Drugs and Consciousness

Lesson 7-3

Psychoactive Drugs

• Starts at a young age

• is a psychoactive drug

– drug that affect the nervous system and result in altered consciousness

– can affect mood, perception, behavior

Psychoactive Drugs

• Range from stimulants in cola to depressants like alcohol to hallucinogens like marijuana and lsd

How Drugs Work

• Drugs are carried in the blood and taken to other tissues in the body

• they then attach onto the ends of nerve cells (neurons) and sent out their own messages (neurotransmitters)– may tell a nerve cell not to fire (coma) or

have them fire all at once (hallucinations)

Marijuana

• Dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant that causes an altered state of consciousness when smoked or ingested.

– Also called cannabis

Marijuana

• Legal and accepted in some cultures

• Abundant in U.S. in 1960’s

• made by drying the plant to form hashish, a gummy powder

– can be cooked and eaten

Marijuana

• Affects vary from person to person

• Affects can vary based on on the setting in which drug taken and user’s past experience

• music sounds fuller, colors look brighter, may feel elated

Marijuana

• Is not physically addictive but can become psychologically addictive

• Can heighten unpleasant experiences

Marijuana

• More damaging to the lungs than cigarettes– no link to cancer

• Disrupts memory formation• Adults using marijuana scored lower

than equal-IQ nonusers on a 12th grade achievement test

Hallucinations• Perceptions that have no direct external

cause– seeing, hearing, tasting things that aren’t there

• Can happen when a person is deprived of sleep– truck drivers swerve to avoid cars that aren’t

there

Hallucinations

• Usually involve color

• Caused when entire nervous system becomes aroused

Hallucinogens

• Substances that cause hallucinations

• Also called psychedelic because they create a loss of contact with reality

• LSD is one of the most powerful hallucinogens

• Does not take much to produce a trip

Hallucinogens

• Often dissolved into strips of paper or sugar cubes

• a person experiences many mood states and they are often quite intense

– sometimes it can be terrifying

– wall may pulsate or breath

Hallucinogens

• Sounds are seen and visuals are heard

• Single stimulus can become the focus of attention for hours

• LSD impairs thinking

• panic reactions are the most common side effect

Hallucinogens

• Flashbacks- can occur months after taking LSD

• PCP- also called angel dust

– also very unpredictable

Opiates

• Usually called narcotics

• opium, morphine and heroin

• Used as analgesics- reduce pain

• can produce euphoria- pleasurable state somewhere between sleep and awake

Opiates

• Can lead to physical addiction

• overdose results in loss of breathing

• heroine is so powerful it is illegal for Dr.’s to use

Alcohol

• Most widely used and abused drug

• it is encouraged by advertisements and social expectations

• causes a general loosing of inhibitions

• depressant that inhibits brain function

Alcohol

• Can cause people to act without restraint

• Affects depend on the amount and frequency of drinking

• Also varies by body size and what you have eaten

Alcohol

• Slurred speech, blurred vision, impairment in judgement

• big factor in accidents, divorces, and loss of jobs

• Permanent damage to brain and liver

Tranquilizers

• Calm anxieties and tensions

• perceive anxiety producing events, but remain detached from them

• can be dangerous if used for long periods of time

Stimulants

• Stimulate the central nervous system

• increase arousal and alertness

• caffeine, amphetamines (speed) cocaine

• users feel energized and invincible

• can cause heart failure and death

Drug Abuse and Treatment

• When does use become abuse?

• Drug abusers are people who regularly use illegal drugs or excessively use legal drugs

Drug Abuse and Treatment

• Why do people abuse drugs?

• Avoid boredom

• pressure from peers

• gain self-confidence

• forget about problems

• feel good

Drug Abuse and Treatment• Why should people not abuse drugs?• Danger of death or injury

– overdose or accident• Can turn into an addiction

– overwhelming desire to obtain the drugs• legal consequences• destructive behavior

Treatment

• First- must admit they have a problem

• Enter treatment program or get therapy

• Must remain drug free– Some join support groups to help with this