Introduction
Welcome to University Hospital
You are a student at University Medical School. Your current rotation is to work side by side with the Medical Examiner at University Hospital. You will be assisting Ms. Derrick in performing autopsies where the cause of death is suspected tobacco, drug or alcohol abuse. This webquest will help you identify the harmful effects of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs and explore some of your own thoughts and feelings about substance abuse. Click on the task box to begin.
Task
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
Webquest: October, 2015
Grade 8
I. Drugs can be found all over the world. Which country has the highest rate of experimentation with illegal drugs? Circle your answer.
a. The Netherlands
b. China
c. The United Kingdom
d. The U.S.A.
Check out the following website to for help in answering this question.
II. Explain why it is dangerous to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. Support your answer with at least two examples. Visit the following website for helpful hints.
1.
2.
III. Using tobacco, alcohol, or drugs can alter the way your brain works. How is this possible? Visit http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/brain-and-addiction for help in finding the answer. Write your answer below in the space provided.
Name 3 clues that would lead you to believe that someone is "Under the Influence" of drugs or alcohol. Go to http://teens.drugabuse.gov and click on the interactives & videos tab. Then click on the "Drugs of Abuse" window and explore. Write your answer below.
1.
2.
3.
IV. Drug use and abuse is very dangerous, sometimes even deadly. The risk of death is increased when different drugs are combined and taken together. List 3 side-effects of each of the following drugs: (Go to http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts for help with this question.)
Anabolic Steroids
1.
2.
3.
Amphetamines
1.
2.
3.
Heroin
1.
2.
3.
V. Many teens have been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). A common drug that is used to treat ADD is the amphetamine known as Adderall. Adderall is an example of a _______________________. These drugs raise a person's blood pressure and make the heart beat faster. If not taken as directed, this type of drug can have deadly side effects. (Use clues from Task IV. above to answer this question.)
VI. Do you believe that there is a relationship between the use of alcohol or other drugs and becoming involved in other "risky" behaviors?
____yes ____No
Give one example to support your answer. If you need help with this question go to
http://kidshealth.org/teen/homework/problems/know_about_drugs.html to find some clues. Write your example below.
Example:
VII. It has been proven that the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs is harmful, even deadly, yet teens often cave in to peer pressure and become involved in substance abuse. Why do you think teens ignore the dangers and begin smoking, drinking, or using drugs? Write your answer in the space below.
Need advice on dealing with peer pressure? Check out this website:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/homework/problems/peer_pressure.html#
VIII. Reflection: The use of performance enhancing drugs (steroids) among athletes is common. Respond to this statement: "For competitive athletes, the use of steroids can be considered as cheating....but when everyone else is doing it, what is an athlete to do?" Write your response below.
IX. Application: Ok, now that you know the basics, work with a partner (the person seated beside of you) to solve the mystery behind this death:
Case #1: University Hospital Autopsy Report
Gender: Male Age: 16 Estimated time of death: 3:26 a.m.
Background information: According to the police report, this young man was last seen leaving a party in an upscale neighborhood across town. One of the people that was at the party overheard this young man say that he was not feeling well and he was going home to go to bed. He was last seen staggering on the sidewalk going towards his house. His parents discovered his lifeless body on the floor in his bedroom the next morning. The autopsy revealed that his blood alcohol level was more than 4 times the legal limit. What is your diagnosis as to the cause of death? You can go to this website to get help your with your diagnosis:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/alcohol/alcohol.html#
Case #2: See Ms. Derrick for information on this case. This time, you have to work independently (no partner) to try to solve the mystery of why someone died.