Psychoactive Drugs
By: Gabby Hewitt and Zoe Schmauder
So you wanna know about drugs?
-Worldwide, an estimated 69 000 people die from opioid overdose each year.
-The inexpensive medication naloxone can completely reverse the effects of opioid overdose and prevent deaths due to opioid overdose.
-You can’t predict the effect that a drug can have on you—especially if it’s the first time you try it, and even if it’s a small amount or dose.
Types of Psychoactive Drugs:
Depressants: Drugs that slow down activity in the central nervous system.
Opiates: Drugs, derived from the opium poppy, that relieve pain and commonly produce euphoria.
Psychedelic Drugs: A drug capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, and behavior.
Cocaine is an example of a stimulant.
Alcohol is a type of depressant, even though it is not necessarily a drug.
Opiates derive from the opium poppy.
Psychedelic drugs can influence your perception of the world.
What is Tolerance and Withdrawal?
Withdrawal: Physical and psychological symptoms that occur when someone addicted to a drug stops taking it.
People can gain a tolerance to any drug, including over the counter drugs. This can become problematic because these medicines are used to treat everyday illnesses, and would cause for alternative medicine as a replacement.
Withdrawal can be very difficult.
What is the difference between Dependence and Addiction?
Addiction: Behavioral changes caused by the biochemical changes in the brain after continued substance abuse. People addicted to a drug may feel their entire life revolves around the drug.