Altering Conciousness Through Drugs.docx

Altering Conciousness Through Drugs -

The world is a supermarket of drugs. Some of these drugs are legal, others illegal. Some are used recreationally, others medically. Some are safe if used correctly and dangerous if they are not. Some people use drugs because their friends do or because their parents tell them not to.

 Substance Abuse and Dependence, - Substance Abuse also known as drug abuse, is a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts. - Substance Dependence is more severe than substance abuse and has behavioral and biological aspects. What are the cause of substance abuse and dependence? -

People experiment with drugs for various reasons, including curiosity, peer pressure, parental use, rebelliousness, escape from boredom and pressure, and excitement or pleasure.

 Depressants - Sometimes called “downers”. - Generally act by slowing the activity of the central nervous system.  Alcohol - Alcohol lowers inhibitions. It impairs cognitive functioning, slurs the speech, and impairs coordination.  Opiates - Is a term classically used in pharmacology to mean a drug derived from opium. Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonists).  Barbiturates - Are depressants with several medical uses, including relief from anxiety, tension, pain, treatment of epilepsy, high blood pressure, and insomnia.

 Stimulants - increase alertness, attention, and energy, as well as elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. Stimulants historically were used to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments.

 Amphetamines - Are often abused for the euphoric rush high doses can produce. Some people swallow in pill form or inject liquid. As a result, they may stay awake and high for days on end.  Cocaine - Also known as coke, is a strong stimulant mostly used as a recreational drug. It is commonly snorted, inhaled as smoke, or as a solution injected into a vein. Mental effects may include loss of contact with reality, an intense feeling of happiness, or agitation. Physical symptoms may include a fast heart rate, sweating, and large pupils.  Nicotine - Is the stimulant in tobacco smoke. Nicotine stimulates discharge of the hormone adrenaline and the release of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA, and endorphins.

 Hallucinogens - is a psychoactive agent which can cause hallucinations, perceptual anomalies, and other substantial subjective changes in thoughts, emotion, and consciousness.  Marijuana - is a name for the cannabis plant and more specifically a drug preparation from it. Marijuana as a term varies in usage, definition and legal application around the world.  LSD and other Hallucinogens - Is the abbreviation for lysergic acid diethylamide.  Flashbacks – distorted perceptions or hallucinations that occur days or weeks after LSD usage but mimic the LSD experience.  Mescaline – a hallucinogen derived from the mescal (peyote) cactus.  Phencyclidine (PCP) – another hallucinogen whose name is an initialism for its chemical structure.