Pbh 8

• Drugs


  Any chemical other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body
• Psychoactive drugs


  Those that alter a person's perception, mood, behavior, or consciousness
• Addiction


  A complex disease, a pathological pursuit of pleasure or relief by substance use and other behaviors
• Addictive behaviors


  Any activities or uses of substances that are pursued compulsively for physical or psychological reward, despite unwanted physical, mental, or social consequences
• Changes in brain underlying addiction


  • Tolerance - where the initial dosage no longer produces the original emotional or psychological effects
• All addictions involve an initial voluntary step
• Vulnerabilities such as genetic risk, family history, or a stressful environment, all contribute to the development of addiction
• Reasons for using drugs

  • To alter one's mood
  • To feel a euphoric high
  • In pursuit of a spiritual experience
  • To escape boredom, anxiety, depression, feelings of worthlessness, or other distressing symptoms
  • To cope with the difficulties of life
• Beginning in March 2020, pandemic-related stress, isolation, and job disruption likely elevated rates of drug misuse in the United States
• Psychoactive drugs and their potential for substance use disorder and addiction

  • Very high: Heroin
  • High: Nicotine, morphine
  • Moderate/high: Cocaine, pentobarbital
  • Moderate: Alcohol, ephedra, Rohypnol
  • Moderate/low: Caffeine, marijuana, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), nitrous oxide
  • Low/very low: Ketamine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), mescaline, psilocybin
• Factors associated with trying drugs

  • Male (males more likely than females)
  • Troubled childhood
  • Thrill-seeker
  • Dysfunctional family
  • Trouble at school
  • Poor
  • Adolescents engaged in risky sexual behavior
• Factors associated with not using drugs

  • Perceiving drug use as risky, and disapproving of it
  • Positive self-esteem and self-concept
  • Assertive, independent thinkers able to resist peer pressure
  • Self-control
  • Social competence
  • Optimism
  • Academic achievement
  • Religiosity
  • Open communication with parents
• Changes in brain chemistry from drugs

  Psychoactive drugs interfere with the way neurons send, receive, and process signals sent by neurotransmitters - a brain chemical that transmits nerve impulses
• Duration of a drug's effect

  Depends on many factors and may range from 5 minutes to 12 or more hours
• Factors affecting individual's response to drugs

  • Body mass
  • General health and genetics
  • Concurrent use of other chemicals
  • Pregnancy
  • Placebo effect - when a person responds to an inert substance as if it were an active drug
  • Physical and social environment
• Groups of psychoactive drugs

  • Opioids
  • Central nervous system (CNS) depressants
  • Central nervous system stimulants
  • Marijuana and other cannabis products
  • Hallucinogens
  • Inhalants
  • Prescription drug misuse
  • New psychoactive substances
• Opioids


  Natural or synthetic drugs that relieve pain, cause drowsiness, and induce euphoria - an exaggerated feeling of well-being
• The opioid epidemic in the United States claims the lives of around 130 people each day
• Central nervous system (CNS) depressants


  Drugs that decrease nervous or muscular activity, causing drowsiness or sleep
• Sedation


  The induction of a calm, relaxed, often sleepy state
• Types of CNS depressants

  • Alcohol
  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Sedative-hypnotics
• Effects of CNS depressants

  Reduced anxiety, mood changes, impaired muscular coordination, slurring of speech, drowsiness, sleep, and effects on mental functioning
• Symptoms of opioid overdose

  • Cramps
  • Chills
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Tremors
  • Irritability
  • Feelings of panic
• Figure 8.2 is available as a text alternative
• Central nervous system (CNS)


  Brain and spinal cord
• Depressant or tranquilizer, sedative-hypnotic


  A drug that decreases nervous or muscular activity, causing drowsiness or sleep
• Types of CNS depressants

  • Alcohol
  • Barbiturates
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Sedative-hypnotics
• Effects of CNS depressants

  • Reduced anxiety
  • Mood changes
  • Impaired muscular coordination
  • Slurring of speech
  • Drowsiness
  • Sleep
  • Effects on mental functioning
• Use to misuse of CNS depressants

  1. Used for calming properties in medical procedures

  2. Can lead to addiction

  3. Too much depression of CNS slows respiration and may stop it entirely
• Club drugs


  Rohypnol and GHB
• Stimulants


  Drugs that speed up the activity of the nervous or muscular system
• Cocaine


  • Snorted and absorbed through nasal mucosa or injected intravenously, with fast, intense effects
  • Processing cocaine with baking soda and water yields the ready-to-smoke form known as crack
• Effects of cocaine


  • Intense but short-lived effects
  • Euphoria ends abruptly with irritability, anxiety, or slight depression
  • Sudden death from excessive CNS stimulation
  • Persistent nose bleeds
  • Paranoia and aggression
• A woman who uses cocaine during pregnancy

  Is at higher risk for miscarriage, premature labor, and stillbirth
• Amphetamines


  Potent, synthetic CNS stimulants
• Effects of amphetamine misuse and addiction

  • Small doses make people feel more alert
  • Often starts as an attempt to cope with a temporary situation
  • Repeated use can lead to severe disturbances in behavior and psychosis, with delusions of persecution and episodes of unprovoked violence
  • Methamphetamine is more addictive than other forms
• Women who use amphetamines during pregnancy

  Risk premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and early infant death
• A potentially lethal dose of fentanyl
• Prescription stimulants


  Used to treat ADHD
• Caffeine


  • Very popular psychoactive drug, and one of the most ancient
  • Rarely harmful, but withdrawal symptoms can develop