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Unit VI Lesson 2
Psychoactive Drugs and Addiction
Psychoactive Drugs
• Psychoactive drugs
– Alter thinking, perception, and
memory
• Physical Dependence
– Body craves drug
– Tolerance
• More of drug is needed to achieve the same effect
– Withdrawal
• Physical symptoms
• Can include nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness,
and high blood pressure
• Results from a lack of drug in the body system
Psychoactive Drugs (2)
• Psychological dependence
– Drug is needed to continue emotional
or psychological well-being
– Powerful factor in continued drug use
– Any drug can become a focus of
psychological dependence
– No physical withdrawal
Four Major Drug
Categories
• Stimulants
– Increase functioning of nervous system
• Depressants
– Decrease functioning of nervous system
• Narcotics
– Painkilling depressant drugs derived from
opium poppy
• Hallucinogenics
– Alter perceptions
– May cause hallucinations
Stimulants
• Amphetamines
– Synthesized in labs rather than found in nature
– Quick tolerance and dependence
– Amphetamine psychosis
• Causes user to become delusional
• Cocaine
– Derived from coca plant leaves
– Produces euphoria, energy, power, and pleasure
• Nicotine
– Raises blood pressure and accelerates the heart
– Active ingredient in tobacco
Stimulants (2)
• Caffeine
– Found in coffee, tea, most sodas,
chocolate, some over-the-counter
drugs
– Mild stimulant,
maintains alertness
– Can increase
effectiveness of pain
relievers such as
aspirin
Depressants
• Known as major tranquilizers
– Drugs that have a strong depressant effects
• Barbiturates
– Have a sedative (sleep-inducing) effect
– Overdoses can lead to death
• Breathing and heart action are stopped
• Benzodiazepines
– Also called Minor Depressants
– Lower anxiety
– Include Valium, Xanax, Halcion, Ativan,
Librium
Depressants (2)
• Alcohol
– Product of fermentation or distillation
of vegetable matter
– 10 to 20 million alcoholics
in US
– Often confused as a
stimulant
– Alcohol induced deaths in
2003: 20,687
Narcotics
• Opium-related drugs that suppress
sensation of pain
• Bind to receptor sites for
endorphin
– Opium
• Derived from the opium poppy
– Morphine
• From opium, used to treat severe pain
– Heroin
• Derived from opium, extremely addictive
– Methadone
• Does not produce euphoria, treat addiction with
Hallucinogens
• Causes brain to alter its
interpretation of sensations
• Produces sensory distortions
– LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
• Synthesized from ergot
• Powerful synthetic hallucinogen
– PCP
• Used as an animal tranquilizer
• Can cause stimulant, depressant, narcotic, or
hallucinogenic effects
• Violent behavior often associated with use
Hallucinogens (2)
• MDMA (Ecstasy)
– Designer drug
– Stimulant and
hallucinatory effects
possible
– Dehydrates body,
raises body temperature
• Mescaline
– From buttons of the peyote cactus
– Used in some Native American religious and
spiritual rituals
• Psilocybin
– Hallucinogen found in certain mushrooms
Marijuana
• Mild hallucinogen derived from the
leaves and flowers of hemp plant
• Does not produce physical
dependency or physical withdrawal
symptoms
– Psychological symptoms often seen
• Considerable
exposure to
carcinogens
when smoking