YouTube Link Assignment: Depressants
One of the three major categories of psychoactive drugs is depressants. Depressants are drugs such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates that reduce your level of brain activity. They slow down the activity of the central nervous system by decreasing the electrical activity in the brain. This produces a calming effect in the body, as well as decrease your level of awareness. While depressants can be used safely, they are dangerous if used inappropriately. Alcohol is the most frequently used depressant. The effects of alcohol depend on the amount of alcohol that is present in the bloodstream. In small doses, it slows neural processing causing a relaxed effect; whereas taken in larger doses, it has more …show more content…
Like alcohol, they depress the nervous system activity. They are sedatives used to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, and seizures. In large doses, barbiturates impair judgment and memory. If combined with alcohol it can result in an overdose and sudden death. Because both alcohol and barbiturates are very similar, combining the two multiplies the intoxication level and the potential side effects. Opiates also depress neural functioning. Opiates can be injected, snorted, or smoked. The short-term effect of opiate abuse consists of lethargy setting in as blissful pleasure. This short term pleasure may come with a long term price; a craving for more, and needing larger doses. When continuously adding an artificial opiate to the brain, the brain stops producing its own opiate known as endorphins. When artificial opiates are withdrawn, the brain is lacking on its normal levels of endorphins causing the user to overdose if they cannot tolerate this transition. With continued use of depressants, the brain adapts to the effect of the drug and for the users to experience the same effect, they require larger doses. Increasing doses of most drugs can lead to addiction. When the use is stopped, withdrawal will set in, potentially leading to seizures and other harmful
One of the three major categories of psychoactive drugs is depressants. Depressants are drugs such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates that reduce your level of brain activity. They slow down the activity of the central nervous system by decreasing the electrical activity in the brain. This produces a calming effect in the body, as well as decrease your level of awareness. While depressants can be used safely, they are dangerous if used inappropriately. Alcohol is the most frequently used depressant. The effects of alcohol depend on the amount of alcohol that is present in the bloodstream. In small doses, it slows neural processing causing a relaxed effect; whereas taken in larger doses, it has more …show more content…
Like alcohol, they depress the nervous system activity. They are sedatives used to treat sleep disorders, anxiety, and seizures. In large doses, barbiturates impair judgment and memory. If combined with alcohol it can result in an overdose and sudden death. Because both alcohol and barbiturates are very similar, combining the two multiplies the intoxication level and the potential side effects. Opiates also depress neural functioning. Opiates can be injected, snorted, or smoked. The short-term effect of opiate abuse consists of lethargy setting in as blissful pleasure. This short term pleasure may come with a long term price; a craving for more, and needing larger doses. When continuously adding an artificial opiate to the brain, the brain stops producing its own opiate known as endorphins. When artificial opiates are withdrawn, the brain is lacking on its normal levels of endorphins causing the user to overdose if they cannot tolerate this transition. With continued use of depressants, the brain adapts to the effect of the drug and for the users to experience the same effect, they require larger doses. Increasing doses of most drugs can lead to addiction. When the use is stopped, withdrawal will set in, potentially leading to seizures and other harmful