

Chapter 1: Drugs and Behavior Today
Chapter Context
This chapter examines the history of drug use and behavior, including present-day concerns. The mixedsignals presented of drug use, especially those seen in the media, are presented.
Outcome-based Outline
Outcome
Critical Thinking
Knowledge of Discipline
Learning Objectives Interactivity
1.2 Analyze the contradictions in social messages regarding drug abuse x.x [interactive] (if app)
1.3 Examine the two basic ways of looking at drugs and behavior
1.9 Examine the factors that influence drug-taking behavior
1.1 Report the numerics of alcohol and cigarette consumption among adolescents and young adults
1.4 Report the origins and history of drugs and drug-taking behavior
1.5 Express the widespread and varied usage of drugs in the nineteenth century
1.6 Examine the link between the medical advancement in the area of drugs with the dependency on some of them
1.7 Recognize the attitude difference toward drug-taking behavior in the twenty-first century and in earlier times
1.8 Review the present-day patterns of drug use in the
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PowerPoint Presentation
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1.10 Recognize the current problems with club drugs, the nonmedical uses of prescription pain relievers, and prescription stimulant medications
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Discussion Question Bank
This discussion question bank provides a listing of discussion questions (1-2 per module), which are included for in-class use.
Module
1.1 By the Numbers . . .
Discussion Question(s)
1. The media often show the dangers of drug use. How does this affect perceptions of drug use in society?
2. Drug classifications are either illegal or legal in the United States. How do the drugs in these categories differ?
1.2 Social Messages About Drug Use
1.3 Two Ways of Looking at Drugs and Behavior
1. Some presidents have admitted to using marijuana, but the drug remains illegal. Why is this the case despite powerful leaders admitting to using the drug?
2. The media have differing depictions of drug use that influences our behavior. What ways do you think these depictions have influenced behavior?
1. Consider that there are many foods that have drug-like properties, but which are not considered drugs. What are the differences between drugs and nondrugs? How should we classify substances as drug or nondrug?
2. Drug use is often classified as instrumental or recreational; how accurate and useful is this distinction? Explain why.
1.4 Drugs in Early Times
1.5 Drugs in the Nineteenth Century
1.6 Drugs and Behavior in the Twentieth Century
1. What are the differences between a shaman and a medical doctor? What are the similarities?
2. Do you think the scientific study of drugs has changed the way that people view drugs in society? If so, how?
1. In the nineteenth century, the Bayer Corporation produced over-the-counter heroin as a sedative, but it is now illegal. What are the consequences of making certain substances illegal?
2. There are some people who become addicted to some drugs. Examine the concept of addiction in relation to drug legal status.
1. How does public awareness of the dangers of specific drug use change public consumption of those drugs?
2. Why do people ignore the dangers of drug use or abuse
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1.7 Present-Day Attitudes toward Drugs
1.8 Patterns of Drug Use in the United States
when it is considered fashionable to consume those drugs?
1. What are some of the drugs that are considered popular today? What factors make these drugs popular? How can we use this information to reduce drug use?
2. How do attitudes toward drug use in one generation influence the attitudes of drug use in proceeding generations?
1. The trend among high school students is an increased use of marijuana but a decrease in the use of other drugs. What are some of the social effects of this trend?
2. Why has alcohol use among teenagers decreased in recent years?
1.9 Making the Decision to Use Drugs
1.10 Present-day Concerns
1. There are risk factors and protective factors related to drug use. How can knowledge of these factors be leveraged to reduce drug use among teenagers?
2. The self-reported reasons to use drugs are thought to remain unchanged since the 1970s. Why do you think this is the case?
1. Abuse of Adderall is increasingly common among college students as a way to lose weight or to study all night for exams, even though it poses dangers such as addiction, heart problems, or death. How can college campuses use their resources to reduce the abuse or Adderall among students?
2. Why are risks unique to college students who abuse drugs?
Research Assignments
The following research assignments pertain to the main topics and/or themes of the chapter. Please respond by writing a paper consisting of 1,000-1,500 words.
Drug Abuse through History
Choose a drug commonly abused in the United States today. Research the history of that drug and how social factors, such as legality, social acceptance, and knowledge of the dangers of the drug, have changed the way that the drug has been used through history. Moreover, discuss the current trends in the way that drug is both viewed and used in society today.
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