5:25 - psychoactive drugs Flashcards
substance use disorder
continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and risk
psychoactive drugs
a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods
tolerance
the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger doses before experiencing the drugs’ effect
what affects a drug’s overall effect?
biological effects of the drug, as well as the user’s expectations
neuroadaptation
adapting to the effects of a drug and building tolerance
addiction
compulsive craving of drugs or certain behaviors despite its adverse consequences
withdrawl
the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior
depressants
drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions. (eg. alchohol, barbituates, and opiates)
alcohol use disorder
(alcoholism). alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawl, and a drive to continue problematic use
barbituates
(tranquilizers). depress nervous system activity. some types are prescribed to reduce anxiety and induce sleep. in larger does, memory and judgement is impaired.
sleeping pills + alcohol =
the total depressive effect on body functions can be lethal
opiates
- opium and its derivatives — heroin, codeine, and morphine
- depress neural functioning
- pupils constrict, breathing slows, and lethargy (sleepiness/lack of enthusiasm) sets in as bilssful pleasure replaces pain and anxiety
- when repeadetly flooded with opiates, the brain stops producing endorphins
stimulant
- excites neural activity and speeds up bodily functions.
- pupils dilate, heart and breathing rates increase, and blood sugar levels rise, causing a drop in appetite.
- energy and self-confidence rise
- include nicotine, caffeine, and amphetamines: cocaine, meth, and Ecstasy
- use to feel alert, lose weight, or boost mood or athletic performance
nicotine
- found in cigarettes and other tobacco products
- often as powerful and additctive as heroin and coke
- withdrawl symptoms include insomnia, anxiety, irritability, and distractibility
cocaine
- snorted, injected, or smoked into the bloodstream
- produces a rush of euphoria that depletes the brain’s supply of dopamine, seretonin, and norepinephrine
crack
a faster-working form of cocaine that produces a more intense but briefer high, followed by a more intense crash
methamphetamine
- triggers the release of dopamine
- enhances energy and mood, leading to about eight hours of heightened energy and euphoria
- aftereffects: irritability, insomnia, hypertension, seizures, social isolation, depression, ansd occasional violent outbursts
- overtime it reduces baseline dopamine levels, causing depressed funtioning
ecstasy
- MDMA
- stimulant and hallucinogen
- triggers dopamine release
- releases stored seretonin and blocks its reuptake, prolonging seretonin’s feel-good flood
- high energy, emotional elevation, and connectedness with those around them
- dehydrating affects: overheating, high blood pressure, and death
- increased depressed mood
- surpress disease-fighting immune system, impairs memory, slows thought, and disrupts sleep by interfering with seretonin’s control of the circadian clock
hallucinogens
psychedellic drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
LSD
a powerful hallucinogenic drug with mystical sensations, almost like a near- death experiences
marijuana
- contain THC
- enchanced sensation, relief of pain, distortion of time, relaxation
- impaired learning and memory, increased riisk of psychological disorders, lung damage from smoke
