Types of Drug Abuse

1
Types of Drug Abuse

• The Experimenter
• The Regular User
• The Preoccupied User
• The Addict

2
The Experimenter

• Is curious about the drug
• Learning about the mood swings
• Learning to trust/mistrust the drug
• Getting high is a new feeling
• Can still relate to people
• Wants to know what the hype is all about
• No intentions of becoming a
• regular user

3
The Regular User

• The decision to use has been made
• Wants to feel the high
• Increased comfort in using
• Friends use
• Getting high is more important
• Tolerance develops
• Becomes overly confident
• Has some problems relating to others

4
The Preoccupied User

• Thinking more about drugs
• Wants to be high often
• Blackouts start
• Relationships are difficult with non users
• Clearly wants to use the drug
• Uses when alone
• Still thinks he or she has control

5
The Addict

• Can no longer get high
• Must take drugs to survive
• No choice must use
• Relates to drugs, not to people
• Will use any time
• Obnoxious, intimidating
• Drugs are their life

6

• Ben is an athlete. He plays 3 sports and is
  hoping to get a scholarship to college for one.
  The teams always have the best parties on the
  weekends and everyone goes because Ben and his
  teammates are pretty popular. Ben knows some of
  his teammates use drugs once in a while. Most of
  them drink, including Ben, some smoke pot, which
  Ben has done a couple of times, and a few have
  even used shrooms. Ben sees how they act when
  they are under the influence and wonders what
  goes on in their heads. It seems harmless enough
  to him, since no one has gotten seriously injured
  or sick.

7

• Michelle does the same thing every weekend. Her
  and her 2 cousins have a few drinks, smoke pot,
  and just chill out at each others houses.
  Michelle quit her job because they asked her to
  work Friday and Saturday nights. She says she is
  too good for that job anyway. Lately, she needs
  more and more marijuana to feel the high.

8

• John and his Dad fight all the time about his
  grades, which have been slipping lately. His Dad
  is also wondering why John quit his
  extracurricular activities and has stopped
  hanging out with his old childhood friends. Once
  or twice John got so angry, he went up to his
  room and took some pills by himself just to calm
  down and forget about what his Dad was yelling at
  him about this time. These days, John is hanging
  out with some kids that dont have the best
  reputation. A few of them were making fun of him
  for making a fool of himself the night before.
  John was so high, he doesnt even remember.

9

• Karen has tried various drugs. Most of them
  dont even get her high and she feels no effects
  unless she uses way more than her friends.
  Sometimes she uses alone just so no one notices
  how many pills she actually pops. Karen has very
  few friends these days and has stopped
  communicating with her family. She will say and
  do anything to get her hands on her drug of
  choice.