Drugs and Consciousness

1. Chapter 5, Section 4 Drugs and Consciousness

2. Addiction – after the person takes a drug for a period of time, his or her body craves it just to feel normal. • Alcohol • Nicotine • Oxycontin • Heroin • Ambien • Cocaine • Meth

3. Depressants • Slow the activity of the nervous system, generally give people a sense of relaxation • Alcohol- widely used depressant • Intoxication – drunkenness • Slurs speech • Blurs vision • Makes clumsy • Difficult to concentrate • May be unable to write • Affects judgment and may not realize they are intoxicated. • Lose inhibitions • Long-term heavy drinking may lead to liver problems, heart problems, and cancer

4. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) • Host of problems that can occur in children of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy • Deformities of the heart, face, kidneys, and fingers • The brain of an infant with FAS is smaller than a normal infants brain • FAS may occur if the mother drinks as little as one or two glasses of wine or beer a day during pregnancy

5. Narcotics • Greek ..narke“numbness” or “stupor” • Addictive depressants that have been used to relieve pain and induce sleep. • Morphine – addiction to this drug became known as “soldier’s disease”-- introduced during the civil war to deaden the pain from battle wounds • Heroin- “hero” cured addiction to morphine, gives the user feelings of pleasure. Coming off of heroin can cause the user to go into a deep depression. High doses can depress the respiratory system so much the user can lose consciousness, go into a coma, or die. • Codeine • Withdrawal symptoms- tremors, cramps, chills, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, vomitting, and diarrhea

6. Stimulants • Increase activity of the nervous system • Speed up heart and breathing rate • Nicotine • Amphetamines • Cocaine

7. Nicotine • Found in tobacco leaves, this is one of the most common stimulants • Cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco • Spurs the release of the hormone adrenaline, which causes an increase in heart rate • Makes people feel more alert and attentive, and raises the rate at which the body changes food to energy • Evidence shows it may be as addictive as heroin • Withdrawal Symptoms – nervousness, drowsiness, loss of energy, headaches, lightheadedness, insomnia, dizziness, cramps, heart palpitations, tremors, and sweating

8. Each year more than 400,000 Americans die from smoking-related diseases • Smokers are 12 to 30 times more likely than non-smokers to die of lung cancer • Also linked to heart disease, chronic lung and respiratory disease, miscarriage in pregnant women who smoke, premature births, and babies with birth defects

10. Amphetamines • Known for helping people stay awake and reducing appetite • Used by soldiers in WWII to keep them awake and alert during the night • Injected or in pill format those who take large doses can stay awake for days..these prolonged “highs” eventually lead to “crash” which may be a deep depression of deep sleep (some may commit suicide during a “crash”) May cause: • Hallucinations – perception of an object or sound that is not real • Delusions – false idea that seems real (ability to fly, being chased)

11. Cocaine • Stimulant derived from the coca plant • Produces feelings of pleasure, reduces hunger, deadens pain, and boosts self-confidence • Raises blood pressure and decreases oxygen to the heart while speeding the heart rate which may result in death. • Freud used the drug to overcome depression • A particular harmful form of cocaine is Crack impure form which makes it more dangerous

12. Hallucinogens • A drug which produces hallucinations • Also causes relaxation, or feelings of pleasure • May also cause panic

13. Marijuana • Produced from the leaves of cannabis sativa plant which grows wild in many parts of the world • Hashish, or “hash” comes from the sticky part of the plant and has stronger effects than marijuana • Produces feeling of relaxation and hallucinations, impairs perception and coordination, and makes it difficult to operate machinery. It also impairs memory and learning. • It causes anxiety and confusion and increases heart rate • Originally used to treat minor aches and pains

14. LSD • Lysergic acid diethylamide – Acid • Can cause intense hallucinations and effects are not predictable • Some users are in such a high panic or confused the may injure themselves or commit suicide • May cause memory loss, violent outbursts, nightmares, feelings of panic, flashbacks

15. Treatments • Detoxification –removal of the harmful substance from the body • Maintenance Programs – given controlled less dangerous amounts of the drug..never become free of the drug • Counseling • Support groups