States of Consciousness and Drug Education

A. Levels of consciousness

Normal State

    -comprises either the state of wakefulness, awareness, or alertness in which most human beings function while not asleep or one of the recognized stages of normal sleep from which the person can be readily awakened.

Abnormal state

    - is more difficult to define and characterize, as evidenced by the many terms applied to altered states of consciousness by variou observers.

Clouding of consciousness

    - is very mild form of altered mental status in which the patient has inattention and reduced wakefulness.

Confusal state

    - is more profound deficit that includes disorientation, bewiderment, and difficulty following commands.

Lethargy

    - consists of severe drowsiness in which the patient can be aroused by moderate stimuli and then drift back to sleep.

Obtundation

    - is a state similar to lethargy in which the patient has a lessened interest in the the environment, slowed responses to stimulation, and tends to sleep more than normal with drowsiness in between sleep states.

Coma

    - is a state of unarousable unresponsiveness.

B. Altered state of consciousness

     -  is any measure of arousal other than normal . Level of consciousness (LOC) is a measurement of a person's arousability and responsiveness to stimuli from the environment. A mild depressed level of consciousness or alertness may be classed as lethergy; someone in this state can be aroused with little difficulty. People who are obtunded have a more depressed level of consciousness and cannot be fully aroused. Those who are not able to be aroused from sleep-like state are said to be stuporous. Coma is the inability to make any purposeful response. Scales such as the Glasgow coma scale have been designed to measure the level of consciousness. An altered level of consciousness can result from a variety of factors, including alterations in the chemical environment of the brain (e.g. exposure to poisons or intoxicants), insufficient oxygen or blood flow in the brain , and excessive pressure within the skull. Prolonged unconsciousness is understood to be a sign of a medical emergency.

C. Effects of substance abuse

    - drug abuse is the increasing desire to obtain and use increasing amounts of one or more substances to the exclusion of everything else. Drug abuse affects the body and mind of the user and often many of those around him or her. One specific effect of drug abuse is the creation of physical drug dependence;however, dependence on the drug is not required for drug use to be considered drug abuse.

Effects of drug abuse on the body

*abnormal vital signs

*chest or lung pain

*nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain

*impotence

*more frequent illnesses

Psychological drug abuse effects

*aggressiveness or irritability

*selfishness

*hopelessness

*pressuring others into doing drugs

                   "I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday"

                                                                                         -Eleanor Roosevelt