Drug Dependence Flashcards
Psychoactive Drugs:
Drugs that can alter our consciousness, and perceptions. They can alter our perception, increase our mood, calm us down, make us feel more alert
main categories of psychoactive drugs:
depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens
Depressants
are drugs that lower your body’s basic functions and neural activity, lower
CNS activity (decrease arousal/stimulation in areas of our brain)
Three categories of depressants
alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines
Barbiturates used to?
used to induce sleep or reduce anxiety (calm them down) Depress your CNS.
Effects of alcohol
Decreased inhibitions, so decreasing cognitive control
Lack of coordination, slurring of speech
Think more slowly, disrupt REM sleep
Effects of Benzodiazepines
- sleep aids (to treat insomnia) or anti-anxiety or seizures (anticonvulsant)
depressant
Enhance your brain’s response to GABA. They open up GABA-activated chloride (Cl-) channels in your neurons, and make neurons more (-) charged.
3 types of Benzodiazepines
Short-acting (preferred for insomnia) , intermediate-acting, long-acting
(preferred to treat anxiety)
Effects of stimulants
Stimulants are drugs that excite your CNS, increase HR/BP, alertness, more awake, more energetic. Can cause people to feel glittery.
Effects of hallucinogens
Distorted perceptions/hallucinations - seeing or hearing things different from how things actually are.
Heighted sensations. Based on reality but is different from what’s going on in the world around
Can give them energy or calm them down
Emotional responses - Feeling of connectedness and mood swings (changing
moods)
Exact effect can be different depending on an individual’s personality or who
they are/who they are win
Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
Effects of Opiates/Opioids
can be used to treat pain/anxiety
Act on endorphin receptors. NOT a DEPRESSANT but can be used for
anxiety/pain
Barbiturates:
used to be called a tranquilizer. Depressant.
Induce sleep, reduce anxiety.
o Side effects: reduced memory + judgement + concentration
o Combined with alcohol = leads to death
Caffeine
(inhibits adenosine receptors) can disrupt your sleep. Increases energy, can disrupt sleep for several hours
Nicotine
Increase HR/BP. also disrupts sleep and can suppress appetite
Nicotine is a CNS stimulant, which works as an acetylcholine receptor agonist.
Transdermal
drug is absorbed through skin
Intramuscular –
needle stuck into muscle. Can deliver drugs to your system slowly or quickly.
Cross toleranc3
is a reduction in the efficacy or responsiveness to a novel drug due to a common CNS target.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT):
Psychological treatment for drug treatment. Addresses both cognitive and behavioural components of addiction. Patients learn to recognize problematic thought patterns and develop more positive thought patterns and coping behaviors.
Motivational interviewing
involves working with patient to find intrinsic motivation to
change. Very focus, goal directed therapy. Few sessions and can be doorway for patient
to engage in another treatment (like CBT or group meetings).
Group meetings
such as AA (alcohol anonymous) or NA (narcotics anonymous) involve
12-step program that help people go through process of recovery.
Relapse
is when patient can slip and go back Depends on environmental triggers and drug they were addicted too. More addictive substances make relapse more likely. Encountering anything that one used to associate with the drug makes relapse more likely as well.
