Topic: What is an addiction? Drugs, alcohol, nicotine

Author: Leokadia Stalewicz

Target group

7th‑grade students of elementary school

Core Curriculum

General aim of education

Students discuss the most common types of addictions.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• to explain what an addiction is;

• to describe the mechanism of addiction;

• to present the negative consequences of drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher gives the topic, the goals of the lesson in a language understandable for the student, and the criteria of success.

• The students, selected by the teacher, refer the lesson they read at home before the classes.

Realization

• Participants familiarize themselves with the content presented in the interactive illustration. Then the teacher discusses the issues with the students.

• The teacher asks students to list different addictions, both from behaviors and from chemical substances. Pupils report by raising their hand and the teacher gives the floor to designated persons.

• The teacher divides the class into six groups. The task of each team is to prepare a short speech on one of the following topics:

  • stages of dependence on chemical substances;

  • the effects of drug use;

  • total ban on possession of drugs - 'for' and 'against' positions;

  • effects of alcohol consumption;

  • effects of smoking nicotine

  • my attitude towards smoking and drinking alcohol.

• Representatives of the groups present the effects of the work of their teams. Next, the teacher initiates a discussion about addictions and dangers to which young people are exposed to substances or behaviors that lead to addictions. Based on numerical data from Poland or the EU on trends such as smoking and alcohol consumption, she pays particular attention to the problem of addictions and methods of their treatment (various types, from pharmacotherapy to psychotherapy)..

• Students carry out the interactive exercises checking the level of knowledge learned during the lesson. The teacher initiates a discussion during which the correct solutions for all the exercises performed by the students are discussed.

• The teacher provides students with information on the use of electronic cigarettes and tobacco heaters using an online source. Together with students, he discusses these ways of delivering nicotine.

Summary

• The teacher briefly presents the most important issues discussed in class. He answers the additional questions of the proteges and explains all their doubts. Students complete notes.

Homework

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

• Pupils answer in writing the following questions:

  • What are social diseases?

  • Why is alcoholism included in social diseases?

  • What other addictions, apart from alcoholism, can be included in social diseases?

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

What is an addiction? Drugs, alcohol, nicotine

For ages people were using different chemical substances, the so‑called stimulants, which influence our moods, well‑being and the way we view the reality. Among the stimulants there are widely used and accepted substances like caffeine in coffee or theine – ingredient of tea, as well as dangerous substances, like nicotine. Other legal and dangerous substance is alcohol – consumed in large amounts can lead to i.e. alcohol addiction (alcoholism), liver damage or evan death. Substances that can permanently influence our health are: designer drugs, medicines taken contrary to doctor’s orders, drugs. All of them can become strong addictive substances, in some cases the addiction is so strong that addicts can resort to theft and other crimes. Addiction is a type of an illness.

Psychological addiction is based on constant thinking of taking and obtaining of a given substance. It is accompanied by justifying oneself and looking for important reasons which are supposed to justify taking of the substance. At the same time, it lowers the interest in other aspects of life and leads to the disappearance of will. Psychological addiction remains in people forever, so relapsing is possible even when a person has been an abstinent for many years.

Physiological dependence results from our body getting accustomed to the action of a particular substance at a certain level. Lowering that level can lead to numerous problems called withdrawal syndrome. Those include pains, feeling cold, diarrheas, high blood pressure and heart problems, insomnia, excessive sweating and dryness in the mouth.

Drugs are dangerous addictive substances. When taken regularly they lead to physiological addiction and psychological addiction called drug addiction. Substances that are considered narcotics are substances of plant origin and synthetic origin. According to the WHO, narcotics are also alcohol and nicotine. Drugs damage the liver, kidneys, they degenerate brain tissue and influence the brain, limit the ability to think and remember, as well as cause negative changes in behaviour. Depending on the substance, narcotics can cause unnatural state of agitation, delusions and hallucinations or lowered activity of the body. Overdosing on drugs can lead to death. In addition, it is common among drug addicts to use the same needles and syringes to introduce the narcotics, which makes it easy to transfer the HIV virus and viruses that cause hepatitis type B and C.

Alcohol is one of the most popular stimulants that have intoxicating effects. It has accompanied us for ages. Alcohol is consumed during family events and official events, it has a particular role in many people's lives. However, when consumed excessively, it influences their behaviour and health.

Alcohol does not require digestion – it is directly absorbed from the digestive tract to the blood. That is why it quickly reaches all the organs. Just after consuming it, alcohol causes pleasant relaxation. However, even small amounts of alcohol absorbed by the brain weaken the areas that control neural coordination, movement coordination, attention and the ability to assess the situation. Alcohol consumed in excess causes intoxication, whose symptoms are: slurring speech, double vision, problems with balance and stupor. Regular use of alcohol can lead to alcoholism – an addiction that is hard to manage. Alcohol level in the blood is expressed in Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), expressed in % by volume. For instance, in North America a BAC of 0.1 (0.1%) means that there are 0.10 g of alcohol for every 100 ml of blood.

While smoking tobbacco, nicotine is absorbed to the blood already in the oral cavity and upper airways. Delivered to blood, it goes through the alveoli and, with blood, reaches all the cells. Under the influence of nicotine, the brain produces substances that influence the emotions. They stimulate the organism and cause the feeling of pleasure. The brain quickly begins expecting regular amounts of nicotine and, when it stops receiving them, it experiences withdrawal symptoms – this is how nicotine addiction is created. Regular consumption of nicotine damages the cardiovascular system. It increases the frequency of heart beats and narrows the arteries. It causes the blood pressure to rise, which may lead to heart diseases and damage to other organs. Large amounts of nicotine cause intoxication, which often results in nausea, vomiting, heart pounding and fainting.

• Addiction is the strong need to take a certain addictive substance in order to feel pleasure or to get rid of negative consequences of its lack, e.g. alcohol consumption, smoking tabbacco, computer games, shopping.

• Drugs mainly work on nervous system, especially how the brain works, and they lead to the addiction of the organism.

• Alcoholism is a social disease that damages the drinker and his family.