BIOLOGY PROJECT:
DRUGS
BY:KARTHIKEYA POTHUREDDY
WHAT IS A DRUG?
•A drug is any substance taken into the body
that modifies or affects chemical reactions in
your body.
TYPES OF DRUGS
•There are 2 types of drugs.
1.Medicinal Drugs-Used for killing harmful bacteria in
our body.
2.“Soft” drugs and “Hard” drugs.-harms our body in
various ways.
Medicinal Drugs
Antibiotics
• Antibiotics are substances which kill bacteria but do not harm other living cells.
• First type of antibiotic
Penicillin-kills bacteria by stopping them making their cell walls.
• Since then, many antibiotics have devised and formed to kill a variety of diseases.
Misuse of Drugs
• There are 4 examples of harmful drugs
1. Heroin
2.Alcohol
3.Alcoholism
4.Anabolic Steroids
1.HEROIN
Heroin
• Heroin can be addictive.
• An addictive drug is one which causes a person to become dependent on it-
they are not able to stop taking it without suffering severe mental and
physical symptoms.
• Heroin is a powerful depressant-it slows down many of the functions of the
brain, breathing and etc.
• A person addicted to heroin many lose any ability to be part of normal
society
Heroin
• Heroin addicts may turn to crime to get money to buy their
drugs as they may not be able to hold down onto a job.
• Heroin needles are not sterilized so as people share those
needles, they may be prone to HIV
• Heroin addicts get a “feel-good” effect from heroin which makes
it addictive and to get more of this “feel-good” effect they
keep on dosing themselves and increase the intake of heroin.
2.ALCOHOL
Alcohol
Alcohol can make people feel more relaxed and release their inhibitions
Alcohol’s harmful effects:-
• Alcohol lengthens reactions time
• Alcohol increases aggression in some people
• Large intakes of alcohol can kill
Video on the effects of alcohol on health
3.ALCOHOLISM
Alcoholism
• Alcoholism is a disease in which a person cannot manage without alcohol.
• An alcoholic needs to drink quite large amounts of alcohol regularly.
• Liver disease that is because of drinking alcohol is Cirrhosis.
• This can be fatal.
• Drinking too much of alcohol can also cause damage to the brain like memory
loss and confusion.
• It causes a lot of dilute urine resulting in low levels of water in the blood.
4.ANABOLIC
STEROIDS
Anabolic Steroids
• Steroid hormones stimulate metabolic reactions in body cells that build
up large molecules from small ones are called anabolic steroids.
• Hormones help athletes train harder and for longer periods of time.
• Increase aggression
• Decrease the ability of the immune system to destroy pathogens
• Can damage the liver
Tobacco Smoking
•There are 3 main substances in a cigarette that
damage health
1. Nicotine
2.Tar
3.Carbon Monoxide
1.NICOTINE
Nicotine
•Affects the brain
•It is a stimulant-this makes the person feel more alert
•It’s a addictive drug
•Damages the circulatory system, making the blood vessels
narrower, leading to hypertension.
2.TAR
Tar
•Contains carcinogens which cause cancer
•Cancer cells divide uncontrollably and form a lump or
tumor.
•Cells may break away from the first tumor and spread to
other parts of the body.
3.CARBON
MONOXIDE
Carbon Monoxide
• Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that affects the blood.
• It combines with haemoglobin in the blood.
• It doesn’t allow oxygen to combine with haemoglobin much.
• Therefore, oxygen does not spread to all parts of the body and the
living cells cannot respire.
Smoking & heart disease
•Increases the risk of developing high blood
pressure.
•Makes it more likely that a blood clot will form
inside blood vessels.
•Can lead to coronary heart disease.
Smoking & lung cancer
•Link between smoking cigarettes and lung
cancer.
•1950
•Richard Doll-medical researcher
•Carcinogens-chemicals which cause cancer
