Psychoactive Drugs
By: Tori Walter and Kate Kroh
Altered States of Conciousness
Psychoactive drugs-chemical substance that alters a persons perception and mood.
Stimulants-stimulants excite neural activity and speed up the users body.
Depressants- A drug that when consumed reduces the users neural activity and slows down the bodies processes.
Opiates-A type of depressant that temporarily lessens the users pain and anxiety
Psychedelic drugs-Psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception.
Tolerance- when the continued use of a drug results in the drug becoming less effective.
Withdrawal- upon stopping the use of a drug users may experience negative physical effects.
Addiction- A craving for a chemical substance despite its adverse consequences.
Dependence- when the absence of a drug may lead to a physical pain, intense cravings and negative emotions.
Psychedelic Drugs
The risks associated with psychedelic drugs are mostly psychological, not physical. For most psychedelic drugs, including the most commonly used ones such as LSD and psyilocybin mushrooms, there has never been a recorded overdose. Reviews of the clinical literature suggest that chronic problematic effects, when they do occur, are most often linked to psychological instability present prior to use.
Psychedelic Drugs
An individual's experience using a psychedelic drug is strongly influenced by two key factors: set and setting. The set is the internal mental environment, and the beliefs, of the person who has ingested the substance. Setting is the external environment.
Psychedelic Drugs
Psychedelics often evoke conscious awareness of subconscious thoughts and feelings, such as repressed memories, feelings about life circumstances, fantasies, or deep fears. Thus, if someone makes the decision to use a psychedelic drug, it is important for that person to be prepared to deal with unusual – and perhaps even challenging – thoughts, images, and feelings in an open and thoughtful manner.
Altered States - Crash Course Psychology #10