How Drugs Affects The Brain

Drugs are chemicals that affect the brain by tapping into its communication system and interfering with the way neurons normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter.
Drugs that enter the blood stream have faster and definitely more intense effects. The more directly the drug enters the bloodstream determines how fast and intense the drug will take effect. When the drug is administered directly into the bloodstream it is immediately available to the brain whereas when administered orally it has to be absorbed or “otherwise processed”. For example drinking on an empty stomach will cause the alcohol to enter the bloodstream quickly whereas drinking on a full stomach will slow down the process as the food acts like an absorbent sponge. One the drugs enter the bloodstream the drugs quickly enter the brain; although the brain has something called the blood-brain barrier which is designed to prevent harmful chemicals from entering the brain, these drugs have no problem crossing that barrier. …show more content…
“The brain is a very complicated collection of cells known as neurons or (more informally) nerves. Whenever you think about something, sense something or do something, what is happening at the level of the brain is that various neurons are sending information to one another concerning what you are thinking, sensing or doing. It is at the level of this inter-neuron communication that most drugs have their effects”. These neurons have three parts: the axon, the nucleus and something called dendrites. All three of these send and receive messages in the brain; neurotransmitters are what send the