Health Risks Concerning Drugs and Alcohol

Per the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), "The health risks associated with long-term substance misuse are extensive and alarming... (f)rom neurological impairments to chronic diseases and social problems" such as increased risk of heart attack, stroke, various cancers, liver diseases, unintentional injuries, and depression.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol abuse, including excessive or “binge drinking,” can also seriously affect academic, athletic, and work performance while leading to behaviors that are destructive, violent, or asocial (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Harmful and Underage College Drinking, 2024). In particular, there is a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and instances of wrongful or inappropriate sexual behaviors.

The New School encourages the community to understand these health risks and potential legal ramifications associated with substance use, misuse, and abuse. Students and employees should also familiarize themselves with available counseling and educational programs to identify and help those who experience difficulty with drugs or alcohol. See Substance Use Services and Assistance Programs for details.

Health Risks

1. Drugs and alcohol are toxic to the human body and can have catastrophic health consequences if abused. Some drugs are so toxic that even one use can be fatal. The New School does not seek to give specific medical advice by disseminating this policy but offers the following information solely for its educational value.
2. Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug in the United States. Alcohol consumption has acute effects on the body and causes a number of marked changes in behavior. Even low doses significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car or operate machinery safely.
3. Low to moderate doses of alcohol increase the incidence of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse and dangerous risk-taking behavior. Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severely altering a person’s ability to learn and remember information. Very high doses can cause respiratory depression and death.
4. If combined with other depressants of the central nervous system, even low doses of alcohol can be fatal.
5. Alcohol-related automobile accidents account for a significant number of deaths among people ages 15 to 24 years.
6. Repeated use of alcohol can lead to physical and psychological dependence.
7. Dependent persons who suddenly stop drinking are likely to suffer withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and seizures.
8. Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening. Long term consumption of large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage of vital organs, such as the brain and the liver.
9. Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants can have irreversible physical abnormalities, as well as learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, or hearing problems.
10. Research also indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at increased risk to become alcoholics themselves.
11. Drugs interfere with the brain’s ability to take in, sort, and synthesize information. They distort perception, which can lead users to harm themselves or others. Drugs also affect sensation and impair memory. In addition, there are specific health risks associated with particular types of drugs.
12. Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system. Its immediate effects include dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. Occasional use can cause a stuffy or runny nose, while chronic use can ulcerate the mucus membrane of the nose. Injecting cocaine with contaminated equipment can cause AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases. Preparation of free base, which involves the use of volatile solvents, can result in death or injury from fire or explosion.
13. Cocaine can produce psychological or physical dependency, a feeling that the user cannot function without the drug. In addition, tolerance develops rapidly, thus leading to higher and higher doses to produce the desired effect.
14. Crack or free base rock is a purified form of cocaine that is smoked. Crack is far more addictive than heroin or barbiturates. Repeated use of crack can lead to addiction within a few days. Once addicted, many users have turned to stealing, prostitution, and drug dealing in order to support the habit.
15. The effects of crack are felt within seconds. The physical effects include dilated pupils, increased pulse rate, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, tactile hallucinations, paranoia, and seizures. Continued use can produce violent behavior and a psychotic state similar to schizophrenia.
16. Cocaine in any form, but particularly in the purified form known as crack, can cause sudden death from cardiac arrest or respiratory failure.
17. Marijuana can cause:
1. Elevated blood pressure, coughing, dryness of the mouth and throat, decrease in body temperature, sudden increased appetite, and swollen red eyes;
2. A panic reaction or paranoia;
3. Distortions of time, reality, and perception, often impairing short term memory;
4. Possible psychological dependence;
5. Dysfunctional thinking, learning, and recall;
6. Impaired ability to drive, operate machinery, or do other things that require physical and intellectual coordination;
7. Irritation of the lungs, aggravating asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema;
8. Listlessness, tiredness, inattention, carelessness about personal grooming, withdrawal, and apathy.
18. Narcotics such as heroin, codeine, and morphine can cause:
1. Loss of appetite;
2. Addiction with severe withdrawal symptoms;
3. Drowsiness, clouding of the mental processes, apathy, slowing of the reflexes and physical activity;
4. Infection, hepatitis, or AIDS from contaminated needles;
5. Death from overdose.
19. Hallucinogens such as LSD, PCP, and angel dust can cause:
1. Frightening hallucinations;
2. Worsening problems for a person who has a history of mental or emotional instability;
3. Distortions of reality, including the feeling that the frightening effects of the drug will last forever;
4. Tolerance from repeated use, leading to increased dosages to bring about the same effects;
5. Flashbacks, days or even weeks later;
6. Death from suicide or accident.
20. Amphetamines, methamphetamines, and other stimulants can cause;
1. Elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, and decreased appetite;
2. Sweating, headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, sleeplessness, and anxiety;
3. Rapid or irregular heartbeat, tremors, loss of coordination, and physical collapse;
4. Sudden increases in blood pressure that can cause a stroke, very high fever, or heart failure;
5. Restless, anxious, and moody feelings;
6. Amphetamine psychosis that includes hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia.
21. Barbiturates, Quaaludes, Valium, and other tranquilizers and depressants can cause:
1. Many of the same effects as alcohol;
2. Calmness and relaxed muscles at smaller doses, but slurred speech, staggering, and altered perception with larger doses;
3. Respiratory depression, coma, and death;
4. Physical and psychological dependence;
5. Increased use as drug tolerance develops;
6. Withdrawal systems ranging from restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety to convulsions and death;
7. Birth defects and behavioral problems in the children of users;
8. Physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms in babies born to mothers who have used depressants during pregnancy.
22. Inhalants such as laughing gas and whippets can cause:
1. Nausea, sneezing, coughing, nose bleeds, fatigue, lack of coordination, and loss of appetite;
2. Decreased heart and respiratory rate;
3. Impaired judgment;
4. Rapid pulse, headaches, and involuntary passing of urine and feces;
5. Brain damage from long term use;
6. Disorientation, violent behavior, unconsciousness, or death;
7. Weight loss, fatigue, electrolyte imbalance and muscle fatigue from long term use;
8. Permanent damage to the nervous system.
23. Anabolic steroids can cause:
1. Liver disease;
2. Cancer;
3. Growth problems;
4. Testicular atrophy;
5. Bone fusions;
6. Acne;
7. Psychological problems;
8. Rage and uncontrollable anger;
9. AIDS from contaminated equipment;
10. Breast reduction;
11. Failure to develop secondary sex characteristics;
12. Sexual dysfunction, sterility, and impotence;
13. Fetal damage;
14. Jaundice, purple or red spots on the body, swelling of feet or lower legs, unexplained darkening of the skin, and persistent breath odor;
15. Heart attack;
16. Stroke.