Influences Examples

Media Television is becoming more like movies, many of which contain

(magazines, newspapers, scenes of drug and alcohol use, says Dr. James Sargent, associate
billboards, advertising, professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. "TV
tv, radio, videos, film, shows are becoming more edgy, and increasingly depicting more
promotions, etc) smoking and drugs." (Pozniak)
A recent survey conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free
America, for instance, shows that a shrinking number of teens say
rap or rock music makes drugs seem OK, just 42 percent in 2000,
down from 51 percent in 1997.
As for television, 40 percent of teens in 2000 said programs make
drugs seem OK, down from 44 percent in 1997. (Posniak)

This shows the desensitization of drugs in media.

Technological/Medical Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid

Advances overdose. It is an opioid antagonist—meaning that it binds to
(computer, research opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of other
studies, new medicines opioids. It can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person
or procedures, etc) whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of overdosing
with heroin or prescription opioid pain medications. (CDC)
EVZIO® is a prefilled auto-injection device that makes it easy for
families or emergency personnel to inject naloxone quickly into the
outer thigh. Once activated, the device provides verbal instruction
to the user describing how to deliver the medication, similar to
automated defibrillators. (CDC)

This shows that since technology and medication is evolving so

much, people will use that as an excuse to take more drugs, and
they will think it’s okay to overdose because they can be “cured”

Interpersonal Someone that begins using alcohol or other drugs excessively may
Communications not be outwardly open about their use due to strong feelings of
(family, friends, peers, shame, guilt, and fear of judgment. They may think others will not
co-workers, teachers, understand or accept the situation, which breeds the tendency to be
etc) secretive with their loved one. They may lie about:
Where they are.
Who they are with.
The events of the day.
Why they are behaving differently.
Why money is missing. (American Addiction Center)

Anger and violence can become concerns as a relationship

 deteriorates. Frustrations will be high, but if someone is using a
substance that is known to cause aggression, the situation may be
even more dangerous. Drugs known to increase anger, irritability,
and violence include:

Alcohol.
Cocaine.
MDMA.
Methamphetamine (crystal meth).
Ritalin and other prescription stimulants.
Steroids. (AAC)

This shows the mind altering chemicals of drugs can affect even
those who you love.

Immediate Risks General symptoms of a drug overdose may include:

nausea
vomiting
abdominal cramps
diarrhoea
dizziness
loss of balance
seizures (fitting)
drowsiness
confusion
breathing difficulties/not breathing
internal bleeding
hallucination
visual disturbances
snoring deeply
turning blue
Coma. (Betterhealth)
Opioid overdose is life-threatening and requires immediate
emergency attention. Recognizing the signs of opioid overdose is
essential to saving lives. (CDC)

This shows that opioids are fatal in large quantities and when
misused.

Long-Term Risks Depression. There is a clear association between substance abuse

and depression, as well as other mood disorders.2 This relationship
could be attributed to preexisting depression that led to drug abuse
or it could be that substance use caused changes in the brain that
increased depressive symptoms.2 Some people use drugs to
self-medicate symptoms of depression, but this only alleviates the
symptoms while the user is high. It may even make depression
symptoms worse when the user is working through withdrawal.
Many drugs have a withdrawal syndrome that includes depression
or other mood disturbances, which can complicate recovery.
(Brande)
Anxiety. Addiction is also associated with anxiety and panic
disorders.1 Again, the cause is difficult to discern and can be
different among individuals. For one person, they could develop a
pattern of abuse after using drugs (e.g., benzodiazepines like
Xanax) to cope with their symptoms. Another person could have a
long-standing pattern of drug abuse and consequently develop
anxiety problems. Many substances, particularly stimulants like
cocaine, can cause anxiety as a dose-dependent side effects.3 Other
drugs, like benzodiazepines, can bring about increased anxiety as
part of their withdrawal syndromes.4 (Brande)

This shows the long term mental effects on drugs and misuse of
drugs.