Module 6 (CH 13 & Various Pages)

Module 6 has been really interesting to me because it was something I can relate to. Marijuana is a common drug and one that I feel is highly used in western New York. In high school, I knew a lot of people who smoked marijuana and even older people who have been dependent on it throughout their lives. I remember learning a lot of marijuana in my health classes, but the textbook and discussion posts covered the topic much more thoroughly and aggressively. I think the major thing that "clicked" with me this module is that most drugs see no thresholds; They impact individuals and families off all races, ethnicities, and income levels. Marijuana seems to be a major contributor to this.

One of the major things that caught me off guard in this unit was the first bullet point on the chapter introduction page. It says "George Washington grew marijuana plants at Mount Vernon for medicine and rope making." It was really shocking to me that someone who was once the president of our country even used marijuana.

Another thing I used this unit is that marijuana is used in the treatment of AIDS. I read this in one of the discussion posts for this module. I found on (which was a very resourceful website throughout this module) this marijuana helps with nausea, appetite loss, pain, and anxiety that are all symptoms of AIDS. AIDS is a huge influences in today's society that seems to be a death threat. It was great to know that these people infected with AIDS living in states that allow medicinal marijuana use are finding some relief.

I also participated in a rather interesting discussion post this module about anabolic steroids. Being an athlete I know that many people use these steroids and do not care about the health risks simply because sometimes they are not visible and come on later rather than immediately. It amazed me what people will do just to look good.

I feel like my participation has been really good this module. With the end of the semester pressure building and an extremely demanding athletic schedule, I have been trying to get work done as quickly, efficiently, and as thorough as possible. It is definitely better to get the work done sooner than later. Over the semester I feel as if I lacked the most in the discussion posts. It was hard for me to remember what was due when, but after making a calendar it was much easier to keep track of. I would give myself a lot of positive feedback this module; I feel like I worked really hard.

Module 5 (Chapters 7 & 8)

Module 5 was a lot of fun because we learned about alcohol. Alcohol, versus other drugs, is something I have been exposed to/influenced by as a child, high school student, and college student because it is something that seemed common and normal during social events. During this module, I recaped on a lot of previous knowledge and gained a lot of new intelligence as well.

Chapter 7 discusses the pharmacological effects of alcohol. One thing I found particularly interesting was the history of alcohol; The Egyptians had breweries 6000 years ago to create wine! Alcohol was being made before history was being documented (PG 185) We also learned about how alcohol effects several different parts of the body. My Grandfather suffered from liver disease, so the section of page 197 that discusses alcohol's effects on the liver caught my eye as well. I learned "amongst alcoholics, liver disorders are responsible for 10% to 15% of deaths." Liver disease also has three stages that we read about, the first being hepatotoxic effect which causes the liver to produce excess fatty cells. The second stage called alcoholic hepatitis causes the liver to swell and the third stage, cirrhosis, is often fatal.

Chapter 8 discusses the behavioral effects of alcohol. This section is packed full of statistics, but I found a few particularly interesting. One states, "throughout the world, the highest per capita consumptions in 2006 were Romania, Austria, Hungary, and Russia. The lowest consumption was Norway while the United Kingdom was mid-range." (PG 211) Of all these countries, the United States is not listed as a high consumption nation. This shows the difference in consumption styles between the U.S. and European nations. While Europe drinks casually on a daily basis, most U.S. citizens binge and drink solely to get drunk. I also participated in a discussion post for this module that was based around behavioral decisions. Chelsea and I communicated about why under-age individuals choose to drink and what can be done about it. (See discussion 7&8)

At the halfway point in the semester, I think I'm doing a pretty decent job at participating in Drugs and Society. I've seen the most improvement in the time I set aside to do thorough reading of the chapters. It really helps in being an active participant. Between now and the end of the semester I need to focus on doing really well on my research paper, final exam, and discussion posts.

teetotalers- individuals who drink no alcoholic beverages whatsoever; a term in common usage in decades past

*PG 211, In today's society individuals like this are known as "straight-edge." It was cool to see what individuals who abstained from using alcohol were called in the past.

diuretic- a drug or substance that increases the production of urine

*PG 193, Alcohol is a diuretic which is the reason that many individuals feel the need to frequently urinate when under the influence of alcohol.