Thursday, December 15, 2011

Module 7 Reflection

I really like this module. It actually contained the same information that I have been learning in class. My major is Radiologic Technology and we just covered a topic on Over the Counter drugs and prescription drugs. Also, I started a new job and we had to learn about medications as part of the training, so its kind of like a review!

I learned about things like group therapy, over the counter medications and AA from the discussion forums. I didn't know that a lot of people don't like group therapy, I would think it would have a lot of positive feedback but by reading the discussions, it doesn't.

I learned from the mini lecture that OTC drugs have a lot of side effects. Also, if you're taking more then one OTC medication you need to compare the active ingredients.

One thing i learned in this session that I can use in the future is the information from the mini lecture. Sometimes I take more then one OTC for headaches or upset stomach, and didn't know you need to compare the active ingredients.

I think overall I have done very well in this course. I liked the fact it was online and I had more then enough time to finish the quizzes, discussions and learning journals. The only thing I think I could improve on is the quizzes. Although overall I did well, I think I could have done better. I needed to read the textbook more carefully and I think that's why I didn't do the best I could have done on the quizzes.

I would give myself very positive feedback for the discussions. Sometimes I lost a few points for not providing a website, but that was just carelessness. I think the times I lost a few points I was rushing and forgot to find a website. The discussions definitely helped me achieve success because reading what other people have to say about the topics help me understand the material better.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Module 6 Reflection

There was definitely a lot less information in the Module because it was only on one chapter. I learned a lot more about marijuana and the physical and psychological effects. One thing I didnt know before this Module was that football is the most common sport to use steroids. When taking the quiz, I put wrestling as an instinct, but I was wrong. It was also interesting to learn all of the states that marijuana is legal in.

The mini lecture was helpful, with all of the different facts about marijuana. I knew that THC was the active ingredient in it, but I didnt know you can get high from second hand smoke.

I did my dicussion question on marijuana legalization, and it was cool to see someone agreed with me that if I was ill or had a disease, I would want whatever is available to me. So if smoking marijuana would help me cope with my illness, I would want it to be available for me to do.

Now that we are almost at the end of the course, I feel like overall I have put in more effort in each module. After the first module, I felt like I didnt. My grades have improved and I see what a postive effect reading the text closely has done to my grades.

One thing I have learned in this session that I can use in the future is the facts about marijuana from the mini lecture. Some I already knew, but most I did not. I received good points (either 4 or 5) on each of my dicussion posts. This is because I provided all of the information necessary. (Sometimes I forgot to provide a website or reference the text)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Module 5 Reflection

The chapters keep getting more and more interesting! I never knew there were classifications for different types of alcoholics. Delta, Epilson, who knew! I have learned quite a bit of this in previous health classes, such as the information on the effects of alcoholic on different parts of the body. Alcohol has some serious effects on the liver! Knowing what it can do to you makes a person never want to drink again.

These discussions were interesting. I chose to do mine on the "hair of the dog" hangover cure. It seems like a lot of people chose to do it on domestic violence or children of alcoholics. I learned that children of alcoholics are more likely to have certain behavioral, psychological, and emotional problems rather then people who wernt born from an alcoholic. I also learned domestic violence is linked to alcoholism but not directly. One can cause the other but just because there is domestic violence in a home doesnt mean one of the parents is an alcoholic.

The mini lecture this time was fun! I never knew what crazy laws there were in some states. Like the one about sending a friend alcohol as a gift, a person can end up in jail! Ridiculous!

I think I improved a lot in this class. My first quiz score was awful and I made sure that it didnt happen again! I have been spending much more time reviewing the material to make my grade the best it can be.

One word I didnt know was teetotalers which is an individual who drinks no alcoholic beverages whatsoever. I never knew there was a term for that. There are definitely a lot of people in the world that are teetotalers. The second word i chose was alcoholic cardiomyopathy which is congestive heart failure due to the replacement of hear muscle with fat and fiber.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Module 4 Reflection

This was an interesting two chapters. I liked learning about the depressants and stimulants. It seems as we get further into the course, the readings get more interesting. I learned a lot of new things that I haven't learned in past  health classes. Such as effects of drugs, and what they do to your body and mind. Also, when we discussed cocaine in the text it talked about effects on women carrying babies. I think the text should talk about the effects of every drug on women who are pregnant. One bullet from the mini lecture I found interesting was, "Drugs that prevent fat absorption can cause cramping, diarrhea, flatulence, and intestinal discomfort." I've never taken any fat absorbtion drugs, so I didn't know that!


I really liked what everyone had to say in the discussions. I read all of my responses to my question and it was cool to see what everyone thought about the section I chose to talk about!

My participation in the class I thought this Module was very good, I find myself each module spending more and more time to make sure I cover all aspects of the requirements. Reading the text more carefully has also become important to me. I see my discussion grades improving because of this.

One word i didnt know was freebasing. This means the conversion of cocaine into its alkaline form for smoking. I didnt even know there was a term for that! Another word is REM sleep, which is the restive phase of sleep associared with dreaming. I remember learning about this a little in Psychology in one of my semesters. The third word I chose was paradoxial effects which is unexpected effects. I would think this means the unexpected effects of doing drugs. Which is scary to think about!

Looking forward to the next module! Its going by so fast.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Module 3 Reflection

I really liked Chapters 3 & 5 better than 1 & 2. I was more interested in the topics and found myself learning new information that I haven't learned before in other health classes. I learned much more about drug testing in the workplace and information about drug legalization. One point they make in the textbook is that if drugs were to be legalized, then violence and crime would be less likely. I really dont agree with this part of the readings. Maybe there would be less violence, Im not really one to say. But I do think people would still get killed/in fights over drugs even if they were legalized. 


The discussion in this Module was interesting as well. I got to hear other classmates opinions on drug testing, and drug legalization which seemed to be the most popular topic for this discussion this time around. However, my discussion was about topical drug application. 


"Marijuana is addictive and can lead to a host of health, social and behavioral problems at a crucial time in a young person's life." I took this except from the Mini lecture because I wanted to discuss it a little. I totally agree with this particular bullet, I have an ex boyfriend that started smoking marijuana once in a while, that turned into about 3 times daily. He lost his job, became lazy and had no ambition to do anything anymore. Needless to say I broke up with him because I saw what drugs did to him. Even though marijuana isn't the WORST drug a person can do, it can still cause a lot of damage to a persons life. 


I think I put in way more time this Module then last. It showed in my quiz score being higher then the last quiz. I took more time on the quiz rather then rushing through it like last time. The comments Professor Brochu leaves us on our discussions have helped. Sometimes I forgot to reference the text or use a website and she lets us know so we don't forget next time. This helps us so we don't loose points the next time. 


One word I didn't know before this reading was antagonistic interaction. Which means the effects that are created when drugs cancel one another. To me this sounds scary and would never want to know what this feels like. The second is inoculation which is a method of abuse prevention that protects drug users by teaching them responsibility. Interdiction is the last word i chose which is the policy of cutting off or destroying supplies of illicit drugs. Very interesting words I chose this time around. 


I really liked reading these chapters and I hope I feel the same way about the next module!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Module 2 Reflection

There was so much information in the first two chapters! I felt like I learned a lot. However, I have taken many health classes that have discussed this information so it was a bit of a review. Even though I may have known some of this information already, I still find it very interesting and it doesn't stop me from wanting to learn more.

One thing I found interesting in the reading was that it talks about individuals use and sometimes abuse drugs without compromising their health, or any relationship in their life. I never really thought about it like that before. When i think drugs or alcohol, bad things come to mind. Not "maybe they arent hurting themselves." In a way I disagreed with this part of the reading because I feel like anytime you do a potentially harmful drug, it does compromise your health. And eventually in time, it will compromise your relationships. People start having a relationship with drugs. I think that's what this reading so far was all about. The relationship people develop with alcohol and drugs and how they become addicted. Its interesting learning the different reasons why some get addicted.

As for the mini-lecture video, I loved it. The words came kind of fast so I had to keep up! I had no idea over 22,000 people have died because of the Mexican drug war. That's awful. The number of soldiers killed since 2003 is just over 4,500. Your telling me that a drug war is killing more people than actual WAR?!

From doing the discussions and having to answer other classmates questions, it definitely reinforces the information in the text. When someone writes what page they are getting their information from, i go and look it up so i know how to answer their question in the right way. One thing i found interesting from the discussion questions is that men are more likely to abuse drugs than women. When looking up information about it, I found a opinion that says men are more thrill chasers than women. It was easy and interesting to talk about this on the discussion because I totally agreed. By looking up websites to support my answers, I found other opinions and shared them in my responses.

I feel like I did spend a lot of time of this module. However, I feel like i rushed through the quiz. Next module im going to take my time since there is no time limit. I definitely need to take more time when reading the questions before I jump to the first answer I think is right. I really like that Professor Brochu gives you positive comments and tells you how to improve your discussion answers. One comment I was told to include text information, once I did on my second response, I got the full 5 points.

I chose my three words I didnt know prior wisely. The first one i chose was dependency. I had no idea it was a synonym for addiction. Dependency develops when people start having to do drugs. They become "dependent" on them. The second word i didnt know was what EAP stood for. It means Employee Assistance Programs. These programs help employees deal with personal problems that could reflect on a poor work ethic. I didnt even know those existed!! The last word I didnt know was floats. Its a word to describe a drug user. These users vacillate between the need for easier seeking and the desire to relive moderate to serious psychological problems. I would still like to learn more about this word. Not sure if i fully understand what it means.

So far this class has been very interesting. Im really looking forward to the future chapters, and hopefully some more videos like the one on the drug war!