INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT

{BIOLOGY}
 TOPIC:-

DRUGS ADDICTION
AND ABUSE
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This is to acknowledge that this investigatory project

would not have been successful without the help of the
source that are mention below.
It was a great opportunity making this investigatory
project so at the onset a very great thanks to our
respected subject teacher Mrs Chandra Raju (ma’am)
without her guidance this investigatory project would
not have been possible. Lastly I would like to thank
our parents who really helped us in each and every
movement, friends and everyone who is directly or
indirectly associated with the completion of this
investigatory project of biology.
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Janak Vasoya , a student of class

XII- A (science) has successfully completed the biology
investigatory project on the selected topic:- “DRUG
ADDICTION AND ABUSE” assigned by the biology
subject teacher (Mrs Chandra Raju Ma’am) as a part of
the (practical section) class XII Annual Exam for the
year 2019-20.

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION
2. WHAT IS ADDICTION
3. TYPES OF DRUG ABUSE
4. CAUSES OF ADDICTION
5. EFFECTS OF ADDICTION
6. HISTORY OF ADDICTION: DRUG ABUSE
7. DIAGONISIS OF ADDICTION
8. STUDY (QUESTIONARY)
9. THE PROFILE OF FIVE PATIENTS
10. TREATMENT OF ADDICTION
11. SCENARIO OF ADDICTION
12. CONCLUSION
13. 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
are 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 behaviour. 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 behaviour. Medically, addiction is of
three types: Tobacco Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, and
Drug Addiction.
 TYPES OF DRUG ABUSE

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 brain’s
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.
6. 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
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 developinghepatitis, andcirrhosis. Cirrhosis of
the liver is an irreversible and progressive condition
 Heart problems - regular heaving drinking can lead to
cardiomyopathy (damaged heart muscle),heart failure,
andstroke.
 Menstruation - alcoholism will usually stop
menstruation or disrupt it
 Cancer - alcoholics have a much higher risk of
developing severalcancers, includingcancer 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.

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 helps.

 HISTORY OF ADDICTION
.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 so-
called cradle of civilization, and people during that time
generally lived much shorter lives thanks to disease and,
presumably, drunkenness.

.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.
.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.

.Cocaine:-
During the second millennium, world tradestarted 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.
INVESTIGATORY

REPORT

{PROJECT FILE}
DIAGNOSIS OFADDICTION

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:

 Do you find it hard not to smoke in places where it is not

allowed, such as in a church, school, movie theatre, library,
public transport, hospital, etc.?
 If you had to give up, which cigarette would you miss the
most (e.g. the first one in the morning)?
 Do you smoke more cigarettes during the first few hours
after waking up, than during the rest of the day?
 If you are ill, with a bad cold or the flu, do you still take drug
or alcohol?
 Have you ever smoked more than you intended to?
 Have you ever neglected a duty because you were smoking,
or so that you could have a cigarette?
 STUDY (QUESTIONARY)

QUESTIONAIRE:-

1. What was the age when you started having

addiction?
2. What makes you want to take drug?
3. Was there anyone in your family who is also
addicted?
4. Did you start the treatment as soon as you
started having the addiction?
5. Do you think addiction has affected your
normal life?
6. Which was the first problem you started to
have at the onset of addiction?
7. Are you satisfied with the available treatment
of this disease?
8. Do you think the treatment of this disease is
an expensive process?
9. Is Guwahati an appropriate place for the
treatment of this disease?
 THE PROFILE OF
5 PATIENTS

Case no: 1 Patient number: 1

Age: 65
Gender: Female
Comments: After I am started having T2DM, my life has totally
changed. I am the first person to have diabetes in my family. At the
onset of this disease I felt very much weakness and hunger.

Case no: 2 Patient number: 2

Age: 40
Gender: Female
Comments: I am middle aged house wife and I have lots of difficulties
to tackle this disease due to weakness. I cannot meet the common
need of my family, and some time I become unconsciousness and my
family gets worried. Recently my husband spends lots of money for
this disease but I didn’t get any such good result.
Case no: 3 Patient number: 3
Age: 45 Type: T1DM
Gender: Male Date of admission:06/01/16
Comments: I started having this disease at the age of 35, I didn’t take
much attention to it due to very busy job. I din’ took medicine
regularly or neither did any physical exercise and now I’m suffering
from this dangerous disease I have to lose my job, during urination I
feel burning sensation. Now I am unable to take care of my family,

Case no:4 Patient number:4

Age: 54
Gender: Male
Comments: I am poor worker who earn few just to stay alive and to
take care of family. I don’t have much savings that I would go in a big
hospital for better cure or for medicine. Nowadays I also cannot go to
work site as I remain weak and my hand and leg shakes if I try to do
any hard work. Due to this I cannot send my children to school.

Case no:5 Patient name:Miss RupaliNath

Age: 33 Type:T2DM
Gender: Female Date of admission:15/01/16
Comments: I am both working women and house wife I have no time
to care of my health I always remain busy taking care of my family and
doing stressful work at my office and due to this I had gained my
weight rapidly, presently my weight is about 93 kg and my recent
diagnosis says that I am suffering from diabetes.
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.
SCENARIO OF ADDICTION
 CONCLUSION

. Drugs and Alcohol are dangerous to

our health. They can also be lethal to
us. One should not make the habit of it
as it is very difficult to get rid of them.

.They can also destroy our good

health leading to the further life with
many diseases and disorders.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Special thanks to the following source:-

 Internet (Wikipedia)
 NCERT biology class XII
 Some addicted patients
 Online library.