Alcohol and Drug Emergencies

Question 1

What is a stimulant?

Answer 1

Stimulants are drugs that affect the central nervous system by speeding up physical and mental activity. They produce temporary feelings of alertness and prevent fatigue

Question 2

What are some examples of a stimulant?

Answer 2

Examples include amphetamine, dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine (“crystal meth,” “ice,” “speed,” “uppers,” “bennies,” “black beauties,” “crystal,” “meth” and “crank”), cocaine (“coke,” “snow,” “blow,” “flake,” “foot” and “nose candy”), crack cocaine (“rock,” “freebase rock”), ephedra, caffeine and nicotine.

o Caffeine and Nicotine are the most common stimulants used in many products and are legal.

o Caffeine is present in coffee, tea, high-energy drinks, many kinds of sodas, chocolate, diet pills and pills used to combat fatigue.

o Nicotine is found in tobacco products.

Question 3

What is a hallucinogen?

Answer 3

Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, are substances that cause changes in mood, sensation, thought, emotion and self-awareness and can alter a person’s perception of time and space and produce visual, auditory and tactile (relating to the sense of touch) delusions.

Question 4

Hallucinogens often have physical effects similar to stimulants but are classified differently because of the other effects they produce. They sometimes cause what is called a “bad trip.” What can a bad trip involve?

Answer 4

o Intense fear

o Panic

o Paranoid delusions

o Vivid hallucinations

o Profound depression

o Tension

o Anxiety

Question 5

What are some widely abused hallucinogens?

Answer 5

Widely abused hallucinogens are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), called “acid”; psilocybin, called “mushrooms”; phencyclidine (PCP), called “angel dust”; mescaline, called “peyote,” “buttons” or “mesc”; and ketamine, called “special K” or “vitamin K.” These substances are usually ingested, but PCP is also often inhaled.