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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