Show Fund Fundamentals YOU Need Know About Drug Abuse What Are the the- Up and Down Drugs Drugs' And What Can They Do to Users EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE This is the second of f a series series' of or five articles based on scientific Information from the National Institute of Mental Health concerning narcotics and drug abuses Amphetamines and barbiturates are the up and down drugs usually taken in pill form They are said to pick you up when youre you're down and bring you down when youre you're up For most people amphetamines amphetamines mines do have exhilarating effects while barbiturates bring calming THEY ARE powerful drugs too powerful powerful power power- ful to play around with Yet too many people are doing so No one knows how many but the best estimates are that about and perhaps as many manyas as persons regularly abuse these and other non non narcotic narcotic drugs The case of Mary Jones illustrates the matter Its It's a hypothetical case not a areal areal areal real name but it is true MARY TAKES amphetamines to get going and barbiturates to put her to sleep She does this day in and out She takes the up and down pills without the supervision of her family doctor Mary is or is on the way to being a slave of these drugs addicted to them a junky as the slang goes What is worse she doesn't know it She doesn't know facts she needs to know like these TH THE E UP u P drugs pep pills also called bennies and speed are a group of drugs known as amphetamines They form one one half half of what is perhaps the biggest part of the drug abuse problem in the U. U S. S today The other half of the problem are the down drugs sedatives sleepIng sleep sleep- Ing pills the large family of drugs made for medical purposes to relax a person What do the down drugs do THEY THEY PRODUCE PRODUCE a relaxing effect for most most people in normal medically supervised doses they mildly depress the action of the nerves skeletal muscles muscles mus mus- cles and heart muscle In abnormal doses th the effects resemble alcoholic drunkenness Are re the these drugs drugs' addicting The amphetamines or up drugs produce produce produce pro pro- duce psychological dependence dependence- a practice that can become a habit for formental formental formental mental or emotional reasons THE DOWN drugs barbiturates usually usually us are physically addicting Some experts experts' consider barbiturate addiction more difficult to cure than dependency upon a narcotic like heroin or cocaine Are these drugs dangerous to use They have definite medical and health values if properly used under a physicians physician's physicians physician's phy phy- ns n's direction NONE IS properly available without a physicians physician's prescription This This' This ThIs' is for forthe forthe forthe the very good reason that their misuse misuse mis mis- use or abuse can be dangerous Barbiturates are a leading cause of or accidental poison polson deaths Sleeping pills distort how people see things they slow slowdown slowdown slowdown down reactions and responses They are arean arean arean an important cause of automobile ac ac- AMPHETAMINES misused can lead to a accidental deaths and to accidents because they can can distort perception judgment and even cause severe mental der derangement For a free leaflet on The Up and Down Drugs write to Box 1080 Washington D. D C. C |