Myers PSYCHOLOGY

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Myers PSYCHOLOGY

• Module 10
• Drugs and Consciousness

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Drugs and Consciousness

• Psychoactive Drug
• a chemical substance that alters perceptions and
  mood
• Physical Dependence
• physiological need for a drug
• marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
• Psychological Dependence
• a psychological need to use a drug
• for example, to relieve negative emotions

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Dependence and Addiction

• Tolerance
• diminishing effect with regular use
• Includes neuroadaptation (the brains attempt to
  counter-act the drug use
• Withdrawal
• discomfort and distress that follow discontinued
  use

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Addiction Myths

• Myth Addictive drugs quickly corrupt
• Fact About 10 of people who take psychoactive
  drugs become addicted. Must people who use drugs
  for medical purposes do not become addicted.
• Myth Addictions cant be overcome voluntarily.
  Therapy is a must.
• Fact Although therapy is helpful for some
  people, many people recover on their own.
• Myth Addiction includes many repetitive,
  pleasure-seeking activities such as shopping and
  exercise.
• Fact Although some repetitive behaviors can
  become compulsive and dysfunctional, addiction
  should not be used as an all-purpose excuse.

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Depressants
• drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body
  functions
• alcohol, barbiturates, opiates
• slow body functions

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Alcohol
• Depressant that affects motor skills, judgment,
  and memory
• reduces self awareness
• Apparent stimulant effects with low doses
  actually result from suppressing brain activity
  that controls judgment and inhibitions.
• Like all drugs, makes it more likely for you to
  act on urges you feel when sober.
• Low doses decrease sympathetic nervous system
  activity and promote relaxation.
• High doses cause slow reactions, slurred speech,
  and decreased skill performance, as well as
  general CNS depression potentially leading to
  death.
• Disrupts the processing of recent experiences
  into long-term memories.

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Barbiturates
• drugs that depress the activity of the central
  nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing
  memory and judgment
• Includes drugs like Nembutal and Seconal that can
  be used to induce sleep or reduce anxiety.
• Can be deadly when combined with alcohol
• Alcohol and barbiturate potentiate each other or
  increase one anothers effects.

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Opiates
• opium and its derivatives (morphine and heroin)
• opiates depress neural activity, temporarily
  lessening pain and anxiety
• highly addictive
• When repeatedly flooded with an artificial opiate
  the brain stops producing its own opiates.

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Stimulants
• drugs that excite neural activity
• caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine and
  Ecstasy
• speed up body functions
• Use followed by a crash into fatigue, headaches,
  irritability and depression.

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Amphetamines
• drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing
  speeded-up body functions and associated energy
  and mood changes
• speed

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Warning Smoking will Kill You (from
thetruth.com)

• About 1 out of every 5 deaths in the US can be
  attributed to tobacco products.
• 1 out of 3 smokers are estimated to eventually
  die from a tobacco-related disease.
• Over 50,000 people a year die from secondhand
  smoke in the US alone.
• Tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, drugs,
  homicides, fires, and auto accidents combined.
• In 1990, 72 million bottles of a popular mineral
  water were voluntarily recalled because of small
  traces of benzene. The smoke from one pack of
  unfiltered cigarettes has as much benzene as 169
  bottles of the contaminated water.
• Cigarette smoke contains 69 chemical compounds
  that are known cause cancer.
• In 1989, millions of cases of imported fruit
  were banned after a small amount of cyanide was
  found in just two grapes. There's thirty-three
  times more cyanide in a single cigarette than was
  found in those two grapes.

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Smoking Resources

• Smoking Facts http//www.thetruth.com
• Quitting smoking http//my.webmd.com/medical_info
  rmation/condition_centers/smoking_cessation/defaul
  t.htm

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Cocaine
• Causes a rush of euphoria lasting 15 to 30
  minutes and followed by a crash.
• effects depend on dosage, form, expectations,
  personality and situation
• coca leaves chewing causes small amounts to
  slowly enter the bloodstream.
• Powder - sniffed
• Crack most potent form injected or smoked.
• Causes a faster, more intense high and more
  intense crash.

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Cocaine Euphoria and Crash
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Psychoactive Drugs

• Ecstasy
• MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
• stimulant and mild hallucinogen
• dangerous short term effects
• Dehydration, overheating, high blood pressure and
  death.
• Dangerous long-term effects
• Damage to serotonin-producing neurons leading to
  reduced serotonin and increased risk for
  depression.
• Interferes with circadian rhythms
• Disrupts immune system functioning

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Psychoactive Drugs

• Hallucinogens
• psychedelic (mind-manifesting) drugs that distort
  perceptions and evoke sensory images in the
  absence of sensory input
• LSD

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Psychoactive Drugs

• LSD
• lysergic acid diethylamide
• a powerful hallucinogenic drug
• also known as acid
• THC
• the major active ingredient in marijuana
• triggers a variety of effects, including mild
  hallucinations

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Near-Death Experiences

• Near-Death Experience
• an altered state of consciousness reported after
  a close brush with death
• often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

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Psychoactive Drugs
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Trends in Drug Use
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Perceived Marijuana Risk