Altered States Via Chemical Intoxication and Substance Abuse

Psychoactive drugs

• Alters functionality of central ond peripheral nervous systems

• Alters brain functioning and mental processing

• Causes change in emotion, behavior, and sensory perception

Biology of addiction

• Dopamine

• Accumbens nucleus

Dopamine

• Primary biochemical or neurotransmitter

• Give the feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation

Accumbens nucleus

Brain's pleasure and reward center

4 categories of psychoactive drugs

• Stimulants

• Depressonts

• Narcotics

• Hallucinogens

Stimulants

Inrease alertness, energy, and dopamine levels

Depressants

Slow brain activity, causing relaxation and drowsiness

Narcotics

Relieve pain and induce euphoria

Hallucinogens

Distort perception and reality

Agonists

• Mimic neurotransmitters

• Bind at the receptor site

• Increasing effectiveness

Antagonists

• Block the exchange of neurotransmitters

• Minimizing effectiveness

Neurotransmitters are most affected by hallucinogen drugs

• Serotonin

• Anandamide

Serotonin

• Reticular formation and thalamus

• Regulates mood, sleep, and appetite

Anandamide

• Accumbens nucleus

• Regulates mood, pain, and appetite

Neurotransmitters affected most by narcotic drugs

• Endorphins

• Dopamine

Endorphins

• Hypothalamus

• Relieve pain and boost pleasure

Reason that mixing alcohol with barbiturates, sleeping pills or any depressive chemical is so dangerous

Death via respiratory failure

Death via respiratory failure

Diaphragm relaxes to the point of suffocation

Designer drugs

Synthetically manufactured chemical compounds made purposely to elicit psychoactive effects

Neurotransmitter that regulates inhibition and decreases balances in ventromedial prefrontal cortex with alcohol

Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA)

Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA)

• Slows brain activity

• Alcohol boosts GABA, weakening the ventromedial prefrontal cortex

• Ventromedial prefrontal cortex: Controls judgment and emotions

Cravings for intoxication effects leading to repeated abuse and continued consumption

Psychological dependency

When more of a chemical substance is needed to achieve the some effect

Chemical tolerance

With prolonged substance abuse, the body gets dependent and needs drugs to function. Not taking it can cause severe symptoms

Chemical withdrawal

The repeated use of substances, where the body relies on psychoactive chemicals to avoid withdrawal

Physical addiction

Men’s bodies are more efficient in breaking down alcohol and given equal size and muscle to fat ratios, women who consume the same amount of alcohol with the same rate of consumption will have a comparably higher BAC

True