Al though alcohol is legal, it is important to emphasize that alcohol can be both harmful and addictive. If you are under the age of 16, the Danish Health Authority recommends that you do not drink alcohol. The Danish Health Authority recommends that both men and women drink no more than ten items of alcohol per week and a maximum of four items on the same day, however of you are younger than 18 it is recommended to opt out alcohol. This is due to the fact that researchers have gained more knowledge about how alcohol damages brain development while you are young.

Alcohol is can also be seen as a “gateway drug” meaning that it is often the XXX to try other kinds of drugs. According to studies carried out by SFI, there is, for example, an 11 times greater risk that a young adult will try smoking weed if they have already tried drinking alcohol.

Alcohol (ethanol) is primarily absorbed through the stomach and the rest from the large intestines, and from there it is transferred into the blood. It can be measured in the blood after just five minutes. The absorption of the alcohol depends on the time over which it is consumed and whether you have food in your stomach. It takes longer to absorb alcohol if, for example, you have a full stomach. Alcohol is both water and fat soluble, which means that that alcohol can be chemically mixed with both water and fat. It is therefore always a good idea to remember to drink water at the same time as drinking alcohol. When you measure a person's blood alcohol level, you measure how much alcohol there is in relation to the body's total amount of water. In men, approximately 68% of the body weight is water – in women, it is approx. 55%. The difference is because men typically have greater muscle mass and less fat tissue than women. The alcohol is metabolized in the liver. It takes the liver approx. 1 item per hour to burn. This means that that women have less body water than men of similar body weight, so that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol

Alcohol is a toxin that acts both directly and indirectly on several of the body's organs and functions. Alcohol can cause many different diseases such as cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, heart, and liver diseases, but also anxiety and depression. The more alcohol you consume, the greater the risk of developing the various diseases. For example, if vomiting after drinking large amounts of alcohol, this is a sign that the body is poisoned.

You can also become addicted to alcohol, and you can develop both a psychological and physical addiction. When you are psychologically addicted, it means that you feel well-being by consuming alcohol, and will often feel the urge to drink more to achieve a special feeling of well-being. When you are physically addicted, it means that your body has "gotten used to" drinking alcohol, and therefore you may experience nausea, headaches, and cramps if you stop drinking and no longer have alcohol in your body. This is also what is called having 'withdrawals'.

We recommend that you always decided what you want to participate in and what you do not want to do before you drink alcohol.

That 1 bottle of shots corresponds to 15 items – and a bottle of hard liquor to 20?

That alcohol "sedates" the body? Therefore, for example, you cannot feel pain and cold in the same way as when you are sober.

And that very few people make good decisions while under the influence?

Alcohol

Amphetamine has a reputation for being the most "common" of the stimulants, but it is still only 1 in 20 of all 16-20-year-olds who have tried amphetamine. Amphetamine is on list B in the order on narcotic drugs in the Danish legal information. This means that the substance may only be used in a medical and research context in Denmark. The substance has the name "speed", and it is chemically produced and is available as powder or pills. Speed can be sniffed, drunk, eaten or injected directly into the blood vessels.

Amphetamine, like cocaine, acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system. It can give a feeling of energy, having things under control, surplus and self-confidence; you are "speeded up". A person on speed is often active, extroverted, self-centred, nervous bordering on anxious. Responsiveness and sense of reality disappear, and ordinary limits of behavior are suppressed. Increased strength, increased sex drive and headache are also typical reactions.

Amphetamine suppresses the body's natural signals so that hunger, thirst, and fatigue disappear. The visible signs of intoxication are dilated pupils, restlessness, and restlessness, possibly twitching of the face, coarse movements or repetition of the same movements, and increased body temperature, and sweating. “The high” lasts for 4 to 6 hours. Amphetamine and cocaine work very similarly on the mind and body, but the intoxication from amphetamine lasts longer. Be aware that the described effects may differ from person to person.

A person under the influence of amphetamines often has a very short fuse, a low threshold for paranoia, anger, and violence. If you take amphetamines several times within a shorter period of time, you can more easily get anxiety and paranoia. An amphetamine intoxication is often followed by after-effects. Here, the body's repressed feelings and needs return in full force. Many experiences discouragement and anxiety, along with fatigue and exhaustion. The body quickly gets used to amphetamines, so larger and larger amounts are needed to achieve intoxication. There is thus a high risk of physical as well as psychological addiction. Symptoms of withdrawals, it not getting the drug, is typically restlessness, anxiety, restlessness, suspicion, depression, and aggression. Amphetamine use often develops into a mixed addiction, where the user soothes the discomfort of the slump with sedatives (e.g., hashish, nerve/sleeping drugs).

Prolonged use typically causes physical side effects such as tremors, restlessness, heart problems, kidney problems, lung problems, changed sleeping habits, poorer immune defenses, and weight loss, as well as psychological side effects such as paranoia, sleep problems, depression, and aggressiveness. The longer an abuse lasts, the greater the risk of developing an amphetamine psychosis, where you cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, feels persecuted and become dangerous to yourself and others. The psychosis can occur the first time or the last time you take amphetamine – there is no way to determine when or if a psychosis will occur.

Amphetamine

Cannabis comes from the plant Cannabis Sativa. It is most common to smoke the substance, but it can also be mixed into foods where it is eaten or drunk. It is the active substance THC that gives you “a high” when you consume the drug.

Cannabis comes in different forms. The best-known forms are hash, pot (grass), and skunk. Hash is produced by mixing resin from the hemp plant with dried tops and pressing them together into hard, brown sheets. You will most often be presented with it as smaller lumps. Pot or "marijuana" consists solely of the dried top shoots from the plant, which are crumbled or finely chopped. Likewise, "skunk" is also a substance from the plant, like plant-bred hemp with a high content of THC. Usually, it is said that pot is the mildest and skunk is the strongest, but the content of THC can be very different in all the cannabis substances, and you can never be completely sure how strong an intoxication that will occur.

THC or Tetra Hydro Cannabinol is the substance that makes you “high” when consuming cannabis. THC enters and settles in the fat tissues and liver, from where it moves out into the body. The typical effect is that you become lethargic and feel relaxed. When taken in large doses, it can often induce hallucinations. When you are under the influence, it can be seen or felt through red eyes, dry mouth, increased heart rate, palpitations, slurred speech, and lethargy in movements. The substance can change your both your mood and senses. One's emotions are amplified - you may laugh more easily, find things funnier or take things more seriously than usual. Some may burst out in laughter, seem giggly and euphoric, but this can also lead to unpleasant panic attacks. Most people first react outwardly and later act inwardly to cannabis.

An intoxication typically lasts three to four hours, but the drug's sedating effects last up to 24 hours. However, cannabis can be detected in the body up to 6-8 weeks after consumption.

All varieties of cannabis are addictive. The more you consume, the more it takes to get a high increasing your tolerance, and you can become very addictive of it. If you stop smoking after prolonged use, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. It can be difficulty sleeping, night sweats, irritability, and discomfort in other ways.

As long as you are under the influence of THC, you are less able to remember, learn, plan, solve problems, make decisions, organize and control impulses. You are more lethargic, slow, indifferent, and unfocused. This basically means that you understand and interact less well with the world around you. At the same time, your ability to be self-aware deteriorates, which is why you might not acknowledge being "stupid” or making bad choices. Some even experience the intoxication as a way to become smarter or more creative. They are tricked into thinking things are getting better, even though they are actually getting worse.

Some people may develop a long-term psychosis or personality disorder from smoking weed. It is discussed how often it occurs and whether you can say anything about whom it might happen to. In recent years, scientific studies have indicated a connection between psychotic reactions, the development of schizophrenia and the use of cannabis.

As a young adult, you must be particularly aware of the side effects of cannabis on the brain, as the brain is only fully developed in the mid-twenties. Cannabis inhibits you brains development, and this can have consequences for you later on in life.

Cannabis

Cocaine comes from the coca plant and the substance is extracted from the leaves of the plant., but although it comes from a plant, it is not "natural". As the substance is produced, a quantity of chemicals such as acetone, alcohol and hydrochloric acid are often mixed in to affect the profit from the sale. Studies of the cocaine sold on the street have shown that it is never a "pure" substance and that it contains an average of 25% cocaine. Cocaine typically a white powder but processed with chemicals or heat it can be converted into "crack" and "freebase". These forms are found in white, grayish, or brownish lumps or flakes and can be smoked. Cocaine therefore be sniffed through the nose, drunk, eaten or injected into the bloodstream.

Since the mid-1990s, the use of cocaine in Europe has increased and the drug has become cheaper. However, it is not "common" among young adults to use cocaine. Only 2 per cent. of the 16-24-year-olds have tried the drug. Cocaine is on list B in the order on narcotics in the Danish legal information which means that the substance may only be used in a medical and research context in Denmark.

When taking cocaine, it stimulates the part of the brain and spinal cord called the central nervous system. People who take cocaine will have a faster heart rate and breathing, blood pressure increases, blood vessels constrict, and body temperature rises. One's need for sleep and appetite are suppressed. The drug gives a feeling of energy, elation, and self-confidence. Cocaine enhances feelings such as strength, joy, happiness, love - but also enhance feelings such as irritability, restlessness, anger, and depression. When under the influence of cocaine, people seem self-centered and hyperactive. The pupils become large and the muscles of the body tense. The effect of cocaine occurs quickly and is short-lived as cocaine is quickly excreted from the body.

The intoxication typically lasts 20-30 minutes for cocaine that is snorted and 5-10 minutes when the substance is smoked. But it can vary depending on the content of the substance. A little over an hour after taking cocaine, one might feel exhausted, irritable, nervous, and restless. This feeling becomes more intense and long-lasting, the more cocaine you consume. Be aware that the described effects may differ from person to person.

Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. The feeling you might experience after taking cocaine can tempt you to take the drug again to get back the "good" feeling, and this is where it becomes difficult to control the use. The symptoms of withdrawal are often long-term with sleep disturbances, lack of energy, depression, irritability, lack of sex drive and strong drug cravings.

With regular use, cocaine can cause serious psychological symptoms such as anxiety, paranoia, tension, depression, and suicidal thoughts. In addition, many people experience a decrease in sex drive and potency. Long-term use carries the risk of developing cocaine psychosis, brain damage, heart problems and breathing difficulties. Cocaine can cause fatal poisoning with convulsions, respiratory failure, or heart failure. The risk of poisoning increases when large doses are taken, when the substance is taken several times in a row, and/or when cocaine is mixed with sedative substances such as alcohol, and when consumption is via smoking or injection.

Cocaine

Ecstasy is a euphoric pill that comes in different shapes and colors and with various logos. The pills contain the synthetic substance MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine). MDMA is also available as powder, larger lumps, or crystals. Experiments have found anything from 1 per cent. to 66 per cent MDMA in ecstasy pills. The rest of the content in the pills are binders, fillers, or other psychoactive substances, such as amphetamines or hallucinogens. Ecstasy has many different names, such as E, Adam, XTC, Mitsubishi or love drug. The effect of the pills can be very different.

MDMA is also known as "Mandy" or "Molly". The powder in its purest form typically contains 30-40% MDMA and the rest are other additives. MDMA is on list B in the order on narcotic drugs in the Danish legal information. This means that the substance may only be used in a medical and research context in Denmark. According to studies 3 percent of the 16-20-year-olds have tried ecstasy.

MDMA has an invigorating and slightly hallucinogenic effect. You don't get tired, and you experience the world – light, sound, moods – more intensely, partly because you experience being able to increase attention, partly because the substance has a reality-distorting (hallucinogenic) effect. At the same time, you feel open and more loving towards your surroundings and often with an inner calm and completeness. The intoxication occurs shortly after taking it with the strongest effects after approx. 1,5 hours and will typically last for four to six hours.

You can also experience a “bad intoxication” showing itself through anxiety, frightening hallucinations, confusion, and panic. The risk increases with large doses. Physically, you are affected in several ways, for example being less thirsty, less hungry, get dilated pupils, tension in the jaw and other muscles, insomnia, palpitations, and you feel hot. Some experience nausea, tremors, erection problems, diarrhea, and actual sweating. Be aware that the described effects may differ from person to person.

MDMA poisonings are relatively rare, but can be fatal, and there are examples of deaths from even very small doses. The risk of poisoning increases if you drink too little and dance a lot increasing your body temperature during the intoxication, because the body then becomes "dried out". There are also examples of people on MDMA drinking way too much water in attempt to “cure” the dehydration, but it can cause severe disturbances in the body's salt balance and be very dangerous. It is, however, also important to mention that MDMA itself can disrupt the body's salt balance and fluid balance to such an extent that it can be fatal.

The most common short-term side effects of MDMA are overheating and dehydration. Like LSD and mushrooms, MDMA can cause flashbacks which means that a person who has taken the drug may suddenly experience the feeling of intoxication again months after taking it often with hallucinations and anxiety - without haven taken any MDMA. Generally, the use of MDMA often produces a "rebound effect" or long-term after-effect. Ecstasy/MDMA can cause long-term depression and reduced ability to remember and learn.

Ecstasy/MDMA is a highly addictive substance. The longer you use it, the larger the dose you need to achieve the invigorating effect. The more you take, the more the risk of side effects increases.

Ecstasy

Nitrous oxide (N2O) also known as laughing gas can be used in the healthcare world for anesthesia and pain relief but is always mixed with oxygen and supervised by a healthcare professional. Nitrous oxide in cartridges, balloons or the like is 100% gas and can therefore be harmful to health.

Laughing gas inhibits breathing just like alcohol does. When you consume laughing gas in small rooms without ventilation, and where there may also be smoking, the risk of excessively low oxygen concentrations in the lungs and thus in the brain increases. In the extreme, it can cause permanent brain damage.

If laughing gas is inhaled, it will inhibit receptors in the brain that help control our level of consciousness. One can therefore experiences varying degrees of loss of consciousness depending on the concentration of inhaled laughing gas. That is why it can be used for anesthesia. Laughing gas also affects receptors deep in the middle of the brain and in the brainstem. Receptors that are involved in a complicated interaction with the nerve pathways that tell the brain about pain which is why it is used for pain relief. The receptors that are affected are found in certain areas of the brain that also help to control excitement, sleep cycle, learning, memory, emotions, and balance. And when using laughing gas, you might experience effects in all these areas.

In general, nitrous oxide has an inhibitory effect on our brain, and most people who inhale it at a concentration above 70% will lose consciousness, while most people who inhale it at a concentration above 20% will feel strong pain relief.

The side effects of inhaling nitrous oxide are extensive. They range from short-term transients with short-term intake to the risk of long-term and permanent damage with long-term abuse. People who ingest nitrous oxide often get blue lips or go into convulsions. It is a sign of lack of oxygen in the brain.

15-20% of those who inhale nitrous oxide experience nausea and vomiting. The heart's ability to contract is slightly inhibited, and this increases the risk of a sudden drop in blood pressure and fainting. Breathing becomes shallower and faster. Laughing gas is collected to a greater extent than other gases in the air-filled cavities in the body. These are, for example, the pleura, the intestines, and the middle ear. These cavities expand and the pressure in the cavity increases. This means that many experience "plugs" in the ears (or altered perception of sounds), as you know from a flight. You do not get a similar warning when the pressure rises in the pleura or in the intestines. In exposed individuals (you cannot know in advance who), there is a risk of a collapsed lung or small holes in the intestine.

Laughing gas

NBOMe is a relatively newly discovered hallucinogen drug that acts much more powerfully than LSD, but on the same receptors in the brain. NBOMe is most often taken as a "stamp" that is placed under the tongue. It may seem less dangerous than, for example, sniffing or smoking a substance, but it is absolutely not. It is a cheap drug that provides a long-lasting intoxication of 6-10 hours.

Like LSD, NBOMe provides an intoxication with strong distortion of sensory impressions, thinking and mood, which is influenced by previous experiences, state of mind and surroundings. Sensory impressions become more unstable and more intrusive than with LSD. The sounds or visual impressions experienced are not real, and if you take the drug, you may experience a greater tendency towards nightmare-like states and erratic behavior. NBOMe typically causes you to become warm, aggressive, get goosebumps, large pupils, higher heart rate and blood pressure, and high blood sugar.

As the substance is relatively new, the long-term effects are unknown. One must assume that they are reminiscent of the effects of LSD abuse such as persecutory madness, other forms of psychosis, anxiety, panic, confusion and altered perception of reality, which may be lifelong. There is already a strong presumption of a markedly high tendency for accidents, injuries and suicides related to NBOMe.

NBOMe

No. But snuff, like cigarettes, is addictive and unhealthy for the body.

Snuff is finely ground tobacco with flavoring added, which is placed under the upper lip or between the cheek and the molars. In this way, the tobacco can be absorbed into the body through the oral mucosa. Nicotine from snuff is absorbed into the blood a little more slowly, but in roughly the same amount as with smoking, and just like tobacco, snuff can lead to nicotine addiction.

Because you can become addicted, regular use of snus will also lead to withdrawal if you stop using it. People who use snuff or chewing tobacco have an even higher risk of cancer in the cheek or on the inside of the lips. Apart from mouth and throat cancer, snuffing can also cause other serious health problems, e.g., cancer of the esophagus, vocal cords, stomach, pancreas, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

When you use snuff, the body does not only absorb nicotine. It also absorbs several carcinogens such as arsenic and formaldehyde.

In addition, it has been shown in several studies that there is a connection between smoking and/or the use of snuff and later hashish smoking.

Facts aboutDrugs

Drugs

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