Psychoactive Drugs Chapter 2 Analysis

Animals may be a strange why to look at what drugs do to people but the innocence people equate with animals shows that there may be a more primitive instinct that causes people to seek out drugs that alter their state of mind. The information in this book I think can definitely help policy

The historical drug/alcohol themes: 1) There is a basic need of human beings to cope with their environment and enhance their existence and 2) Human brain chemistry can be affected by psychoactive drugs, behavioral addictions, and mental illness to induce an altered state of consciousness. It can also be affected by heredity and

Methaqualone, is also referred to as Disco Biscuits, Down And Dirties, Jekyll-and-Hyde, Joe Fridays, Lemmon 714, Lemons, Lennon's, Lovers, Ludes, Mandies, Mandrake, Q, Qua, Quack, Quad, Quaaludes, Soaper, Supper, Vitamin Q, The Love Drug, Wallbangers, Whore Pills, and Sopor. This list of street names for the drug goes on and on.

The use of psychotropic medication can be an effective part of the therapeutic process when treating clients with major depression and other mood disorders. Segal, Kennedy, Cohen & Group CDW (2010), as cited by Sheperis (2015), affirm that a combination of medications and therapy are more effective than counseling alone when treating depression. While the clinical mental health counselor (CMHC) is not qualified to prescribe medications, they may refer the client to a medical professional when a diagnosis indicates it is warranted. (Sheperis, 2015). Once prescribed, the CMHC takes on the important role of educating and monitoring the client regarding their medications.

“America's public enemy number one in the united states is drug abuse.” (Nixon) Heroin struck the U.S in the late 1960s, causing the U.S. to spend billions , shockingly the majority of addicts being white. Statistics show that 4 in 5 heroin user started off my misusing prescription drugs. Thousands in the U.S began by taking prescription drugs, such as painkillers containing opium. America was fiercely losing against the war on drugs and the harsh laws were seem to be a mistake. New York city was the first to struggle in the late 1960s with crime and drug addiction. Almost 200 people died due to heroin overdose, alone in 1970. The state tried numerous approaches, but the crime continued. Therefore, in 1971 president Richard Nixon declared war

The American Drug Society course has taught me many things. I have never had a class about drugs before, especially being able to discuss the topic so freely. I was capable of relating some lectures to my family. My family has had problems with alcoholism and drugs. I thought it was really interesting to see how an in class lecture relates to many people within the classroom and outside. In this class, I have learned about many different topics; for example, party drugs, marijuana, war on drugs, the impact of drugs in society, and liquor. Over all I really enjoyed learning about crack and coke, alcoholism, and drug treatment.

The effect of stimulants and depressants on the body and mind is a topic area that should be closely examined. Depressants and stimulants are two of the most common types of substances that are abused. While it is clear that some stimulants and depressants have positive attributes. For example, Adderall a stimulant used with children with ADHD who need help focusing, and Xanax a depressant used for those who may have increased anxiety. Although are widely used, they have addictive qualities, especially with prolonged use. Differentiating between the two categories is imperative because they affect the body and mind in two different ways. Stimulants increase activity in the individual using the drug, while depressants slow down activity. The

Stimulant drugs rev up the central nervous system by increasing heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure. Thus, someone who abuses stimulants will experience enhanced positive emotional reactions and a minimized level of negaitve emotional reactions, as well as alertness. Someone who abuses nicotine, a stimulant, will experiecne relaxation and alertness due to the way in which nicotine activates receptors sensitive to the neurotransimitter acetylcholine. Someone who abusues the stimulant cocaine will experience euphoria, enhanced mental and physical capabilities, stimulation, a decrease in hunger, indifference to pain, and diminished fatigue. Crack cocaine will generate intense euphoria, but will follow with unpleasant feelings. Stimulants

Narcotics are central nervous system depressants that relieve pain without causing the user to lose consciousness. It is this reason many people choose to abuse prescription narcotics.

Drugs have been around for a very long time. They are used for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include relaxation, socialization, curiosity, stress relief, or a form of escapism. However, most people don’t know the threats and danger that it can cause to the body. In this paper, we are going to examine the changes that happen inside the brain due to the effects of different drugs. We will look closely at how drugs such as hallucinogens, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis affect an individual psychologically. I will explain the origin of the drugs, how a person feels while on the drug, how the drugs

It has been shown that individuals turn to drugs that elicit a mood or level of arousal consistent with their mode of dealing with stress. Those who deal with stress by confrontation choose drug stimulants. Those who withdrawal from stress chooses opiate drugs. Others who deal with stress through activities related to imagery or fantasy turn to hallucinogens. These differences between behavior and drug preference are thought to be biochemically driven.

An individual’s behavior and emotion becomes chemically altered often resulting in dependency, aggression, onset of diseases and poor judgement. This poses a dangerous threat to the neurotransmitters since they have multiple jobs in different parts of the brain. Drugs of abuse are able to exert influence over the brain reward pathway either by directly influencing the action of dopamine within the system, or by altering the activity of other neurotransmitters that exert a modulatory influence over this pathway. These drugs are often powerful and have been known to trigger schizophrenic behavior and can also cause a person to cease breathing, for example hallucinogens such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin are able to artificially stimulate the serotonin receptor (Sapolsky, 2005).

The relationship between stress and addiction is that people who do not have endorphins to relieve stress become reliant on depressants to calm them down (Abadinsky, 2014). For example, “A person having difficulties dealing with stress who is exposed to opiates is likely to find them rewarding and become dependent on them” (Abadinsky, 2014, p. 41). It has been found that drug abusers who are faced with symptoms of withdrawal experience high stress levels in his or her bloodstream and “stress-related neurotransmitters are released in the brain” (Abadinsky, 2014, p. 42). As a result, the stress related chemicals cause the person to feel uncomfortable, which causes he or she to do more drugs to get rid of the unwanted emotions (Abadinsky, 2014).

Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and cannabis, are of natural or synthetic origin, which can alter the emotional state, perception, body functioning and behaviour of an individual. Drugs are known to work in the brain by activating certain brain circuits via different mechanisms, and stimulate or inhibit different neurons in the pathway. However, due to the effects of each drug being different, a drug will affect either different pathways and neurons in the brain to that of another, or through a different process, i.e. direct or indirect activity. This essay will discuss the different mechanisms of action that cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and

The use of drugs is a controversial topic in society today. In general, addicts show a direct link between taking drugs and suffering from their effects. People abuse drugs for a wide variety of reasons. In most cases, the use of drugs will serve a type of purpose or will give some kind of reward. These reasons for use will differ with different kinds of drugs. Various reasons for using the substance can be pain relief, depression, anxiety and weariness, acceptance into a peer group, religion, and much more. Although reasons for using may vary for each individual, it is known by all that consequences of the abuse do exist. It is only further down the line when the effects of using can be seen.