. • Using laxatives to lose weight is misuse, because that isn’t their intended use; and it may even be considered abuse if serious harm results. • Any use of alcohol by people younger than 21 years is abuse, because it is illegal. • Alcohol use by adults (21 or older) might be considered use, misuse, or abuse, depending on the circumstances. Example: 2-3 beers and driving home can be considered misuse. BAC over .08% is considered abuse. • Any alcohol use by recovering alcoholics is generally considered abuse.

9. Why people misuse and abuse drugs • External • Family • Peers • Media • Community Norms • Internal • Desire to forget problems • Depression • Brain Chemistry

10. Closure • Answer the questions in your journal related to prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Answer Question #3 in your journal: List some reasons why people misuse or abuse a drug?(External and Internal)