Drugs
What are drugs?
We can
define a drug as a substance taken into the bod that modifies or effects
chemical reactions in the body. When most people hear the word ‘drug’ they
automatically think of substances like cocaine or heroin. Yes, those are drugs
however there are four different types of drugs; stimulants, depressants,
painkillers and hallucinogens.
What are stimulants?
Stimulants
are substances that increase brain activity. This includes nicotine, caffeine
and ecstasy. Some short term effects are exhaustion, apathy and the depression
that follows the original high. It is this immediate and lasting exhaustion
that leads the user to want the drug again. This can lead to addiction.
Stimulants also have long term effects. Repeated
high doses of some stimulants over a short period of time can lead to feelings
of hostility or paranoia.
What are depressants?
Depressants do the opposite of stimulants by slowing down brain
activity. The most common example of a depressant is alcohol. Short term
effects include slow
pulse and breathing, lowered blood pressure, poor concentration, confusion, fatigue,
disorientation, slurred speech, fever and addiction. Higher doses can cause
impairment of memory, irritability, paranoia, and
suicidal thoughts. However, some people experience the opposite of the intended
effect, such as agitation or aggression. Depressants have many long term
effects too. Tolerance to many depressants can develop rapidly, with larger
doses needed to achieve the same effect. The user, trying to reach the same
high, may raise the dose to a level that results in coma or death by overdose.
As a dependency on the drug increases, cravings, anxiety or panic are common if
the user is unable to get more. When the user tries to get off the drug
withdrawal symptoms include insomnia, weakness and nausea.
What are painkillers?
Painkillers block nerve impulses and in addition to this can also
produce a high. The most powerful painkillers are called opioids. The most
commonly abused opioid painkillers include oxycodone, hydrocodone, meperidine,
hydromorphone and propoxyphene. Oxycodone is as powerful as heroin and affects
the nervous system the same way. Hydrocodone is used in combination with other
chemicals and is available in prescription pain medications as tablets,
capsules and syrups. Meperidine (Demerol) and
hydromorphone (Dilaudid) come in tablets and propoxyphene (Darvon) in capsules,
but all three have been known to be crushed and injected, snorted or smoked.
What are hallucinogens?
Hallucinogens
alter what we hear and see such as cannabis or LSD. Almost all hallucinogens contain nitrogen and are classified as
alkaloids. Many hallucinogens have chemical structures similar to those of
natural neurotransmitters. While the exact mechanisms by which hallucinogens
exert their effects remain unclear, research suggests that these drugs work, at
least partially, by temporarily interfering with neurotransmitter action or by
binding to their receptor sites.
Drug classification
Some drugs are legal while others are
illegal, or must only be prescribed by a doctor. Some prescription drugs are
mistreated and taken for recreational use, rather than for medical reasons. They
become illegal under these circumstances. Illegal drugs are classified from
Class A to Class C. Class A drugs are the most dangerous, with the most serious
penalties for possession or dealing. Class B drugs are the second most
dangerous and class C are the least dangerous, with the lightest penalties, but
this does not mean they are safe to use.
Alcohol
As
you now know alcohol is a depressant as it slows down the activity of the
brain. In some countries drinking alcoholic drinks is common while in others it
is forbidden. Alcohol is quickly absorbed through the walls of the stomach and
is then quickly transported all over the body in the blood. When it reaches the
brain it slows down reflex reactions by reducing the rate at which neurons can
conduct nerve impulses and pass them from one neuron to another. This is why
drinking and driving is highly forbidden since drivers are unable to respond
quickly. A very high proportion of injuries and deaths come from car accidents
where the driver has been drinking.
Smoking
The image shows the
comparison of healthy lungs to lungs of those who smoke. Cigarette smoke is
made of nicotine, tar, particulates and carbon monoxide. The nicotine is what
makes smoking addictive. It affects the brain and makes people feel more
relaxed. As well as this it affects the circulatory system by increasing the
rate at which the heart beats and increasing blood pressure. People who smoke
are more likely to suffer from heart disease than non-smokers. Tar in cigarette
smoke can cause cancer. The chemicals in tar affect the cells that line the
passage ways leading to the lungs, and also the cells in the lungs themselves.
This may cause the cells to lose the ability to control their division which
results in uncontrollable division forming a lump called a tumor which can
cause cancer. Tar and carbon monoxide also affect the cilia and goblet cells
that line the trachea and the bronchi. The carbon monoxide causes the cilia to
stop working and in a heavy smoker the cilia may completely disappear. The
smoke makes the goblet cells work harder producing more and more mucus and as
there are no cilia to sweep it up the mucus trickles down into the lungs where
it collects, making the person cough. The constant coughing can damage the
delicate walls of the alveoli which eventually break down preventing oxygen
from easily diffusing from the alveoli to the blood. Particulates cause
irritation since they aren’t stopped by the malfunctioning cilia leading to
more damage of the alveolar walls.
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