edtechdev/chatbotfiles · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 312
29 NIDA’s DrugFacts: Electronic Cigarettes (e-Cigarettes)

361

362

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

Prescription Pain Medicine
Pain medicines help relieve pain from surgery or injuries. Prescription pain medicines are legal and helpful to
use when ordered by a doctor to treat a specific medical problem within a specific time frame. It is vitally
important to take any prescriptions according to your doctor’s instructions, and to carefully read all risks and
food/medicine counteractions.
Unfortunately, people sometimes take pills without a doctor’s prescription to get high, believing they are safer
than street drugs. Make no mistake, prescription pain pill abuse can be just as dangerous as heroin or cocaine.
Drug dealers sell these pills just like they sell heroin or cocaine. The abuse of oxycodone has become well
documented—sometimes it goes by the brand names OxyContin or Percocet. Hydrocodone is also often
abused and is best known under the brand name Vicodin.
Prescription pain pill abuse can lead to many problems. Pain medicine abuse can slow down or even stop your
breathing. Signs of a pain medicine overdose are cold and sweaty skin, confusion, shaking, extreme
sleepiness, and trouble breathing. More people overdose from pain medicines every year than from heroin
and cocaine combined. If your doctor prescribes any pain relief pills for you, it is important to ask a lot of
questions and understand why your doctor is prescribing them. If after consideration you decide to take painrelief pills, stop taking them as soon as you possibly can. The longer you take them, the higher the possibility
of getting addicted.

Cocaine and Heroin
Cocaine and heroin are both powders, often snorted up the nose, smoked, or mixed with water and injected
with a needle. It is easy to become addicted to both drugs, and many people who seek treatment find it hard
to stay off the drug. It is not uncommon to feel strong cravings for heroin or cocaine years after seeking
treatment. People who inject the drug using a shared needle put themselves at further risk of contracting
blood-borne viruses, such as hepatitis or HIV.
Cocaine can make people feel full of energy for a period of time, but it can also bring about feelings of
restlessness and anger. Cocaine raises blood pressure and makes the heart beat faster, which could lead to a
heart attack or stroke.
Heroin brings a rush of good feelings after it’s taken. The feeling then wears off, and users often feel a strong
urge to take more. The reason so many people overdose on heroin is because they can’t tell how strong it is
until they take it. Heroin can slow or stop your breathing. It can kill you. Signs of a heroin overdose are slow
breathing; blue lips and fingernails; cold, clammy skin; and shaking.
There are medicines that can help people recover from addiction, but the best course is to not start. Avoid any
temptation to try heroin or cocaine. Experimentation can be deadly.

Methamphetamine (Meth)
Meth is a white powder that is sometimes made into a pill or rock. Meth powder can be eaten or snorted up
the nose. Like cocaine and heroin, it can also be mixed with liquid and injected into your body with a needle.
Crystal meth is smoked in a small glass pipe.
Meth at first causes a rush of good feelings, but then users feel edgy, overly excited, angry, or afraid. Meth
causes many problems. It can make your body temperature so hot that you pass out and could die. If you look
at pictures of meth users, you will notice how quickly the drug ages them. Teeth become stained, break, and
rot. As the teeth go bad the mouth looks sunken. Meth users burn a lot of energy and don’t eat well, which
leads to degeneration and a sickly appearance. The skin turns dull, and sores and pimples that won’t heal are
common. Meth use can quickly lead to addiction and cause cognitive or emotional problems that don’t go
away or that come back again even after you quit using. For instance, some users feel, hear, or see things that
aren’t there and think that people are out to get them.

Access for free at openstax.org

11.6 • Your Safety

This is a dangerous drug that should be avoided at all costs.

Other Drugs
There are many other drugs of abuse, including Ecstasy, K2 (or Spice), LSD, PCP, and roofies. It’s best to avoid
all of them.
If your use of drugs or alcohol is interfering with your life and negatively impacting your health, school,
relationships, or finances—it’s time to quit and find help.
The first semester is an especially critical and vulnerable time for most first-year students. It is often a time of
heavy drinking and partying. The transition to college is often difficult, and while partying may feel like it is
helping to ease the transition, the health risks are real: about one-third of first-year students fail to enroll for
their second year.
If you are concerned about your drug or alcohol use, or you need help quitting, visit the student health center
or talk with your college counselor. If you need additional resources, the following can help:
• Drug Information Online (https://openstax.org/l/drugindex)
• Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP

Personal Safety
For many students, their first year in college is also the first time they have lived away from home, or for
commuting students, often the most time they have spent away from home. This new freedom can feel really
exciting. College should be a time for fun, experimentation (in healthy ways), and growth. It’s important to be
smart about your safety and conscious that you don’t put yourself in any high-risk situations. It’s also
important to know what to do if any problems arise. Here are some ways to remain safe while enjoying your
college experience:
1. Speak up. If you are worried about a friend’s well-being, ask them if they are OK. If you see inappropriate
behavior, let someone know. Get an RA or other authority involved if someone looks like they are in
trouble or an activity looks like it is leading to trouble. In general, speak up if you notice something going
on that concerns you.
2. Learn your campus emergency system. Many colleges and universities have blue-light phones with
direct access to campus security. If your campus has blue-light phones, take the time to find out where
they are. If you are not familiar with the emergency system on your campus, visit your public safety
department (or website) to understand how you can call for help in an emergency. Add campus security to
your phone contacts.

Figure 11.13 Emergency phones and related systems are present on many campuses. Learn your system and note the locations

363

364

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

of these devices as you travel. If you commute via public transportation, such as a train or bus, learn the safety procedures and

29 NIDA’s DrugFacts: Electronic Cigarettes (e-Cigarettes)

361

362

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

Prescription Pain Medicine

Pain medicines help relieve pain from surgery or injuries. Prescription pain medicines are legal and helpful to

use when ordered by a doctor to treat a specific medical problem within a specific time frame. It is vitally

important to take any prescriptions according to your doctor’s instructions, and to carefully read all risks and

food/medicine counteractions.

Unfortunately, people sometimes take pills without a doctor’s prescription to get high, believing they are safer

than street drugs. Make no mistake, prescription pain pill abuse can be just as dangerous as heroin or cocaine.

Drug dealers sell these pills just like they sell heroin or cocaine. The abuse of oxycodone has become well

documented—sometimes it goes by the brand names OxyContin or Percocet. Hydrocodone is also often

abused and is best known under the brand name Vicodin.

Prescription pain pill abuse can lead to many problems. Pain medicine abuse can slow down or even stop your

breathing. Signs of a pain medicine overdose are cold and sweaty skin, confusion, shaking, extreme

sleepiness, and trouble breathing. More people overdose from pain medicines every year than from heroin

and cocaine combined. If your doctor prescribes any pain relief pills for you, it is important to ask a lot of

questions and understand why your doctor is prescribing them. If after consideration you decide to take painrelief pills, stop taking them as soon as you possibly can. The longer you take them, the higher the possibility

of getting addicted.

Cocaine and Heroin

Cocaine and heroin are both powders, often snorted up the nose, smoked, or mixed with water and injected

with a needle. It is easy to become addicted to both drugs, and many people who seek treatment find it hard

to stay off the drug. It is not uncommon to feel strong cravings for heroin or cocaine years after seeking

treatment. People who inject the drug using a shared needle put themselves at further risk of contracting

blood-borne viruses, such as hepatitis or HIV.

Cocaine can make people feel full of energy for a period of time, but it can also bring about feelings of

restlessness and anger. Cocaine raises blood pressure and makes the heart beat faster, which could lead to a

heart attack or stroke.

Heroin brings a rush of good feelings after it’s taken. The feeling then wears off, and users often feel a strong

urge to take more. The reason so many people overdose on heroin is because they can’t tell how strong it is

until they take it. Heroin can slow or stop your breathing. It can kill you. Signs of a heroin overdose are slow

breathing; blue lips and fingernails; cold, clammy skin; and shaking.

There are medicines that can help people recover from addiction, but the best course is to not start. Avoid any

temptation to try heroin or cocaine. Experimentation can be deadly.

Methamphetamine (Meth)

Meth is a white powder that is sometimes made into a pill or rock. Meth powder can be eaten or snorted up

the nose. Like cocaine and heroin, it can also be mixed with liquid and injected into your body with a needle.

Crystal meth is smoked in a small glass pipe.

Meth at first causes a rush of good feelings, but then users feel edgy, overly excited, angry, or afraid. Meth

causes many problems. It can make your body temperature so hot that you pass out and could die. If you look

at pictures of meth users, you will notice how quickly the drug ages them. Teeth become stained, break, and

rot. As the teeth go bad the mouth looks sunken. Meth users burn a lot of energy and don’t eat well, which

leads to degeneration and a sickly appearance. The skin turns dull, and sores and pimples that won’t heal are

common. Meth use can quickly lead to addiction and cause cognitive or emotional problems that don’t go

away or that come back again even after you quit using. For instance, some users feel, hear, or see things that

aren’t there and think that people are out to get them.

Access for free at openstax.org

11.6 • Your Safety

This is a dangerous drug that should be avoided at all costs.

Other Drugs

There are many other drugs of abuse, including Ecstasy, K2 (or Spice), LSD, PCP, and roofies. It’s best to avoid

all of them.

If your use of drugs or alcohol is interfering with your life and negatively impacting your health, school,

relationships, or finances—it’s time to quit and find help.

The first semester is an especially critical and vulnerable time for most first-year students. It is often a time of

heavy drinking and partying. The transition to college is often difficult, and while partying may feel like it is

helping to ease the transition, the health risks are real: about one-third of first-year students fail to enroll for

their second year.

If you are concerned about your drug or alcohol use, or you need help quitting, visit the student health center

or talk with your college counselor. If you need additional resources, the following can help:

• Drug Information Online (https://openstax.org/l/drugindex)

• Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP

Personal Safety

For many students, their first year in college is also the first time they have lived away from home, or for

commuting students, often the most time they have spent away from home. This new freedom can feel really

exciting. College should be a time for fun, experimentation (in healthy ways), and growth. It’s important to be

smart about your safety and conscious that you don’t put yourself in any high-risk situations. It’s also

important to know what to do if any problems arise. Here are some ways to remain safe while enjoying your

college experience:

1. Speak up. If you are worried about a friend’s well-being, ask them if they are OK. If you see inappropriate

behavior, let someone know. Get an RA or other authority involved if someone looks like they are in

trouble or an activity looks like it is leading to trouble. In general, speak up if you notice something going

on that concerns you.

2. Learn your campus emergency system. Many colleges and universities have blue-light phones with

direct access to campus security. If your campus has blue-light phones, take the time to find out where

they are. If you are not familiar with the emergency system on your campus, visit your public safety

department (or website) to understand how you can call for help in an emergency. Add campus security to

your phone contacts.

Figure 11.13 Emergency phones and related systems are present on many campuses. Learn your system and note the locations

363

364

11 • Engaging in a Healthy Lifestyle

of these devices as you travel. If you commute via public transportation, such as a train or bus, learn the safety procedures and