DRUG

                                                Introduction on Drugs

Chemical substances consumed by humans are called drugs. Chemical substances are classified into drugs if it has one of the following properties;
 I) medicinal 
 II) intoxicating
 III) performance enhancer.
 Normally, drugs are mostly used for medicinal purposes to treat illness. Drugs are categorised into two categories viz; 
I) stimulant
 II) depressants.
  Stimulant, from the word itself it implies that it stimulates, Stimulants are Central Nervous System stimulating drugs. Examples include cocaine crack, caffeine and amphetamines. These stimulants stimulate the Central Nervous System and the repercussion of the stimulation is that an individual focus as well as performances is elevated.

The widest and the common caffeine that we consume are coffee, tea and soft drinks like Pepsi, Coca-Cola and others. Aforementioned, those stimulants increases an individual level of focus or alertness. These stimulants pose negative effects when over consumption takes place. It includes sleep deprivation, headache, anxiousness, and the severe effect is addiction. Once addicted, consumers of those beverages will not be able to continue a day without having one of those drinks.

The next category of drugs is depressants. Depressants are mostly found in alcohol.  Alcohol is normally found in brewed drinks that embodies beer, wine and liquor. A depressant is defined as a drug that affects the Central Nervous System by impeding its functions. Alcohol in general affects a person hearing, vision, movement as well as perception by placing a barrier that obstructs some of the messages that are heading to the brain. Alcohol effects vary based on consumption level. A person will be less anxious and feel a bit better when a small amount of alcohol is consumed. The negative side becomes severe when a lot of alcohol is consumed as well as when over consumptions take place. The negative effects include:

i)                    Intoxication ( a person turn out to be either too genial or too aggressive )

ii)                  Disoriented and tend to lose contact with the surrounding environment

iii)                Lose coordination and wobble or walk with unsteadiness

iv)                Lose perception (they think that they are behaving normal whereas they are not

v)                  Alcohol poisoning if the consumptions carries over a span of time. The symptoms starts with aggressive vomiting, extreme sleepiness, breathing difficulty, seizures and ends with death when the over consumption gets too severe.

                                                   

                                                  Drugs

        Youngsters mostly students who are under 18 years old have easy access to alcohol even though it is illegal for individual under 18 years old to consume alcohol according to the provision of law in Malaysia. The question here is not on the accessibility but on the impulsion why youngsters especially students resorts to such stuff. The reasons include;

i)                    Inquisitiveness ( where students wants to know the feel of alcohol consumption )

ii)                  To relax and reduce stress due to education

iii)       They feel that they are matured after consuming the alcohol.

It is to be noted and taken into consideration that it is strictly prohibited and illegal for individual under the age of 18 to consume alcoholic products. Individuals who breached the law will either be fined, imprisoned or both based on the severity of the situation. Over consumption of alcohol brings multidinuous negative impulsions that include;

i)                    Resorts into crime and fights

ii)                  Students will lose their focus in their studies

iii)                Coordination as well as students self-consciousness will be affected

iv)                Students will lose their normal senses like peeing in public

v)                  Resorts to sexual activity and under age pregnancies as well as ensuing abortions due to high sex drive as a repercussions of over consumption of alcohol

                           Alcohol, the world’s oldest and highly expended drugs in the world

Example of illegal drugs:

i)                    Cocaine

                                    

                                                                              Cocaine 

                                                           (Structural formula of cocaine.)

Cocaine is the most widely used drug in the world. Others include marijuana, ecstasy and heroin. Each drug has its own negative effects and the effects strength is dependent on its intake. Usually, if a person resorts to drug, that person will have an addiction as its negative side effects after a few intakes. Cocaine and the aforementioned drugs are all illegal drugs that are lethal to our lives. Those drugs cause the body important organs especially the liver and the heart to get damaged and altering their functions. Cocaine, taken as an instance, can cause and individual perception to get affected as well as cause heart attack to the individual irrespective of age. Below is the deeper insight of cocaine drug.

            Preparation of cocaine drug.

The plant in which cocaine drug originates from is the coca plant (Erythoxylon coca). South America is the place where this plant grows mostly in the world. The procedure of making this drug is simple. The basic idea is just to get the coca extract from the leaves and turn it into a drug called cocaine. Labs are the place where this drug is proliferated and since this drug is an illegal drug, the labs are set up in remote unknown place by the illegal producers. The labs mentioned are first the pozo pit labs (solutions of acidic nature is expended), and the second is the common lab (metal drums and gasoline are expended).

                                                  

The common lab proliferation of cocaine drug (metal drums and gasoline are expended)

Below is the nine simple and common steps cocaine drugs are proliferated;

Step One:

The settings of proliferation of cocaine drugs are usually jungles labs. The coca leaves from the coca plant are soaked some time in metal drums embodying gasoline (proliferation of cocaine through the common lab).

                                       

Step Two:

A barrel embodying a diluted acid is then prepared. From the metal drums, the mixture of coca leaves with the gasoline is drained and sieved.  Next, the obliteration of gasoline from the acid layer is conducted. To produce the cocaine base, ammonia solution or sodium bicarbonate is put into the barrel.

Step Three:

Expending a cloth, the filtration of the cocaine base is done

Step Four:

The base of cocaine becomes more unadulterated when the residuals are desiccated.

Step Five:

Ethyl acetate, acetone, or ether is the solvents in which the cocaine base is then mixed with. “Bańo Maria”, a water bath that is hot is expended to heat up the mixture. Concentrated hydrochloric acid together with methyl ethyl ketone is put into the mixture. The impulsion of this act is to crystallize the mixture. The outcome is crystalline cocaine hydrochloride.

Step Six:

By the means of using hand, the cocaine hydrochloride excess solvent is obliterated. Hydraulic press is then expended for the obliteration.

Step Seven:

Microwave ovens are then expended to fully obliterate the solvents. The outcome is the formation of cocaine powder starting point or the foundation.

Step Eight:

Mixture embodying baking soda and water is the mixture in which the cocaine hydrochloride is put into. This is the technique for the formation of cocaine base or so called as ’’crack’’. Boiling of the solution takes place next. It is carried out until a greasy matter is proliferated that drops out of the solution and resides at the container base.

Step Nine:

Cooling of the greasy matter is conducted. It is carried out until a rock-like matter is proliferated from the greasy matter. The end product is the cocaine crack.

                                  Insight into cocaine drug

The chemical properties that the cocaine drug embodies includes both painkilling and stimulation properties. To carry out the painkilling or soothing effect, the nerves to the brain pain impulses transmission are impeded. This is one of the impulsions this drug is expended as local painkiller. If expended with high dose, from a painkiller, it becomes a killer. This is because when high dose is applied, coma is induced in a patient because of breath stop due to the impulse transmission blockage from the brain to the lungs. Aforementioned, cocaine also has stimulation properties. An individual pace of breathing, pressure of blood as well as the rate of heart beat is boosted when this drug is applied. A person attentiveness or preparedness is also invigorated. The emotional state of the individual is also strengthened. Any feelings will be brought up to another level that results in the individual to get feelings like being euphoric, riding high and too down.

 Interesting points on cocaine drug:

v  According to research conducted on cocaine drug addicts, an euphoric feeling is usually defined by them as the upturn in preparedness and vigour, enormously uncontrollable temper and a sensation of inferiority and dominance of the surroundings.

v  According to research conducted on cocaine drug addicts, feelings associated with high embodies becoming too angry (irritability), mistrust on others (paranoia), difficult to control their patience (impatience), and state of being nervous (anxiety).

v  Individuals that consume this drug usually have the following characteristics: I) dilated II) full with vivacity and is hyperactive III) speech is usually ensued with enthusiasm and in raptures.

v  Thirty minutes to two hours is the time span for the cocaine effects to diminish.

v  The feelings associated with high are achieved faster if the cocaine drug is injected, in comparison to snorting.

Negative effects of cocaine long-term usage:

One of the negative effects of cocaine long-term usage embodies the aching of the skin. The individual will feel some sort of rabid pain of the skin. Next, the individual will experience reduction in body weight and the nose septum will also be affected. The individual will also acquire the aforementioned feelings associated with high (irritability, paranoia, impatience, anxiety or the bad mental effects due to Central Nervous System damage.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF OTHER ADDICTIVE DRUGS

 

 Nicotine:

      

     

Tobacco is the source origin of nicotine. Nicotine, same as cocaine, is an addictive drug of high degree. Nicotine enters the body through smoking. Smoking of nicotine is done as usually seen in cigarettes and in some countries in tobacco leaves. Once smoked, the nicotine quickly gets into the bloodstream. This is one of the lethal properties of nicotine. Nicotine boosts an individual heartbeat pace, blood pressure and shortens the individual breath. The negative effect of nicotine consumption embodies:

·         Lung cancer and stroke

·         Teeth are yellow in colour and breath smells bad

·         Neck and mouth cancer

·         Irritability, insomnia, anxiety and restiveness

Quitting from nicotine is difficult as it is highly addictive but it is not impossible. With proper individuals help and thorough procedure, the addiction can be overcome. Together, we can make a difference.