Indian School - Dar es Salaam

(Affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi-No. 6530001)

C/o. High Commission of India, Post Box No.2684, Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA

BIOLOGY
PROJECT RECORD
Class XII
Certified that is a bona fide Record of the Project work of

MASTER SHIVAM SINHA

Reg. No. .

Year 2016 - 2017

Teacher in charge
Date

School Seal

Principal

1. External Examiner: Name . Sign .

2. Internal Examiner: Name . Sign .
Date

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Shivam Sinha of class XII
has completed the Biology project entitled:
DRUG ADDICTION, himself and under the
guidance of Dr. Shobhit Sharma. All the work
related to the thesis had been done by the
candidate himself. The approach was sincere and
scientific.

Dr. Shobhit Sharma

(HOD BIOLOGY)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am grateful to the Almighty to give me
strength to successfully complete my project.
This project wouldnt have been feasible
without the proper and rigorous guidance of
my Biology Teacher Dr. Shobhit Sharma
who guided me throughout this project in
every possible way.
I am deeply indebted to my school for
providing the best of facilities and
environment to bring out our innovation and
spirit of inquiry through this venture.

CONTENT
Introduction
What is
addiction?

Types of Drug

Causes

Scenario
Effects
Prevention
History

Diagnosis

Treatment

Bibliography

 INTRODUCTION
Addiction is the one of the biggest disease of the world. More than millions of
the individual are struggling against addiction. It takes away the happiness of
the 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 is more vulnerable to addiction. Addiction is
that type of diseases whose rehabilitation is very difficult. As we know
prevention is better than cure so we can prevent our self from getting addicted
by not living under peer pressure. If we also get addicted, we should
immediately take the help of specialist for rehab.

WHAT IS ADDICTION?
Addiction is the habitual, physiological, psychological dependence on a
substance or practice which is beyond voluntary control. A person who is
habituated to a substance or a practice, especially a harmful one, is called an
addict. Addiction is a chronic, progressive and sometimes fatal disorder with
both genetic and environmental roots. It manifests as a compulsion that
derives an individual to continue to behave in a way that is harmful to self and
loved ones, despite an intense desire to halt that behavior. It is a disease of
more- an active addict needs an increasing amount of substance to get high
and is unable to cease usage without painful withdrawal symptoms. This is
true whether the addictive substance is a drug or tobacco or alcohol or a
behavior. Medically, addiction is of three types: Tobacco Addiction, Alcohol
Addiction, Drug Addiction

 TYPE OF DRUGS
1.

Heroin

As a destructive opioid, heroin can lead to

seizures, psychosis, and hallucinations when it is
abused. Heroin injections can also spread
diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus
and hepatitis. This drug is known to cause
serious health issues when it is abused because it
interferes with the brains receptors. Individuals
who take heroin always require professional
rehabilitation because the symptoms of
withdrawal may be life-threatening.

2.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a very dangerous stimulant even when taken in small amounts. It

induces euphoria, increases blood pressure, and accelerates the heart rate. The
drug may lead to fatal strokes or heart attacks for some users. Due to the
severe consequences of using cocaine, users require immediate professional
treatment.

3.

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 lead to immediate addiction. Abusers are also at risk of suffering heart
attacks and strokes with every use. Long-term use can cause liver, kidney, and
lung damage.

4. Hallucinogens
PCP (phencyclidine) and LSD (lysergic acid
diethylamide) are hallucinogens, which means
that they make users feel, see, and hear things
that are not real. While they experience
hallucinations with these drugs, users lose
touch with reality and enter mental states of
disconnection. Withdrawing from
hallucinogens is not easy, and abusers will need professional treatment in a
rehab facility.
5. Marijuana

/ Cannabis

Marijuana is the most common illegal drug

that is abused, and many people begin using
it as a recreational drug in social situations.
Continued abuse of marijuana can lead to
addiction, and the substance can affect the
physical coordination, memory, and mental
functions of users over time. While it is easy
to abuse marijuana, it is not easy to stop
using it.

7. Alcohol
Abusing alcohol can cause psychological, physical, and social problems, and it
can lead to the destruction of relationships,
friendships, and marriages. A lot of alcohol
abusers drink so much that their bodies are
unable to handle it. Sometimes this requires
that they are hospitalized for alcohol
poisoning. Furthermore, alcohol abuse can
lead to injury or death to the people around
them while 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. Professional assistance is often
necessary for abusers of alcohol.

CAUSES OF ADDICTION

Some of the causes of addiction are: Peer pressure

Stress and depression
Lack of education
Religious rituals
Poverty
Lack of willpower
Poverty
Moral weakness
Mental illness
Genetics
Family socialization
Anti-social personalities
Societal problems

SCENARIO OF ADDICTION
2015
2016

Past-month illicit drug use by age 2015 and 2016

EFFECTS OF ADDICTION

Fatigue - the patient is tired most of the time.

Memory loss - especially the patient's short-term 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 heaving drinking can lead to cardiomyopathy
(damaged heart muscle), heart failure, and stroke.
Menstruation - alcoholism will usually stop menstruation or disrupt it
Cancer - alcoholics have a much higher risk of developing several cancers,
including cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, liver, colon, rectum, breast,
prostate and pharynx.
Suicide - suicide rates among people who are alcohol-dependent or who
abuse alcohol are much higher than among other people.

PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Prevention is better than cure is also true here. Tobacco, drug/alcohol abuse
are more during young age and adolescence. 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.
Avoid undue Peer pressure.
Education and counselling.
Seeking help from parents and peers.
Looking for Danger Signs.
Seeking Professional and Medical helps.

 HISTORY OF ADDICTION
1. Beer
Since the dawn of history, mankind has found ways to relieve the daily grind
of life. In ancient Mesopotamia (the area now known as Iraq), agriculture
slowly began to flourish, and a large network of city states started to gain
prominence. With the cultivation of wheat and barley came another product:
beer. After all, the water wasn't particularly healthy, and the weak alcohol
content in beer killed off a lot of harmful organisms in the water.
While the beer wasn't particularly strong, it also wasn't particularly nice, as
the concept of sterility was unknown in 3,000 BCE. However, beer was
consumed in bulk. Consequently, addiction to alcohol was rampant in the socalled cradle of civilization, and people during that time generally lived much
shorter lives thanks to disease and, presumably, drunkenness.

2. Opium
Throughout the time that beer was gaining popularity, the Indians, Assyrians
and Egyptians were cultivating and preparing opium from the opium poppy.
Indeed, the upper classes of many civilizations would use this to relax and pass
time, although some uses are much less benign. One Egyptian scroll
recommends using opium to soothe a crying baby.

3. Hallucinogens and Natural Highs

Moving on 15 centuries, the ancient Greece used a special form of mead
(fermented honey) or beer to induce visions known as mysteries. Naturally,
there is something very mystical in seeing hallucinations, and plants
containing entheogens (natural chemicals that induce hallucinations) have
been widely cultivated throughout the world; these include the peyote cactus,
fly agaric, and cannabis. Clearly, this is a form of drug abuse, although it was
a socially acceptable one at the time.

4. Cocaine
During the second millennium, world trade started to be more prominent.
Ships started sailing from China to Europe-Marco Polo rediscovered major
trade routes to India and China, and in 1492, cocaine came to be major
product of trade.
After that, the American continent became ripe for development. Various
conquistadors discovered the drugs that kept the locals going, especially
cocaine, which was touted as a wonder cure for all ailments.
5.

Tobacco

One of the major drugs that came out of the New World was tobacco. Sir
Walter Raleigh famously introduced dried tobacco leaves to England, where
they were controlled and taxed heavily. Again, abuse of tobacco led to very
expensive addictions, as it was a risky but incredibly profitable voyage for
those who made it over the Atlanta

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 not used to
diagnose addiction.
A GP (general practitioner, primary care physician) can help the patient
determine their degree of dependence by asking pertinent questions, or using a
specific questionnaire. The following questions may help determine how
dependent a patient is:

 TREATMENT OF ADDICTION
Do-it-yourself - experts say about 30% of people with an alcohol problem
manage to reduce their drinking or abstain without seeking professional help.
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 talk through his/her
problems and then devise a plan to tackle the drinking. CBT (cognitive
behavioral therapy) is commonly used to treat alcohol dependency.
Detoxification - the patient takes some medication to prevent withdrawal
symptoms (delirium tremens) which many alcoholics experience when they
give up drinking.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Special thanks to the following source: Internet (Wikipedia)
NCERT biology class XI