Chemical Mental Enhancement

Psychoactive drugs, such as stimulants have a lot to do with the alteration or manipulation of brain activity (Cherry, K., 2015). A good example of how stimulants can alter brain activity would be, after a person takes a drugs such is cocaine they may experience a feeling of elevated alertness temporarily. According toCherry, K. (2015), drugs that are classified as stimulants include: caffeine, narcotics, cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs. The most common legitimate use for stimulant that drugs, would be for ADHD. The most common illegal uses for stimulant drugs would be for sports, parties and college students (studying). Stimulants work by increasing the speed of the the messages going between the brain and the body by increasing the activity of the central nervous system

Cognition-enhancing drugs are nothing new to society today. The only thing that is changing is the development of these drugs and their intended purpose. Drugs in the medical sense are supposed to enhance our lives in a positive way by effecting the user psychologically. The use of drugs is usually to heal an illness or to compensate for something that is lacked. Drugs are extremely susceptible to abuse by the way that they can improve the well being of the user in some type of positive way. Drugs can have many different negative side effects that can potentially outweigh the positive side effects that the drugs possess. Cognition enhancing drugs can be used for many different purposes. Many of which can be for legitimate medical purposes ranging from helping to aid people with developmental conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, neurodegenerative

“Between the second World War, when Dr. Albert Hofmann accidentally got high with his invention of LSD, and in the late ’60s there were thousands of studies conducted by medical and psychiatric researchers looking into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelic drugs” (Antonia). Hofmann’s experiments had opened the minds of many scientists, making them curious as to what LSD could potentially have in store for the future of medicine. “The extraordinary mental effects of LSD described in 1943 by Hofmann prompted hope in the following two decades that a powerful therapeutic tool was at

The use of mind altering substances has been about since prehistoric times. Thought to have been just a modern day dilemma, scientist have proven through archaeological evidence that this is not the case. Neither the substances nor the ways they affect the human body have changed throughout human history. Nor the reason why people indulge in the consumption of illegal substances.  People abuse drugs to relieve stress, manage other illnesses and receive a high.  Depending on the drug of choice, the toll it takes on the human body differs. Furthermore, injection choice, also plays a factor on how the body is affected. For example,  through injection into the bloodstream more immediate results can be expected in comparison to consumption

Medical interest in psychedelic drugs has been renewed, but is it possible to overcome their negative stigma and association with counterculture to move forward with their potential medical promise? Psychedelic drugs are poised to be the next major mental breakthrough in health care, yet studying any type of illegal drug is often met with rejection, backlash, or tight regulations (Bushak, 2015). These drugs, if handled correctly, could potentially change the lives of millions of patients across America. Many would suggest that the risk is too high, but in which way do psychedelics present more risks than heavily addicting narcotics or alcohol? This treatment would allow thousands of individuals to manage pain levels, anxiety, and depression in a whole new manner. Legalizing psychedelic drugs for medical purposes would be beneficial to society because of their potential medicinal and therapeutic treatments that heavily outweigh the observed risks.

Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that is currently undergoing extensive research and sometimes used in psychotherapy (Pennock, 2014). Studies have shown that hallucinogens in human subjects resulted in heightened creative thinking abilities; increased mental and physical stimulation; life changing spiritual experiences; and decreased levels of anxiety, which is an incentive for therapeutic/health psychology (Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, 2008; Pennock,

LSD, mescaline, DMT, ecstasy, and MDMA are all drugs that make the user witness, feel, and smell things that no one in their right state of mind can even imagine. These drugs have been around for hundreds of years, making users feel euphoric and having a epiphany on users. Believing that psychedelics have more beneficial values than harmful ones, is one thing to not overlook. Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD and addiction, can seem to vanish after using psychedelics. Psychedelics have actually inspired many artist, authors, and singer/songwriters to some of the most iconic things the world has ever witnessed, how else would Dr. Suess make all of those books with crazy colors and bright characters. Once these drugs are abused

Even worse, adolescents may become more exposed to the drug, believing it to be harmless and become lifetime users and abusers. However, while LSD is highly addictive, there is no evidence that it causes any mental damage or permanent harm to the body besides the occasionally reported 5-6 second flashback and in rare cases of extreme abuse, the slight desensitization of sight, taste, and smell. If the drug causes no brain damage or permanent injury to the patient, then what is the harm in using it as a sort of “last resort” for those people who desperately need it? Experimenter Dr. Peter Gasser concurs, reporting that “the drug caused no serious side effects, other than temporary and therapeutically valuable periods of distress,” (The New York

Stimulants and depressants both are very addictive, highly toxic, and build slower acceptance and tolerance of the drug, where hallucinogens build quick tolerance, have generally low toxicity (although mushrooms can sometimes carry very high toxicity depending on the quality) and are not highly addictive. The long term effects of stimulants and depressants place emphasis on the physical damage they can do on the body, and, although they certainly can cause psychological damage, more often than not they do more physical damage based on their toxicity. Stimulants and depressants themselves differ from each other in several ways, however. First, their effects on the nervous system are essentially opposite, depressants slow brain waves and stimulants speeding them up. Stimulants are used pharmaceutically for purposes of increasing awareness and energy, while depressants are used for calming and sedative purposes. While individual effects of each drug varies, abuse of any of these drugs can pose very dangerous and sometimes life threatening effects on users making these important drugs to study for treatment and

Throughout the history of the human species, we have been always wanted to know three basic questions: why we are here, where did we come from, and where do we go after this life? Whether we were created from an omnipotent being as in many religions, we happened by chance and made it to where we are through evolution, or maybe even something else. Whatever the case may be, humans have always been curious and wondered about our existence and consciousness. Along with these age old questions, also came the use of psychoactive drugs and other mind altering substances. In order to try to understand these questions, humans have experimented with drugs that alter their state of consciousness.

It is no secret that drug use has the ability to completely alter a person’s state of consciousness, whether it be through extreme euphoria, increased hyperactivity, pain relief or psychedelic hallucinations. Although many drugs are used for medical purposes, the global issue of recreational drug use is now being fronted as an extremely serious matter that is steadily on the uprise. Recreational drug use is often associated with negativity, addiction and as having serious physical and mental repercussions. One of the few class of drugs that is often associated with both positive and negative connotations are hallucinogens, otherwise known as “psychedelics”, which have powerful altering effects on ones sense of perception, brain function

Drugs like heroine of even weed can trick our receptors in our brains and activate the nerve cells! This can cause problems in not only the brain, but also the body! Drugs like meth and cocaine cause nerve cells to release a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which gives the brain the feeling of love or happiness. They can also cause the brain to have problems with the communication channels, making someone whispering sound like they’re screaming extremely loud. Some drugs like

The similarity in conformation or structure of the drugs to natural body chemical gives to the drugs the ability to interrupt normal synaptic transmission. Drugs can alter the way people think, feel, and behave by disrupting neurotransmitters.

Next, drugs can severely damage the brain, which can lead to bad decisions and can also permanently damage the brain. Nicotine, cocaine, marijuana and other drugs can affect your reward circuit which is a part of your limbic system. The limbic system causes an unusual large amount of dopamine to flood the system. They also can make you develop cravings, which can obviously hurt your body if you take more of it. Drugs can hurt your body, and your brain.

Drugs have been an effective way of reaching a pleasurable state, relieving pain, avoiding stress, and meeting social expectations for the past six thousand years. There is a controversy over whether drugs are good for people or not, but this essay is not an opinion of what drugs are and should be used for. This paper will explain the background and effects of drugs on the human body and mind (Scheme=AGLSTERMS.AglsAgent; corporateName=State Library of New South Wales).