Download A.P. Psychology 5 (E) - Drugs and Consciousness

Name:
Date:
A.P. Psychology
Unit 5: States of Consciousness
“Drugs and Consciousness”
Types of Psychoactive Drugs:

Psychoactive drugs are divided into three groups: depressants, stimulants,
and hallucinogens.

Depressants:
o Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
o Types of depressants:
 Alcohol:
 Drug that affects motor skills, judgment, and memory
 Increases aggressiveness, while reducing selfawareness


Barbiturates:
 Drugs depress the activity of the central nervous
system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and
judgment
 Tranquilizers

Opiates:
 Opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin
 Depress neural activity
 Temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
 Highly addictive
Stimulants:
o Drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions
o Types of stimulants:
 Caffeine:
 Increase heart rate, breathing rate, and other
autonomic functions to provide energy

Nicotine:
 Increase heart rate, breathing rate, and other
autonomic functions to provide energy

Cocaine:
 Induces immediate euphoria followed by a crash



Can be inhaled, injected
Can be smoked (in the form of “crack”)

Ecstasy (MDMA):
 Stimulant and mild hallucinogen
 Produces a euphoric high
 Can damage serotonin-producing neurons, which
results in permanent deflation of mood and
impairment of memory

Amphetamines:
 Produce increased wakefulness with decreased fatigue
and appetite
 Informally known as “Speed”
 May produce stimulant psychosis
 Highly addictive

Methamphetamines:
 Stronger than amphetamines
 Produce increased alertness, concentration, and energy
 May induce euphoria
 May increase libido and self-esteem
 May produce stimulant psychosis
 Highly addictive
Hallucinogens:
o Psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs that distort perceptions and
evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
o Types of hallucinogens:
 LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide):
 Powerful hallucinogenic drug
 Informally known as “Acid”
 Effects vary from euphoria to detachment to panic

THC (Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol):
 Major active ingredient in marijuana (hemp plant)
 May produce relaxation
 May lower inhibitions
 May produce euphoric high
 When smoked, it takes 7 seconds to reach the brain
 Mild hallucinogen: may amplify sensitivity to colors,
sounds, tastes, and smells
 One’s experience may vary with the situation (the drug
may often intensify one’s feelings at the time of use)