AP Psych- Psychoactive Drugs & Addiction

  • Psychoactive Drug: a chemical that changes our states of consciousness, substances that change perceptions & moods, meaning the sensory information is the same but our perception o that info is altered
    • ex) touching a table could feel soft, feel like your hand can go through it, etc.
    • affect consciousness by influencing how neurotransmitters operate at the synapses
  • Some substances can make users biologically & mentally addicted → substance use disorder
    • ex) pain killers, cocaine, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, etc.
  • Addiction: bodies chemically adapt to these drugs & require greater amounts each time to achieve an altered state, or in some cases, just to feel normal and devoid of pain
  • halting or reducing use of these can cause substantial mental & physical pain
    • Withdrawal: the mental & physical pains experienced when the drug use has been halted
  • Image of drugs = close to a key b/c keys can duplicate & still function, and drugs mimics body’s neurotransmitters. Body can’t tell which is which
    • Agonist: “Key copy”, Drugs that binds to receptors, mimics the operation of a neurotransmitter
    • Antagonist: “Lock” Drugs that block receptor sites or block reuptake of neurotransmitters by certain neurons

 

  • Tolerance: occurs when the body gets used to a medication, → more medication is needed to give the desired effect, or a different medication is needed
  • Addiction: compulsive, sometimes uncontrollable, craving for their drug of choice
    • One w/ an addiction can lack impulse control: the frontal lobe inhibitor to make proper judgments about what to do and what not to do
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    1. Depressants “Downers”
    • slows the activity of the central NS
    • may interfere w/ person’s judgment, motor activity, & concentration
    • alcohol
    • barbiturates
    • opioids
  • Alcohol: dis-inhibitor which slows brain activity that controls judgment & inhibitions
    • also slows neural processing, reduces coordination, self-awareness, self-control, speech, and other skills
    • long term effects: nerve cell death, blackouts, loss of memory, shrink brain, lung and liver damage
  • Barbiturates (major), benzodiazepines (minor) : essentially tranquilizers, reduces anxiety and help people sleep
  • Opiates: endorphin-mimicking painkillers that bring a rush of warm, euphoric, & lifting feelings that can disrupt natural endorphin use & creation. Causes pupils to constrict, slow breathing, & lethargy as pleasure replaces anxiety.
    • morphine, heroin, codeine
    • opioids depress the centers that help control emotion
    • attach to brain receptor sites that receive endorphins (relieve pain/reduce emotional tension)
    • creates tolerance
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    1. Stimulants “Uppers”: drugs that excite neural activity & speed up body functions → causing a rise in breathing, heartbeat, energy, & confidence
    • prevents the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, & norepinephrine
    • increase activity of central NS (increased heart rate, alertness, & sped-up behavior and thinking)
    • caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy, meth, amphetamines
    • Also makes one feel alert, lose weight, & boost mood or athletic performance
    • Withdrawal→ fatigue, headaches, irritability, depression, develops tolerance
  • Nicotine: highly addictive
  • Cocaine: provides rush of euphoria, depletes one’s own dopamine, serotonin, & norepinephrine by blocking their reuptake
    • → restless, anxious, depressed
  • Methamphetamine: crash of irritability, social isolation, depression, possible seizures, hypertension, and likely violent outbursts. Also decreases dopamine.
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    1. Hallucinogens: LSD, “mushrooms”, ecstasy, psychedelic drug
    • produces illusions & hallucinations
    • floods brain w/ serotonin
    • provides visually-stunning images, distortions, better (or worse) tastes of foods, etc.
  • Ecstasy (MDMA): both a stimulant & mild hallucinogen
    • triggers a dopamine relase, floods neurons w/ serotonin & blocks uptake (makes you experience them much longer)
    • dehydration, increases blood pressure, overheating or death
    • permanently-depressed mood, suppressed immune system, impaired memory, slowed thought
  • LSD: stream of uninterrupted fantastic pictures, shapes, colors, etc. Euphoria, detachment, panic
    • Beatles
  • THC (found in cannabis): more mild, but can evoke agitations & hallucinations
    • relieve pain, calm nerves, & increase appetite
    • impairs motor coordination, perceptual skills, & reaction time, amplifies anxiety & depression