Biology Investigatory Project

Topic:- Drug Addiction

Name:- Ruma Mahata

Class:- XII
Roll:-
School:- Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya,
Paschim Medinipur
Guided by:- Mr. Jagjeet Patel
 Certificate
This is to certify that “Biology
Investigatory Project” on the topic “Drug
Addiction” has been successfully completed
by Ruma Mahata of class XII under the
guidance of Mr. Jagjeet Patel in particular
fulfilment of the curriculum of Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
leading to the award of annual
examination of the year 2020-21.

Teacher’s Sign. Examiner’s Sign

Principal’s Sign
 Acknowledgments
In the accomplishment of the project successfully,
people have best owned upon me their blessings
and heart pleased support, this time I am utilizing
to thank all the people who have been concerned
with this project.
Primarily I would thank my parents for being able
to complete this project with success. Then I would
like to thank our Principal Mrs. Shobhna Ghosh
and Biology teacher Mr. Jagjeet Patel, whose
valuable guidance has been that ones that help me
patch this project and make it full proof success.
Her suggestions and instructions have served as
the major contributor towards the completion of
the project.
Then I would like to thank my elder brother who
helped me with his valuable suggestions and
guidance which has been helpful in various phases
of the completion of the project.
Last but not the least I would like to thank my
friends who have helped me a lot.
 Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is Addiction
3. Types of drug abuse
4. Causes of addiction
5. Effects of addiction
6. Diagnosis of addiction
7. Treatment of addiction
8. Conclusion
9. Bibliography
 Introduction
Addiction is one of the biggest disease of
the World. More than
millions of individuals are
suffering from drugs
addiction. It takes away the
happiness of people by avoiding them to get
what they want and many of the people
were also not able to take
correct decision. According
to the recent studies, it has
been found that adolescent
are more vulnerable to
addiction. Addiction is that type of diseases
whose rehabilitation is very difficult. As we
know that prevention is better than cure, so
we can prevent ourselves from getting
addicted by not living under peer pressure.
What is Drug Addiction?
Addiction is the
habitual,
physiological
dependence on a
substance or practice
which is beyond voluntary control. A
person who is habituated to a substance
or practice, especially a harmful one, is
called an addict.
Addiction is a chronic, progressive
sometimes fatal disorder with both
genetic and environmental roots. It
manifests as a compulsion that derives
an individual to behave in a way that is
harmful to self and loved ones, despite
an intense desire to half that behaviour.
It is a disease of “more”-an active addict
needs an increasing amount of
substance to get high and is unable to
cease uses without painful withdrawal
symptoms.
This is true whether the addictive
substance is a drug or tobacco or alcohol
or a behaviour. Medically, addiction is of
three types:- Tobacco Addiction, Alcohol
Addiction, Drug Addiction.
 Types of drug abuse
• Heroin
• Cocaine
• Crack
• Hallucinogen
• Cannabinoid
• Alcohol
Heroin
• As a destructive opioid, heroin can
leads to seizures, psychosis and
hallucinations when it is abused.
• Heroin injection can also spread
diseases such as immunodeficiency
virus and hepatitis.
• This drug is
known to
cause serious
health issues
when it is
abused
because it
interferes with the brain's receptors.
• Once heroin enters the brain, it is
converted to morphine and binds
rapidly to opioid receptor.
• With heroin, the rush is usually
accompanied by a
warm flushing of
the skin, dry mouth
and a heavy
feeling in the
extremities.
• Opioids can depressed breathing by
changing neurochemical activity in
the brain stem, where automatic
body functions such as breathing and
heart rate are controlled.
Cocaine
• Cocaine is a very dangerous stimulant
even when taken in small amounts. It
induces euphoria, increase blood
pressure and
accelerates the
hear rate.
• The drug may
leads to fatal
strokes and heart
attack for some
users.
• Cocaine is also know as Coke, is a
strong stimulant most frequently
used as a recreational drugs.
• High doses can result in very high
blood pressure or body temperature.
 Effect begin within seconds to minute
of use and last between five and
ninety minutes.
• It is commonly snorted, inhaled as
smoke, or dissolved
and injected into a
vein.
• It’s use also
increase the risk of
stroke, myocardial
infarction, lung problems in those
who smoke it, blood infection and
sudden cardiac death.
• Cocaine has a small number of
accepted medical uses, such as
numbing and decrease bleeding
during nasal surgery.
Crack
• A potent form of cocaine, crack is
often smoked and
suddenly creates
an intense
euphoric sensation
for a short while.
• Crack has turned
into a problem because it is cheap
and easy to buy and use. Abusing the
substance, however, can leads to
immediate addiction.
• Abuses are also at
risk of suffering heart
attack and strokes
with every use. Long-
 term use can cause liver, kidney and
lung damage.
• The short term physiological effect of
cocaine include constricted blood
vessels, dilated
pupils and
increase
temperature,
heart rate and
blood pressure.
• Like other forms of cocaine, smoking
crack can increase heart rate and
blood pressure, leading to long-term
cardiovascular problems.
• Crack can make people feel paranoid,
angry, hostile and anxious- even
when they are not high.
Hallucinogens
• Hallucinogen is a class of drugs that
cause
hallucinations –
profound
distortions in a
person’s perceptions of reality.
• Hallucinogen can be found in some
plants and mushrooms (or their
extracts) or can be man made.
• PCP(phencyclidine) and LSD(lysergic
acid diethylamide) are hallucinogens,
which means that they make users
feel, seen and hear things that are
not real.
• While they experience hallucinations
with these drugs, users loss touch
 with reality and enter mental stress of
disconnection.
• Atropa belladonna and datura also
contain hallucinogenic properties.
Cannabinoids
• Cannabinoid is the most common
illegal drug that is abused, and many
people
begin using
it as a
recreational
drug in
social
situations.
• Cannabinoid exert their effects by
interacting with specific cannabinoid
receptor present on the surface of
cells.
• Continued abuse of marijuana can
lead to addiction, and the substance
can affect the physical coordination,
 and mental functions of users over
time.
• In humans,
psychoactive
cannabinoid
produce euphoria, enhancement of
sensory perception, tachycardia, ant
nociception, difficulties in
concentration and impairment of
memory. The cognitive deficiencies
seem to persist after withdrawal.
• Although there are studies that show
potential benefits from cannabinoids,
there are many side effects from
taking the drug. This shows that an
addiction to this natural drugs can be
hazardous.
Alcohols
• Alcohol is one of the most widely used
recreational drugs in the world, with
about 33% of
people being
current
drinkers.
• Abusing
alcohol can
cause
physiological, physical and social
problems, and it can leads to the
destruction of relationships,
friendships and marriages.
• Furthermore, alcohol abuse can lead
to injury or death to the people
 around them when they are under the
influence.
• Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal
because of delirium tremens, which is
a symptom with the potential to
trigger heart failure or stroke.
Refraining from drinking also is not
easy when it becomes a habit
because of mental and physical
issues.
• The liver is an organ which helps to
break down and remove harmful
substances from your body, including
alcohol. Long-term alcohol use
interferes with this process. It also
increases your risk for chronic liver
inflammation and liver diseases.
Causes of Addiction
Drug abuse is often voluntary in the first
instance. The development of full
addiction occurs through a variety of
circumstances.
However the brain changes during a
substance-related disorder in ways that
can take a long time to bring back to a
healthy state.
A person whose brain’s reward circuitry
has not altered as a result of addiction
experiences positive feelings in relation
to generally rewarding behaviour, such
as exercising, being with family, or
consuming delicious food. these should
all make a person feel good.
Some of the causes of addiction are:-
• Peer pressure
• Stress and depression
• Lack of education
• Religious rituals
• Academic pressure
• Breaking of relationship
 Effects of addiction
• Fatigue- The patient is tired most of
the time.
• Memory loss- especially the patient’s
short-time memory.
• Eye muscles- the eye muscles can
become significantly weaker.
• Liver diseases- the patient has a
considerably higher chance of
developing hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
Cirrhosis of the liver is an irreversible
and progressive condition.
• Heart problems- regular having
drinking can lead to
cardiomyopathy(damaged heart
muscle), heart failure and stroke.
• Menstruation- alcoholism will usually
stop menstruation or disrupt it.
• Cancer- alcoholic has a much higher
risk of developing several cancers,
including cancer of the mouth,
oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum,
breast, prostate and pharynx.
• Suicide- suicide rate among people
who are alcohol dependent or who
abuse alcohol are much higher than
among other in people.
 Effects on lungs
Drug use can lead to variety of
respiratory
problems.
For
example,
smoking
cigarettes
has been
shown to cause bronchitis, emphysema
and lung cancer. Marijuana smoke can
also cause respiratory problems,
including chronic bronchitis. Smoking
crack cocaine also cause lung damage
and severe respiratory problems. The use
of some drugs, such as opioids, may
cause breathing to slow, block air from
entering the
lungs or make
asthma
symptoms
worse.
 Effects on brain

Drugs interfere with the way neurons

send, receive and progress signals via
neurotransmitters. Some drugs such as
marijuana and heroine, can activate
neurons because their chemical structure
mimic the brain’s own chemical, they
activates neurons in the same way as a
neutral neurotransmitter, and they lead
to abnormal
messages
being sent
through the
network.
Other drugs,
such as
amphetamine or cocaine, can cause the
neurons to release abnormally large
amounts of natural neurotransmitter or
prevent the normal cycling of these brain
chemicals by interfering with
transporters.
 Prevention & control
“Prevention is better than cure” is also
true here. Tobacco, drug/alcohol use are
more during young age and adolescent.
The remedial measure should be taken in
time. The following measures would be
particularly useful for prevention and
control of alcohol and addiction during
adolescents.
1. Avoid undue peer pressure
2. Education and counselling
3. Seeking help from parents and
peers.
4. Looking for danger signs
5. Seeking professional and medical
help
 Diagnosis of addiction
Blood test or imaging scan can
determine whether somebody is
addicted to
drug or
alcohol or
smoking and
to what
degree.
Blood test-
this may be
ordered to
determine
whether the substance is still in the
blood (whether the substance has been
taken recently). It is used to diagnose
addiction. A GP (general practitioner,
primary care physician) can help the
patient determine their degree of
dependence by asking patient questions,
or using a specific questionnaire.
Although there is no cure for drug
addiction, treatment options mentioned
below can help you overcome an
addiction and stay drug-free. Your
treatment depends on the drug used or
any related medical or mental health
disorders you may have. Long-term
follow-up is important to prevent
relapse.
Treatment of
Addiction
Do-it-yourself- expert says 30% of
people with an alcohol problem manage
to reduce their
drinking or abstain
without seeking
professional health.
There is a great
deal of material in
books and the
internet that may
help the self-helper.
Counselling- a qualified counsellor can
help the alcoholic talks through his/her
problems and then advise a plan to
tackle the drinking. CBT( cognitive
behavioral therapy) is commonly used to
treat alcohol dependency.
Detoxification- the patient take some
medication to prevent withdrawal
symptoms(delirium tremens) which
many alcoholic experience when they
give up drinking.
 Conclusion
• Drug use and addiction cause a lots of
diseases and disability in the World.
• Recent advances in neuroscience may
help improve policies to reduce the
harm that the use of tobacco, alcohol
and other psychoactive drugs act on
society.
• This report is concerned with the
implications of drug use for
workplace safety and productivity. It
examines the prevalence of alcohol
and other drug use by the U.S. work
force, the impact of such use on job
related behaviour, and the
effectiveness of workplace drug
intervention programs.
• The emphasis on workplace
productivity rather than social
consequences affects the purpose,
method, and evaluation criteria used
in this report, just as it often affects
researchers investigating in these
issues.
 Bibliography
• NCERT Biology class XII
• www.scribd.com
• www.drugabuse.net
• Comprehensive Practical Biology
(Class 12)