assistance needed with psychology

ALTERING CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH DRUGS

Psychoactive Drugs

• Chemical substances that act on the brain to affect

emotional or mental states.

• Affect mood, thoughts processes, perceptions, &

behavior.

• Some are illegal AKA illicit – cocaine, heroin etc.

• Others are legal – caffeine, others are legally available

with restrictions – alcohol, tobacco & in some states

marijuana.

Psychoactive Drug Statistics

• About half of adult Americans have used an illicit drug at

some point in life – marijuana being the most popular.

• About 1 in 10 Americans over 12 yrs. old currently use an

illicit drug.

• Marijuana use is rising – more high school seniors report

using marijuana than smoking cigarettes.

• About 1 in 10 Americans will develop a drug abuse or

dependence disorder at some point in their lives.

Drug Abuse • When repeated use causes or aggravates personal,

occupational or health-related problems.

• Polyabusers – using more than one drug at a time.

Drug Abuse • Drug abuse often leads to drug dependence

characterized by impaired control over the use of a drug.

• Strongly compelled to use, powerless to stop use even

when they know the use is ruining their lives.

Dependence • Physiological dependence – person’s body chemistry

changes as the result of repeated use of a drug so that

the body comes to depend o having a steady supply of

the drug.

• Withdrawal Syndrome AKA Abstinence

Syndrome – unpleasant/sometimes dangerous

symptoms with stopped use.

• Tolerance – need to increase amount of a drug to have

the same effect.

Dependence

• Drug Addiction – AKA Chemical Addiction – a

pattern of drug dependence accompanied by

physiological dependence. People often feel powerless to

control their drug use & have developed signs of

physiological dependence.

• Psychological Dependence – pattern of compulsive

or habitual use that serves a psychological need –

lessening anxiety, escaping stress, coping.

Drugs • There are 3 categories of psychoactive drugs

• Depressants – calm neural activity & slow down body functions ex. Alcohol

• Stimulants – temporarily excite neural activity & arouse body functions. Ex. Caffeine, cocaine, meth

• Hallucinogens – distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input. Ex. Marijuana, LSD, Ecstasy

Alcohol• Most widely abuse depressant.

• Intoxicant – a chemical substance that induces a state of

drunkenness.

• Women tend to get intoxicated at lower doses for several

reasons, less muscle mass, less weight, less of an

enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the stomach so more

pure alcohol reaches the bloodstream.

• Directly affects the brain clouding judgement, impairing

concentration & attention, & ability to weigh

consequences of behavior – making them more likely to

do/say things they typically would not do – ex. unsafe sex.

Alcohol • Decreases inhibitions leading to aggressive or impulsive

behavior.

• Nearly 90,000 people in US die each year from alcohol-related

causes – motor vehicle accidents, liver & heart disease.

• Cirrhosis of the liver – irreversible scarring of liver tissue

accounts for about 30,000 US deaths each year.

• Alcohol impairs depth perception making driving particularly

dangerous.

• Alcohol-related accidents are the leading cause of death

among young people ages 17-24.

• Play a role in about 1 in 3 suicides & accidental deaths.

College Drinking • About 6 in 10 college students drink about once a month

– most being underage.

• College students tend to drink more than their peers who

do not attend college.

• 1,800 college students die each year due to overdoses &

alcohol-related vehicle accidents.

• Alcohol plays a role in nearly 700,000 physical assaults &

nearly 100,000 sexual assaults annually in the US.

College Drinking • Binge-Drinking – 5 or more drinks for men, 4 or more for

women on one occasion.

• On the rise among college & high school students.

• Damages health but also associated with poorer

academic performance, missing class, falling behind in

work, receiving lower grades, increases risk of developing

alcohol & drug-related problems.

College Drinking • Binge-Drinking & drinking games can be very risky.

• Places drinkers at risk of coma, death, black-outs, seizures.

• Choking on one’s own vomit is a frequent cause of alcohol-

induced deaths – drug’s depressant effects on the central

nervous system can interfere with the normal vomiting

response & vomit can accumulate in air passages which can

lead to asphyxiation & death.

• NEVER LEAVE A PERSON WHO IS UNRESPONSIVE OR

UNCONSCIOUS ALONE!

Barbiturates & Tranquilizers • Barbiturates – calming or sedating drugs that have

several legitimate medical uses – regulate high blood

pressure, block pain during surgery, control epileptic

seizures.

• Highly addictive

• Used illicitly to induce euphoria & relaxation

• Ex. amobarbital, pentobarbital, phenobarbital,

secobarbital.

• Overdose can lead to convulsions, coma, death.

• Particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol.

Barbiturates & Tranquilizers

• Tranquilizers – class of depressants widely used to treat

anxiety & insomnia.

• Reduce excess nervous system activity.

• Xanax, Valium

• Particularly dangerous when combined with alcohol.

Opioids AKA Opiates • Narcotics – addictive drugs with pain-relieving & sleep

inducing properties.

• Morphine, heroin, codeine, Vicodin, OxyContin

• Rush of pleasurable excitement & dampen awareness of

personal problems.

• Sometimes prescribed for pain management.

• About 1.6% of adults in US 12 & older report using heroin

at some point.

Heroin • Induces euphoric rush that lasts 5-15 min.

• Rush compared to orgasm.

• Rush fades that leads to relaxed drowsy state

• Problems evaporate

• Physical dependence develops within a few weeks of

regular use.

Stimulants • Heighten activity of central nervous

system.

• Amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA,

nicotine, caffeine.

Amphetamines • Chemicals that activate the nervous system causing increased

heart rate, breathing, & blood pressure.

• At low doses boost mental alertness & concentration, reduce

fatigue, & lessen need for sleep.

• At high doses can induce an intense pleasurable rush.

• Increases availability of norepinephrine & dopamine – keeps

neurons firing to crease high levels of arousal & alertness.

• Directly stimulate reward pathways in the brain.

• About 5% US adults have used meth at some point in lives

• 1.5 million are regular users

Amphetamines • High doses can cause extreme restlessness, loss of

appetite, tremors, cardiovascular irregularities, coma,

death.

• Amphetamine psychosis – psychotic reaction

characterized by hallucinations & delusions similar to

schizophrenia.

• Damages the brain causing deficits in learning, memory,

& other functions.

• Can lead to stroke, liver damage, among other serious

health problems.

Cocaine • Derived from coca plant

• Produces state of pleasure by blocking reuptake of

dopamine in synapse between neurons.

• Damages heart & circulatory system, life-threatening,

fatal.

• Psychological issues – anxiety, depression, irritability.

• Cocaine Psychosis – hallucinations & delusions of

persecution.

MDMA/Ecstasy • 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

• Produces euphoric & hallucinogenic effects.

• Psychological effects – depression, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, &

psychotic symptoms.

• Cognitive deficits – memory issues, learning ability & attention

issues.

• Physical effects – increased heart rate, blood pressure, chattering

jaw, body warmth/chills.

• High doses can lead to loss of consciousness, seizures, death.

• 1 in 15 Americans have experimented with MDMA

Nicotine • Mild stimulant but highly addictive.

• Speeds up heart rate, dampens appetite, produces mild rush –

psychological kick.

• Increases arousal, alertness, concentration – paradoxical effects

of relaxation & mental calmness.

• Releases endorphins

• Cuts about 10 years off of a person’s lifespan.

• 480,000 deaths per year. 1 in 3 due to cancer

• Smoking damages virtually every organ in the body

• 16.8% Americans smoke – the lowest record level in 50 years.

Caffeine • Mild stimulant found in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, etc.

• Most widely used psychoactive drug.

• Not known to be associated with health risks when used

in moderation

• Enhances wakefulness, mental alertness

• High doses - Jitteriness, nervousness.

Hallucinogens • Drugs that alter sensory perceptions, producing

distortions or hallucinations in visual, auditory, or other

sensory forms. AKA psychedelics “mind revealing”

• Lysergic acid diethylamide AKA acid

• Vivid hallucinations & sensory distortions

• Trip may last up to 12 hours.

• Pupil dilation, increases heart rate, blood pressure, body

temperature, sweating, tremors, loss of appetite,

sleeplessness.

• Variable & unpredictable

Marijuana • Alters perception & can produce hallucinations – particularly in

high doses or when used by susceptible people.

• Lower doses – relaxed & mildly euphoric

• Time seems to pass more slowly, bodily sensations pronounced,

anxiety, or panic.

• High doses – nausea, vomiting, disorientation, panic attacks,

paranoia

• Physiological dependence remains unclear

• Increases heart rate, impairs motor performance & coordination

• Driving under influence especially dangerous

• Regular use impairs cognitive functioning – memory, learning, can

lead to brain abnormalities.

Other Factors • Unemployment is linked to drug abuse

• Genetic factors play a role in many addictive disorders but

no single gene is responsible. Multiple genes act with

environment.

• Some people may be genetically predisposed to reap

greater pleasure from alcohol & other drugs which raises

the risk.

• Regular drug use can damage brain circuits & impair

ability to produce dopamine

Treatment • Detoxification – clearing body of addictive drugs.

Usually requires a hospital stay.

• Counselors can help confront psychological issues such

as depression & low self-esteem.