Drugs interact with the brain and body to alter moods, emotions, and behaviors by changing brain chemistry and a persons perceptions, and by impacting how individuals interact with the world around them. Many depressant medications also have the potential to be addictive. The following are common examples of psychoactive drugs and their effects on the body. In a sense, these drugs hijack the limbic system in the brain, inducing a powerful high that individuals are often keen to recreate, leading to reinforcing behaviors. Whether a person uses psychoactive substances as medication, recreational drugs, or as part of their daily routine, there are risks to using them. Different drugs have varying effects and risk levels associated with them. The seven main types are depressants, psychedelics, stimulants, empathogens, opioids, cannabinoids, and dissociatives. As the use of the drug increases, the user may develop a dependence, defined as a need to use a drug or other substance regularly. In North America, more than 80% of adults consume caffeine daily (Lovett, 2005). Examples include amphetamines (such as Adderall), cocaine, and caffeine. One example is MDMA, pictured below, which may act both as a euphoriant and as an empathogen. These drugs operate by affecting neurons (nerve cells) in the CNS, which leads to symptoms such as drowsiness, relaxation, decreased inhibition, anesthesia, sleep, coma, and even death. Cocaine is a stimulant that is illegal in many countries. d. They can interfere with basic functions controlled by the amygdala. The crash that comes after a stimulant high can be significant, leaving a person feeling extremely fatigued, hungry, irritable, mentally confused, and depressed, which is followed by intense cravings. If a person takes additional doses of MDMA while the drug is still in the system, it can interfere with the metabolism, which can make the cardiovascular and toxic side effects worse, NIDA warns. Molly, often heralded as the pure form of ecstasy, may contain any number of adulterants or chemicals that can have toxic effects, NBC News warns. Alcohol, a depressant psychoactive, slows down brain activity by increasing the activity of GABA neurotransmitters. Examples of stimulants are nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, ecstasy and the methamphetamines, speed and ice. Dependence can be psychological, in which the drug is desired and has become part of the everyday life of the user, but no serious physical effects result if the drug is not obtained; or physical, in which serious physical and mental effects appear when the drug is withdrawn. Another problem is the unintended consequences of combining drugs, which can produce serious side effects. In low doses, they produce mild sedation and relieve anxiety; in high doses, they induce sleep. Ecstasy may also be psychologically addictive, leading to withdrawal symptoms when the drug isnt taken. From first drug use to drug dependence: Developmental periods of risk for dependence upon marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol.
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