Drugs- Dorm Lesson Plan

Setting: Setting: Classroom of dorms or in village classrooms. There

will be an audience of college students, mostly freshmen, and the
resident assistants for the dorm present. It will most likely be in the
evening on a weeknight.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to name depressant and stimulant drugs
and their differences when prompted by an instructor.
2. Students will be able to list three or more ways to say no to using
drugs.
3. Students will be able to
Intro: College has a lot to offer: New friends, your own space, a lot of
food, and newfound freedom. There are good things, such as these, but
there are also some negative things that you will be presented with,
one of these things being drugs. I am here today to teach you about
different and common drugs so that you will be able to make educated
and safe decisions about them and the role that they play in your
college career.
Icebreaker: Ask students this question: Where do you see yourself in
five years. Have them write down a few bullet points of what they
would like to see their lives look like. Then, give them a few
consequences of drugs that could happen to them if they use drugs.
Such as You get an MIP, you get a DUI, you become addicted to
Meth/Cocaine, you get HIV, you get an STD, you get pregnant, you go
to jail, you have to pay a bunch of court fines. After each one, have
them discuss with a partner how the lives they just wrote down would
look differently if the event above occurred.
Example: They write down life goals. Then you tell them that they get
an MIP. They would then tell their partner something along the lines of
Well I wanted to get this job, but then they would see that MIP on my
record and I wouldnt get. I would also lose my parents trust so they
might make me come home to finish college. These are things that
would change if they get an MIP.
Content:
Common Drugs: Alcohol, Heroin, Cocaine, Marijuana, Ecstasy,
LSD, Date Rape Drugs, Meth

Alcohol: Alcohol affects the central nervous system and brain. It can
make you feel like loosening up and relaxing, or it can make you
aggressive. It also lowers your inhibitions, which can set you up for
dangerous or embarrassing behavior. As the alcohol leaves your system
you may feel drowsy and sleepy. This can lead you to drinking more
alcohol to keep your "buzz" or relaxed feeling going. A problem with
alcohol is that it affects your ability to control your muscles, mind, and
mouth. It blocks messages going through your brain, and changes your
perceptions and emotions. It affects your eyesight, hearing, coordination,
and reactions, making it difficult to act normally. Many people also
experience a hangover after drinking; hangovers result from your body
being dehydrated by alcohol.

Binge Drinking: Binge drinking is defined as 4 drinks for women and

5 for men in about two hours. Binge drinking should be avoided and
is a very high-risk behavior. It can lead to alcohol poisoning, which
is a very serious medical condition and can end in death.

Heroin: Heroin is a depressant. It makes you feel mellow, dreamy, or

euphoric, but also tired and nauseous. Breathing slows down and pupils
contract into pinpoints. Shortly thereafter, you experience watery eyes,
runny nose, yawning, loss of appetite, tremors, panic, chills, sweating,
nausea, muscle cramps, and insomnia. Heroin is very addictive. As soon
as users come down, they want another fix. The more Heroin you do, the
stronger the desire for another fix. Many addicts feel helpless and may
resort to stealing from friends and family or participating in illegal activity
(like selling drugs or prostitution) for drug money.
Cocaine: At first, Cocaine makes you feel energetic and powerful.
However, as these feelings wear off, you quickly become depressed and
edgyand start really craving more in order to get your high back. It
speeds up your heart rate and increases your blood pressure. Your
breathing becomes much faster. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes,
and respiratory failure. Brain seizures, which occur when the oxygen
supply to the brain is cut off, have been known to occur. Even one hit of
Crack or Cocaine can be fatal. High doses of cocaine or prolonged use can
trigger paranoia.
Marijuana: The effects of Marijuana vary for every individual depending
on how strong the marijuana is, how often it is taken, and whether other
drugs or alcohol are involved. Marijuana can make you feel relaxed, in a
good mood and even silly. However, Marijuana users also experience dry
mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination, poor sense of balance,
and slower reaction times. Blood vessels in the eye will expand causing
the red-eye effect. Smoking marijuana can impair short-term memory.
This happens because the active ingredient in Marijuana is THC (delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol), which alters the way the brain works. After a few

minutes, paranoia or anxiousness may set in, then intense hunger (a.k.a.
the munchies). Finally, the user becomes very sleepy and tired. For some
people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the
normal heart rate. This effect can be greater when other drugs are mixed
with marijuana.
Ecstasy (MDMA): It is often reported that Ecstasy can lower inhibitions, break down barriers
between friends, and enhance feelings of love and affection. Ecstasy has several bad effects.
Ecstasy's effects on the brain can include confusion, depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and
paranoia. These effects sometimes continue after other effects have worn off. 7
Physical effects can include muscle tension, involuntary teeth-clenching,
nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating. The stimulant
effects of the drug can enable the user to dance for extended periods.
Combined with the hot, crowded conditions usually found at rave parties
and dance clubs, Ecstasy can lead to dehydration, hypothermia and heart
or kidney failure.

LSD: LSD is the most common hallucinogen and is one of the most
potent mood-changing chemicals. LSD is taken orally. Gelatin and
liquid can be put in the eyes.
The short term effects of LSD are unpredictable, and occur based on
factors such as on the amount taken, the users personality, mood,
expectations and the surroundings in which the drug is used. The
physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature,
increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite,
sleeplessness, dry mouth and tremors. Sensations and feelings change
much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user may feel
several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion
to another. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces
delusions and visual hallucinations. The users sense of time and self
changes. Sensations may seem to cross over, giving the user the
feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be
frightening and can cause panic. Some LSD users experience
flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a persons experience
even if the user doesnt take the drug again. A flashback occurs
suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or
more than a year after LSD use. Most users of LSD voluntarily
decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not considered to be an
addicting drug because it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking
behavior like cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, alcohol, or nicotine.
Date Rape Drugs:
Rohypnol, GHB, Ketamine. Each drug kicks in in about 15-30 minutes.

Rohypnol (Roofies)- Mostly short term, muscle relaxation, problems

talking, nausea, loss of memory, confusion, dizziness, sleepiness, low
blood pressure, stomach problems.
GHB: Relaxation, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, blacking out, seizures,
loss of memory, breathing problems, tremors, sweating, vomiting, slow
heart rate, dream like feeling, coma, death.
Ketamine: Distorted perception of sight and sound, lost sense of time
and identity, out of body experiences, dream like feeling, feeling out of
control, impaired motor function, problems breathing, convulsions,
vomiting, memory loss, numbness, aggressive or violent behaviors,
depression, high blood pressure, slurred speech.
Meth: Taking even small amounts of methamphetamine can result in
many of the same physical effects as those of other stimulants, such
as cocaine or amphetamines. These include increased wakefulness,
increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration,
rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and
increased body temperature.
Long-term methamphetamine use has many negative consequences
for physical health, including extreme weight loss, severe dental
problems (meth mouth), and skin sores caused by scratching.
Methamphetamine use also raises the risk of contracting infectious
diseases like HIV and hepatitis B and C. These can be contracted both
by sharing contaminated drug injection equipment and through unsafe
sex. Regardless of how it is taken, methamphetamine alters judgment
and inhibition and can lead people to engage in these and other types
of risky behavior.
Consequences of Drug Usage:
Legal: Such as alcohol. Arrest, making dumb decisions that may
lead to unsafe sex, pregnancy, STDs, injury, MIPs, DUIs
Illegal: Jail time, legal fees, serious health consequences,
Ways to avoid using drugs/say no:
Say No.
Offer alternative activities to do instead. Lets go to The Max instead, I
am so hungry! Lets go play some basketball instead. Lets go lay out at
the pool, I need some sun.
Use humor. No way man, I need all of my senses to beat you in call of
duty later! No thanks, I need all of the brain cells I can get, I am
already struggling in bio and its only day two!
Use logic.- Those are illegal, so I am going to have to say no because I
dont want to risk my future for a temporary high.

Change the subject. Speaking of drugs, did you see that they are
having buy two tacos get one free at Gringos tonight? We need to be
there.
Hotline for Help: http://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Sources:http://www.aspira.org/sites/default/files/U_III_M_8_sa.pdf
http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/lsd/
http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/factsheet/date-rape-drugs.html
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine