What You Need to Know About Alcohol and Other Drugs

Gallaudet University is committed to providing information about alcohol and other drugs, supporting those students who make positive choices, and encouraging a dialogue with all students so that we can move the community further toward our goal of eliminating the abuse of alcohol and use of illicit drugs. If students have any questions concerning the health or psychological risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and the abuse of alcohol, students can contact the Health and Wellness Program or seek help from the other resources listed below. The following is a brief description of several drugs and their associated health risks.

Alcohol

Health Effects.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which can cause disinherited behaviors (things one would not normally do if sober) and decreased motor coordination and control. This impairment can occur even at low levels of blood alcohol. When alcohol is abused, there is a significantly increased incidence of physical injury, motor vehicle accidents (nearly half of all fatal accidents) and injuries from assaults. Chronic heavy alcohol use is associated with increased risk of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver and heart and is the most common cause of liver failure. Particularly among college students, high-risk drinking (loosely defined as getting "drunk") is associated with an increased risk of sexual assault, alcohol poisoning, and poor academic performance. Someone who has passed out after drinking requires immediate medical attention. Students who are with someone who cannot be woken up after drinking should put the person on his or her side and alert DPS (on-campus) or call 911 (off-campus) immediately.

Signs of Trouble with Alcohol.

The following are some warning signs of trouble with alcohol or other drugs:
• Wondering if you are using too much
• Using alcohol or other drugs to solve problems
• Doing things while you are drunk or high that you wouldn't do otherwise
• Losing interest in friends, academics, hobbies, athletics or other activities you once enjoyed
• Spending more time getting high or thinking about the next possible opportunity to do so
• Friends expressing concern over how much you drink or use other drugs
• Blackouts

If you experience any of these signs, you are strongly encouraged to seek help from the Mental Health Center, Health and Wellness Programs, a Coordinator of Residence Education (CRE), a Graduate Assistant (GA), or seek help from other on- and off-campus resources listed below.

The Effects of Alcohol Abuse on the Community.

The majority of Gallaudet students do not engage in high-risk drinking activities. However, substance abuse by individuals or groups of students has a profound and negative impact on the entire community, including the majority of students who do not abuse alcohol or other drugs. Disruptions to the broader community, which result from substance abuse, include disturbances to the physical environment, interruptions of study or rest, physical violence, vandalism, and the imposition on others to care for those who are not able to care for themselves.

What You Can Do When Someone Else's Drinking Bothers You.

Remember, it is reasonable to expect that other students respect your shared living space. If you feel you are not given this respect, it is your right to confront the situation. First, ask other people on your floor or off-campus living arrangement if they feel the same way you do about the situation. If you all agree that the drinker needs to be directly confronted with his or her problem, mention the problem to your Resident Advisor (RA), GA , or CRE. Request that your meeting be kept confidential (no one has to know who brought the situation to Residence Life's attention). The RA, GA, or CRE can then intervene as appropriate or help you come up with a plan for confronting the student yourselves. If you live off-campus, get your roommates together and use the guide for "How to Help a Friend With a Drinking Problem" below. As a last resort, you can explore the options of moving to a different living situation.

How to Help a Friend with a Drinking Problem.

Get advice. Go to Health and Wellness Programs, the Mental Health Center, a CRE, a GA, or someone else you trust. You don't have to give the name of the person you're concerned about. Explaining your problem to a third party will help you figure out how to proceed.

Make sure your friend is sober. When it's time to confront your friend, make sure he or she isn't under the influence of alcohol. There may never be a perfect time to bring up such a tough subject, but the one time you don't want to discuss it is while your friend is under the influence.

Prepare yourself. Realize that this is not going to be easy. Before you speak to your friend, develop a plan for how you'll start helping. Find out about on-campus and local A.A. meetings, on-campus C.A.R.E.S. groups in the Mental Health Center and other substance abuse counseling that's available, and offer to go with your friend to a few meetings.

Keep it personal. Begin the conversation with your friend by letting him or her know you care, and that's why you're going to be upfront. Use your own feelings about the situation - "The way you act when you're drinking worries me" - instead of, "You really have a problem with alcohol." Specifically list the negative effects you've seen alcohol have on the person (you may want to write them down first), including missing class, memory loss, poor grades, isolation from family and friends, etc. Your friend will have a difficult time ignoring the hard evidence.

Expect denial. It won't be easy getting your friend to admit he or she's got a problem with alcohol. Remind your friend that while this is a problem that he or she has to overcome, there are still many great things that make your friend a valuable human being (you might want to list these too). The first talk you have with your friend about this problem probably won't be the last. Don't give up.

Follow through. Ultimately, it must be your friend's choice to get help. Once that decision is made, show your support: Prove that you meant it when you said you'd attend A.A. meetings with him/her, or that you'd opt for hanging out with him/her instead of going to an off-campus party. For your part, you need to have patience and remind yourself you're being a true and good friend.

Get help for yourself. It is common for people to feel overwhelmed and discouraged in the process of helping a friend. Visit the Mental Health Center, Health and Wellness Programs, or other people you trust and ask for help for yourself too.

Other Drugs

Cocaine

Cocaine belongs to a class of drugs known as stimulants, which tend to give a temporary illusion of limitless power and energy that leave the user feeling depressed, edgy, and craving more. Crack is a smokable form of cocaine that has been chemically altered. Cocaine and crack are highly addictive. This addiction can erode physical and mental health and can become so strong that these drugs dominate all aspects of an addict's life.

Physical risks associated with using any amount of cocaine and crack include increases in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature, heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory failure, hepatitis or HIV through shared needles, brain seizures, and reduction of the body's ability to resist and combat infection. Psychological risks include violent, erratic, or paranoid behavior, hallucinations and "coke bugs" - a sensation of imaginary insects crawling over the skin, confusion, anxiety and depression, loss of interest in food or sex, and "cocaine psychosis" - losing touch with reality, loss of interest in friends, family, sports, hobbies, and other activities. Cocaine and crack use has also been a contributing factor in a number of drowning, car crashes, falls, burns, and suicides. Cocaine and crack addicts often become unable to function sexually. Even first time users may experience seizures or heart attacks, which can be fatal.

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogenic drugs are substances that distort the perception of objective reality. The most well-known hallucinogens include phencyclidine, otherwise known as PCP, angel dust, or loveboat; lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD or acid; mescaline and peyote; and psilocybin, or "magic" mushrooms. These drugs can produce unpredictable, erratic, and violent behavior in users that sometimes leads to serious injuries and death. The effect of hallucinogens can last for 12 hours.

LSD produces tolerance, so that users who take the drug repeatedly must take higher and higher doses in order to achieve the same state of intoxication. This is extremely dangerous, given the unpredictability of the drug, and can result in increased risk of convulsions, coma, heart and lung failure, and even death.

Physical risks associated with using hallucinogens include increased heart rate and blood pressure, sleeplessness and tremors, lack of muscular coordination, sparse, mangled, and incoherent speech, decreased awareness of touch and pain that can result in self-inflicted injuries, convulsions, coma, and heart and lung failure. Psychological risks associated with using hallucinogens include a sense of distance and estrangement, depression, anxiety, and paranoia, violent behavior, confusion, suspicion, and loss of control, flashbacks, behavior similar to schizophrenic psychosis, and catatonic syndrome whereby the user becomes mute, lethargic, disoriented, and makes meaningless repetitive movements.

Heroin

Heroin is a highly addictive drug. Users find that they have a need for persistent, repeated use of the drug (known as craving) and that their attempts to stop using the drug lead to significant and painful physical withdrawal symptoms. Use of heroin causes physical and psychological problems such as shallow breathing, nausea, panic, insomnia, and a need for increasingly higher doses of the drug to get the same effect. Uncertain dosage levels (due to differences in purity), the use of unsterile equipment, contamination of heroin with dotting agents, or the use of heroin in combination with such other drugs as alcohol or cocaine can cause serious health problems such as serum hepatitis, skin abscesses, inflammation of the veins, and cardiac disease. Of great importance, however, is that the user never knows whether the next dose will be unusually potent, leading to overdose, coma, and possible death. In addition, needle sharing by IV drug users is fast becoming the leading cause of new HIV cases.

Inhalants

Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high. Nearly all abused products produce effects similar to anesthetics, which slow down the body's function. Varying upon level of dosage, the user can experience slight stimulation, feeling of less inhibition or loss of consciousness. The user can also suffer from Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. This means the user can die the first, 10th, or 100th time he or she uses an inhalant. Other effects include damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow and other organs. Results similar to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome may also occur when inhalants are used during pregnancy. Inhalants are physically and psychologically addicting and users suffer withdrawal symptoms.

Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and tends to be the first illegal drug young people use. However, most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. Less than one percent of the population smokes marijuana daily or nearly daily. Marijuana blocks the messages going to your brain and alters perceptions and emotions, vision, and coordination. The short-term effects of using marijuana include sleepiness, difficulty keeping track of time, impaired or reduced short-term memory, reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination, such as driving a car, increased heart rate, potential cardiac dangers for those with preexisting heart disease, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth and throat, decreased social inhibitions, and sometimes paranoia and hallucinations.

Long-term effects of chronic heavy marijuana use include enhanced lung cancer risk, decreased testosterone levels for men and lower sperm counts and difficulty having children, increased testosterone levels for women and increased risk of infertility, diminished or extinguished sexual pleasure, and psychological dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect. Physical dependence on marijuana has not been demonstrated.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but with stronger effects on the central nervous system. Street names for the drug includes "speed," "meth," and "crank." Methamphetamine is used in pill form or in powdered form by snorting or injecting. Crystallized methamphetamine known as "ice," "crystal," or "glass," is a smokable and more powerful form of the drug.

The effects of methamphetamine use include increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased wakefulness, insomnia, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, respiratory problems, extreme anorexia, hyperthermia, convulsions, and cardiovascular problems, which can lead to death, euphoria, irritability, confusion, tremors, anxiety, paranoia, or violent behavior, and can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Methamphetamine users who inject the drug and share needles are also at risk for acquiring HIV.

Prescription Drugs

These drugs are not illicit if they are used in accordance with the prescription. However, sharing prescription medication with someone else is illegal and could be very harmful.

Rohypnol and GHB

Rohypnol has been a concern for the last few years because of its abuse as a "date rape" drug. People may unknowingly be given the drug which, when mixed with alcohol, can incapacitate a victim and prevent them from resisting sexual assault. Also, Rohypnol may be lethal when mixed with alcohol and/or other depressants. Rohypnol produces sedative-hypnotic effects including muscle relaxation and amnesia; it can also produce physical and psychological dependence. In Miami, one of the first sites of Rohypnol abuse, poison control centers report an increase in withdrawal seizures among people addicted to Rohypnol. Rohypnol is not approved for use in the United States and its importation is banned. Illicit use of Rohypnol began in Europe in the 1970s and started appearing in the United States in the early 1990s, where it became known as "roofies," "roach," "rope," and the "date rape" drug.

Since about 1990, GHB (gamma - hydroxybutyrate) has been abused in the U.S. for euphoric, sedative, and anabolic (bodybuilding) effects. As with Rohypnol and clonazepam, GHB has been associated with sexual assault in cities throughout the country. It is also known as "liquid ecstasy," "somatomax," "scoop," or "grievous bodily harm." Coma and seizures can occur following abuse of GHB and, when combined with methamphetamine, there appears to be an increased risk of seizure. Combining use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in nausea and difficulty breathing. GHB may also produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety, tremors, and sweating. Because of concern about Rohypnol, GHB, and other similarly abused sedative - hypnotics, Congress passed the "Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996" in October 1996. This legislation increased Federal penalties for use of any controlled substance to aid in sexual assault.

Steroids

Steroids are synthetic compounds available legally and illegally and which are closely related to the male sex hormone, testosterone. Possible effects of steroid use include increase in body weight, increase in muscle strength, enhanced athletic performance, and increased physical endurance. Abuse of steroids may cause severe acne, rashes, stunted growth, sexual function problems, women take on masculine traits and develop hairiness, behavioral changes, and aggressiveness ("roid rage"). Long-term effects may include elevated cholesterol, heart disease, liver tumors, cancer, cataracts, and death. Sharing needles to inject steroids can lead to transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Tobacco

Tobacco (smoked or smokeless) is highly addictive - for some people, it is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, contributing to lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and a variety of other diseases. Individuals consistently exposed to second-hand smoke (those who work or live around smokers) are also at an increased risk for cancer and other heart and lung disorders. Smokeless tobacco (snuff or chew) is associated with a greatly increased risk for cancer. Using smokeless tobacco can be as harmful as smoking. Using it can quickly lead to addiction. Like smoking, dipping and chewing tobacco have serious health effects, including oral cancer, gum problems, loss of teeth, and heart problems.

Quitting smoking or smokeless tobacco is difficult. Usually people make two to three tries, or more, before finally being able to quit. Studies have shown that each time you try to quit, you will be stronger and will have learned more about what helps and what hurts. Those interested in quitting smoking or stopping use of smokeless tobacco can be treated by counseling and behavior modification sessions, help in handling difficult situations, and/or perhaps using the nicotine patch or nicotine gum.