Transcript Drugs and Consciousness - Freeman Public Schools

Drugs and
Consciousness
Lesson 7-3
Psychoactive Drugs
• Starts at a young age
• is a psychoactive drug
– drug that affect the nervous system
and result in altered consciousness
– can affect mood, perception, behavior
Psychoactive Drugs
• Range from stimulants in cola to
depressants like alcohol to
hallucinogens like marijuana and lsd
How Drugs Work
• Drugs are carried in the blood and taken
to other tissues in the body
• they then attach onto the ends of nerve
cells (neurons) and sent out their own
messages (neurotransmitters)
– may tell a nerve cell not to fire (coma)
or have them fire all at once
(hallucinations)
Marijuana
• Dried leaves and flowers of the hemp
plant that causes an altered state of
consciousness when smoked or
ingested.
– Also called cannabis
Marijuana
• Legal and accepted in some cultures
• Abundant in U.S. in 1960’s
• made by drying the plant to form
hashish, a gummy powder
– can be cooked and eaten
Marijuana
• Affects vary from person to person
• Affects can vary based on on the setting
in which drug taken and user’s past
experience
• music sounds fuller, colors look brighter,
may feel elated
Marijuana
• Is not physically addictive but can
become psychologically addictive
• Can heighten unpleasant experiences
Marijuana
• More damaging to the lungs than
cigarettes
– no link to cancer
• Disrupts memory formation
• Adults using marijuana scored lower
than equal-IQ nonusers on a 12th grade
achievement test
Hallucinations
• Perceptions that have no direct external
cause
– seeing, hearing, tasting things that aren’t
there
• Can happen when a person is deprived
of sleep
– truck drivers swerve to avoid cars that
aren’t there
Hallucinations
• Usually involve color
• Caused when entire nervous system
becomes aroused
Hallucinogens
• Substances that cause hallucinations
• Also called psychedelic because they
create a loss of contact with reality
• LSD is one of the most powerful
hallucinogens
• Does not take much to produce a trip
Hallucinogens
• Often dissolved into strips of paper or
sugar cubes
• a person experiences many mood
states and they are often quite intense
– sometimes it can be terrifying
– wall may pulsate or breath
Hallucinogens
• Sounds are seen and visuals are heard
• Single stimulus can become the focus
of attention for hours
• LSD impairs thinking
• panic reactions are the most common
side effect
Hallucinogens
• Flashbacks- can occur months after
taking LSD
• PCP- also called angel dust
– also very unpredictable
Opiates
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Usually called narcotics
opium, morphine and heroin
Used as analgesics- reduce pain
can produce euphoria- pleasurable
state somewhere between sleep and
awake
Opiates
• Can lead to physical addiction
• overdose results in loss of breathing
• heroine is so powerful it is illegal for
Dr.’s to use
Alcohol
• Most widely used and abused drug
• it is encouraged by advertisements and
social expectations
• causes a general loosing of inhibitions
• depressant that inhibits brain function
Alcohol
• Can cause people to act without
restraint
• Affects depend on the amount and
frequency of drinking
• Also varies by body size and what you
have eaten
Alcohol
• Slurred speech, blurred vision,
impairment in judgement
• big factor in accidents, divorces, and
loss of jobs
• Permanent damage to brain and liver
Tranquilizers
• Calm anxieties and tensions
• perceive anxiety producing events, but
remain detached from them
• can be dangerous if used for long
periods of time
Stimulants
• Stimulate the central nervous system
• increase arousal and alertness
• caffeine, amphetamines (speed)
cocaine
• users feel energized and invincible
• can cause heart failure and death
Drug Abuse and Treatment
• When does use become abuse?
• Drug abusers are people who regularly
use illegal drugs or excessively use
legal drugs
Drug Abuse and Treatment
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Why do people abuse drugs?
Avoid boredom
pressure from peers
gain self-confidence
forget about problems
feel good
Drug Abuse and Treatment
• Why should people not abuse drugs?
• Danger of death or injury
– overdose or accident
• Can turn into an addiction
– overwhelming desire to obtain the
drugs
• legal consequences
• destructive behavior
Treatment
• First- must admit they have a problem
• Enter treatment program or get therapy
• Must remain drug free
– Some join support groups to help with this