Drug Effects

Vocabulary Review

• What are chemicals that change perceptions and moods?

• PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS• Why is it that frequent drinkers do not feel the

impact of alcohol as quickly as someone who rarely drinks?

• TOLERANCE

Vocab Review• What happens when someone stops using a

drug they have been using regularly?• WITHDRAWAL• Give some examples of withdraw—caffeine,

nicotine, alcohol, etc.• When someone feels physical pain and intense

cravings during withdraw, how would we categorize their dependence?

• PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE

Vocab Review

• When a drug is used to relieve stress and negative emotions, the person may feel that they need it. What type of dependence is this?

• PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE• When someone continue to use a drug

despite negative consequences, we would say they are __________.

• ADDICTED

More Vocab

• Agonists are drugs that mimic the effects of normally and naturally occurring chemicals in the brain.– Cocaine, MDMA

• Antagonists are drugs that block the effects of normally and naturally occurring chemicals in the brain.– Caffeine

3 Categories of Psychoactive Drugs

•Depressants•Stimulants•Hallucinogens

Depressants

• Depressants—slow neural activity and body functions such as alcohol, barbiturates (tranquillizers), and opiates such as morphine

• Side Effects of Alcohol—poor judgment, reduces inhibition, alcohol related accidents and crime, memory loss, suppresses REM sleep, brain shrinkage, and more.

• Alcohol kills more people than all illegal drugs combined (so does tobacco—stimulant)

Research on Alcohol Use in College• A university study found that alcohol was involved

in over 70% of sexual assault and 79% of unwanted sexual experiences

• College students drink more than their non student peers; fraternity and sorority members drink 3x as much as other students

• 9 in 10 students reported abuse by intoxicated peers• Drinking annually contributes to 1400 American

college student deaths, 70,000 sexual assaults, and 500,000 injuries.

Do you have a drinking problem?You may have a drinking problem if you...

• Can never stick to “just one” drink. • Feel guilty or ashamed about your drinking. • Lie to others or hide your drinking habits. • Have friends or family members who are

worried about your drinking. • Need to drink in order to relax or feel better. • “Black out” or forget what you did while you

were drinking. • Binge drink

Other Depressants

• Barbiturates can be used to help with sleep or reduce anxiety.

• Opiates which are any derivative of opium such as morphine and heroin depress neural activity and suppress pain. – These drugs are highly addictive and cause the

body to stop releasing its own natural pain killing chemicals called opiods like endorphins.

Stimulants

• Stimulants temporarily excite neural activity and arouse the body functions such as heartbeat.– Amphetamines, methamphetamine, caffeine,

cocaine, MDMA, nicotine– Side effects—addiction, crash, headaches, irritability,

depression, insomnia, HBP, seizures, disorientation, violent behavior, paranoia, convulsions, heart attack, respiratory failure, aggression, etc.

Caffeine’s effect on adenosine receptors in the Brain.

MDMA--Ecstasy

• MDMA is neurotoxic meaning it kills brain serotonin neurons.

• Activity!

Hallucinogens

• Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensations in the absences of sensory input such as LSD, Marijuana, and Ecstasy (MDMA)

• Side effects include hallucinations, panic, flashbacks, reverse tolerance, increase risk of anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia, slows neural activity, disrupts memory, worsening mood, and more.

Marijuana and Cannabinoid Receptors

Activity!

Influences on Drug Use• Biological—Heredity or NATURE can increase

the likelihood of someone becoming an addict specifically looking at the dopamine reward pathway—D2 receptors

• Social-Cultural Influence—when people around you normalize it, you are more likely to do it aka peer pressure

• Psychological Issues—people use drugs to cope with life’s problems