Drugs

"Don't say, Just say no!"

(Peirce)

For many years teenagers and adults have been abusing psychoactive substances. Many lives have been ruined and lost to this psychic and mental problem. This is a serious problem that many people don't know about or are saying will never happen to their family. The psychoactive substances that are being abused fall into three categories, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.

A psychoactive substance is any substance that people take to change either the way they feel, think, or behave. This includes alcohol and tobacco as well as natural and manufactured drugs. People have taken psychoactive drugs for curative, religious, and recreational purposes for hundreds of years. At the end of the last century, however, due to advances in the field of chemistry and pharmacology, stronger and more highly addictive substances were synthesized that are depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.

Depressant drugs are sedatives that act on the nervous system. They provide "artificial relaxation and relief from anxiety" and mental stress but tends to produce psychological dependence (United). Heroin, barbiturates, and alcohol are all depressant drugs.

Heroin is an illegal and a highly addictive drug. It's the most abused and is injected or inhaled. Heroin is processed from "morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plants" (Heroin). Heroin has many long-term effects and short-term effects. One long-term effect that is most detrimental is the addiction itself. One short-term effect is clouded mental function.

Barbiturates are a group of drugs that depress brain function. They are derived from barbituric acid and a combination of urea and malonic acid. Depending on the dosage or formulation, barbiturates have a "sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, or anesthetic effect"(United). Barbiturates are common drugs that are abused. They are taken orally or intravenously and produce symptoms similar to drunkenness.

Alcohol abuse means drinking more alcohol than is socially, psychologically, or physically healthy. Alcoholism is a more serious condition and is characterized by dependence, both psychological and physical. It's a long-term condition in which uncontrolled drinking damages the sufferer's health, family, and career. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are already common problems and are increasing among young people (BUPA).

Stimulants, any of a group of drugs that excite the central nervous system, increase alertness and alleviate fatigue. Caffeine is the most socially acceptable and commonly used. Cocaine and amphetamines are other stimulants. Stimulants work by mimicking the flight-to-fight response. Stimulants cause the hormone epinephrine to be released during stressful situations to produce an increased heart rate and increased blood flow to the muscles (Stimulant).

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Stimulants produce a similar but often more powerful response by increasing levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. They also appear to act on the limbic system. Many stimulants are used for pleasurable effects rather than medicinal purposes. The recreational use of stimulants is dangerous because the drugs can both inspire erratic behavior and cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms (Stimulant).

Hallucinogens are drugs that act on the central nervous system to produce significant changes to the user's state of consciousness. People who have taken them may see or hear things that are really not there. Hallucinogens are also known as psychedelic drugs. Hallucinogens include LSD, magic mushrooms, mescaline, PCP, and cannabis. Naturally occurring hallucinogens have been used since ancient times by various cultures for religious experience.

LSD, the best known of the hallucinogens, is a synthetic drug. Invented accidentally in 1938, its "mind expanding" qualities were experimented with in treating people with mental disturbances. LSD is taken orally. It is very potent and very small amounts cause strong effects. "A given amount may have a slight effect on one person, but a much greater effect on another person" (Australian). More than with any other drugs, the effects of hallucinogens vary greatly from person to person, and from occasion to occasion of use.

Substance abuse has become a growing concern in American society.