Transcript Group 1 - annagail09

Cody Davis
Caleb Perry
Jonathan Smith
Ryan Stephens
Anna Milwee
Origin of Depressants
Depressants have been around for centuries and are
depicted in many different cultures and date back as far
as Mesopotamia in 3400 BC. Herbs and alcohol have
been used to ease pain and induce sleep were the first
and most basic depressants. Depressants can come
from many different plants such as California Poppies,
Lavender, and wild lettuce. Their effects as a
depressant depend on how much of the plant you take
and what part. Depressants such as alcohol can also be
made by fermenting things such as wood and fruits.
Short Term & Long Term Effect
of Depressants
• The short and long term effects of depression on
your emotional state. If untreated your emotional
state will almost certainly suffer. In the worst
cases sufferers have experienced the following...
not wanting to leave the house, no longer
wanting to take part in social activities or seeing
friends, lack of sexual drive and affection, which
can cause strain on relationships, no longer
taking pride in appearance, self harm and
suicide attempts
Level of
Addictiveness/Treatment
• CNS depressants can cause very painful withdrawal symptoms. This
is why you should seek help from medical professionals - they can
help ease some of your withdrawal symptoms while monitoring your
health to help prevent any harmful side effects that may result from
your withdrawal.
The first step in addiction treatment is detox. Once all traces of the
CNS depressants have been removed from your body, the next step is
rehab. It is best to find an addiction treatment facility with both a
drug detox program and drug rehab program to make the transition
easier for you. Most rehab programs offer individual, group, and
family therapy to help you address and deal with whatever may have
led to your use of, abuse of, and addiction to CNS depressants.
There are many addiction treatment centers for CNS depressants,
not all of which offer the same treatment philosophy or procedure. It
is important that you find an addiction treatment center that will
cater to your individual needs to ensure the best chance of recovery.
Method of Use/Attraction
• There are many methods of use for depressants.
One of the most common methods is the use of
alcohol. There are others such as pills, liquids,
and even smoke and in scents such as opium.
There is a big attraction to these drugs but most
people don’t know that it is a lie. Everyone thinks
that depressants make you feel better and helps
with depression but all it really does it make it
worse.
Demographics of the Drug
• Although depressant use has declined in recent
surveys (which show prior-month use of
tranquilizers by U.S. adults fell from 4,200,000 in
1985 to 1,817,000 by 2005), the U.S. introduction
of Ambien in 1993 helped fuel a massive surge in
the use of sleeping aids. To date, more than 12
billion doses of Ambien have been prescribed
worldwide
Relative expense of Depressants
• Most depressants are used for medication and
can be bought over the counter so there relative
price is not very expensive usually the same as
your medication for sicknesses. Then there are
the illegal depressants that are sold on the
streets to kids and anyone wanting a rush. The
relative prices of the street drugs vary. They are
usually not very expensive. The price is mostly
based on the drug itself depending on how hard
it is to obtain the drugs and then resale them on
the street.
Lifespan of Depressants and
it’s most popular period in
history
• Trends: After an explosive increase in the
1970's, minor tranquilizer use has slowed
in recent years. Use of barbiturates has
fallen even more, and methaqualone
(Quaalude®) has disappeared as a drug
problem altogether, due to international
controls on its production.
• It can take up to six to eight weeks.
Effect of Depressants on
the Brain
• Ethanol (Alcohol)-changed brain function
and structure, and reduced mental capacity,
and decreased brain volume.
• Hypnotics and sedatives-memory problems
• Inhalants (Volatile solvents)-changes how
dopamine works in the body, problems in the
nervous system, reduced mental capacity;
psychiatric problems.