A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where

it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally to purposefully alter one's consciousness (such as coffee, alcohol or cannabis), as entheogens for spiritual purposes (such as the mescaline-containing peyote cactus or psilocybin-containing mushrooms), and also as medication (such as the use of narcotics in controlling pain, stimulants to treat narcolepsy and attention disorders, as well as anti-depressants and anti-psychotics for treating neurological and psychiatric illnesses). Many of these substances (especially the stimulants and depressants) can be habit-forming, causing chemical dependency and may lead to substance abuse. onversely, others (namely the psychedelics) can, in certain circumstances, help to treat and even cure such addictions. (http!""www.sciencedaily.com"articles"p"psychoactive#drug.htm) Psychoactive drugs $sychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the brain functioning, causing changes in behavior, mood and consciousness. %hile these drugs can be used therapeutically to treat both physical and psychological disorders, they are also used recreationally to alter mood, perceptions and consciousness. Depressants &epressants are drugs that inhibit the function of the central nervous system and are among the most widely used drugs in the world. &rugs that are classed as depressants include alcohol, barbiturates and ben'odia'epines. Stimulants (timulants are a class of psychoactive drug that tend to increase activity in the brain. These drugs can temporarily elevate alertness, mood and awareness. %hile some stimulant drugs are legal and widely used, all can be addicting. &rugs that are classed as stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and some prescription drugs. Psychedelic drugs $sychedelic drugs, or hallucinogens, are psychoactive drugs that affect thin)ing, alter moods and distort perceptions. &rugs that are classed as psychedelics include mari*uana, +(&, psilocybin (derived from a type of mushroom) and mescaline (found in the peyote cactus). (http!""psychology.about.com"od"psychoactivedrugs"tp"psychoactive-drugs.htm) Psychoactive Drugs: The Classes, Uses and Effects of these Drugs There are five main classes of psychoactive drugs, that is, drugs that affect the neurological communication within the body, and especially within the brain. Today, we use some of these drugs to treat a number of devastating and harmful conditions. ,owever, these drugs, as well as many others used for illegal recreational purposes or for medical purposes can have a distressing affect on the body, the brain, and behavior. -or this reason, it is e.tremely important that both users and those who prescribe of these drugs are aware of every facet of them/ of every class, every use, every reaction, and every conse0uence. The first of the psychoactive drugs to be discussed is a class of drugs called CNS Depressants or Central Nervous System Depressants. As you may )now, the central nervous system is composed of the brain, spinal cord, and all the neurons that communicate between them and other parts of the body. As such, 1( &epressants wor) in the brain to inhibit neurological activity. Ta)e, for e.ample, alcohol, which is a depressant. &rin)ing a small amount leads us to feel rela.ed, carefree/ it relieves the stress of the day. &rin) a little more and you're feeling social, you can spea) easier, you might act in ways that you'd never dare to without 2a drin).2 3n essence, your inhibitions have gone out the window. &rin) more still and you begin to feel drowsy, tired, groggy. (ome people merely fall asleep here, others foolishly try to get home (and hopefully do that through a sober friend

or cabbie). At this point the vision is blurred, you feel almost numb, inhibitions are gone, but you're really too 2out of it2 to act. 3f you drin) beyond this point, there can be serious conse0uences. (ince we're dealing with a drug that effects the entral 1ervous (ystem respiratory failure can result from e.cessive inta)e. Anesthia, coma, and death from respiratory failure are all conse0uences of over consumption of alcohol, or any other 1( depressant.4 (5oenigshofer, 6778). 1e.t time you're loo)ing for a night out remember that alcohol is a drug and a very serious one at that. 9ther drugs in the 1( &epressant category include drugs that have an 2alcohol-li)e2 effect on the body, such as barbiturates. (5oenigshofer, 6778). 9f course, it is also good to )now that drugs do affect people differently. As you may have noticed, some people drin) one beer and are hammered, while others can drin) all night and still wal) a straight line. %hile this doesn't mean the latter is safe to drive, or do anything else for that matter, it does mean that drugs affect the body based on a number of different factors. Three of these factors are the amount of the drug ta)en and the body weight and age of the person consuming them. A doctor, for e.ample, wouldn't prescribe a child the same dose of medication as an adult. This all deals with to.icology, and 3 won't get into that right now. ,owever, what is important at this point is to reali'e the impact of drugs of any sort on the body. %hile the effects of the drug may vary from person to person, the way the drug wor)s on the body is the same and is thus *ust as dangerous from one person to the ne.t. 5eeping that in mind, we move to the second of the five classes of psychoactive drugs. This class is comprised of ehavioral Stimulants. These drugs rival 1( &epressants in that, unli)e depressants that depress neural activity, these stimulate it. 3nnocently, we use caffeine and cigarettes (more specifically the nicotine in cigarettes) as a stimulant, but this class also includes such drugs as cocaine, ecstasy, and amphetamines. (5oenigshofer, 6778). :very one of these substances serve to stimulate activity within the brain, thus stimulating the body. %hy else would a strong cup of coffee in the morning 2get you going;2 ,owever, it is also this feeling and the stimulation of pleasure circuits within the brain, that cause <ehavioral (timulants to be highly addictive. These drugs cause 2...changes in brain chemistry that produces a powerful need for the drug.2 (5oenigshofer, 6778). =nfortunately, the effects of ta)ing these sorts of psychoactive drugs has a number of serious side effects. %hile in small doses amphetamines and cocaine may be ta)en without serious health effects (that is not to say there are not other serious social conse0uences), but in high doses these drugs can cause heart attac)s, sei'ures, even symptoms of schi'ophrenia. (5oenigshofer, 6778). <ecause these drugs are highly addictive and cause users to 2need2 more and more, they can be deadly. <ehavioral (timulants are by far some of the most dangerous psychoactive drugs out there for this reason, if not for any other. 3t is important to note, however, that alcohol in its ready availability and social connection does rival <ehavioral (timulants which are much harder to get (in their illegal drug form) and more commonly loo)ed down upon than alcohol. The third class is one that is commonly used within the medical world, and is referred to as !piates. 9piates include such medicinal drugs as morphine and codeine, which as you may )now, are pain )illers. 3n hospitals around the world morphine and codeine are used as a means of suppressing pain in seriously in*ured or surgical patients. ,owever, 9piates also produce a very pleasurable effect within the body by triggering pleasure circuits in the brain. This effect can in turn lead to drug addiction. 3t's important that doctors )now the signs of 2pain-)iller2 addictions so as to cut the problem as soon as possible. :.cessive inta)e of opiates cause breathing centers in the medulla to depress thus causing you to stop breathing. (5oenigshofer, 6778). Any of the drugs in this category can have this effect, including those manufactured varieties including ,eroin, &emerol, and Methadone. All are e.tremely addicting and e.tremely dangerous. Medicinal uses of morphine and codeine should be limited and strictly monitored, while the manufactured varieties often used as 2recreational2 drugs should be )ept off the street. 3ts addictive properties ma)e it hard to drop, even if you feel you really need to.

$sychoactive drugs, li)e the three previously mentioned classes cause your body to adapt to drug consumption. -or e.ample, your body gets used to you drin)ing in e.cess (often and in large 0uantities) and then you suddenly stop, your brain was being suppressed all that time and now you're leaving it on its own. >ou feel a desire for alcohol, a need. 3f you don't give into it, your body goes into a state of withdrawal in which all the effects of the drug are reversed. 3n the case of alcohol, which depressed neurological activity, your brain becomes stimulated, highly stimulated. ?emember the effects of <ehavioral (timulants that stimulate the neurons within the brain; The effects of 1( &epressant withdrawal are similar. %ithdrawal of this produces sei'ures, sleeplessness, and irritability, among other things. (5oenigshofer, 6778). These same principles go for the other addictive psychoactive drugs as well, and is one more reason why they are so dangerous. 3t also gives you a loo) into why rehabilitation centers are so important when trying to recover from psychoactive drug addiction. Medical help is often necessary and a good idea to ease and monitor the withdrawal symptoms e.perienced by the body. These first three categories are also all in line to produce what is called 2drug tolerance.2 &rug tolerance is when your body, as previously touched upon, gets used to the drug and adapts to it. -or one thing, the liver becomes an e.pert at getting rid of the to.ins over time as you continue to ingest it/ and secondly, the neurons affected by the drug change in a manner that compensates for the drug's effects. (5oenigshofer, 6778). &rug tolerance causes a user to have to ta)e more and more of a specific drug in order to produce the )inds of effects that were produce upon first ingesting. ompensating this tolerance with higher dosages can put users at high ris) for liver failure, if respiratory failure doesn't come first. As you may have guessed, the first three classes of drugs are by far the most dangerous. They inhibit or stimulate behavior and brain function in a manner that causes addiction and adverse health affects. :ven such seemingly harmless substances as caffeine can produce adverse effects and have an additive effect on users. "nti#Psychotic Drugs ma)e up the fourth class of psychoactive drugs. +i)e the 9piates, these drugs serve very specific medical purposes, and are used by psychiatrists and other behavioral and mental health professionals to treat mental disorders such as <ipolar disorder, depression, and schi'ophrenia. These drugs wor) by inhibiting the reupta)e of neurological signals, or inhibiting dopamine within the brain. (5oenigshofer, 6778). (ince these drugs are strictly used as medicinal help for mental health issues, they are the safest of the psychoactive drugs. They produce no pleasurable or addicting 0ualities (5oenigshofer, 6778), and indeed are often hard to get a patient to ta)e. +astly, we come to $allucinogens which, as the name suggests, is classified by the effects it produces. ,allucinogens are )nown for their alteration of perception, thought, and emotion. (5oenigshofer, 6778). %hile they aren't particularly 2addicting,2 they do produce effects that users seem to come bac) to time and time again to escape reality and life. The most popular of ,allucinogens is mari*uana. 9ther ,allucinogens include $ $ and + &, among others. The effects of ,allucinogens on the brain have been )nown to cause damage, both permanent and temporary, to the user. 9verdosing on drugs li)e mari*uana isn't common, in fact it's nearly unheard of/ however, drugs such as inhalants can inhibit o.ygen inta)e and in essence, )ill the brain. Additionally, these drugs commonly have severe effects on the lives, careers, and relationships of the users, if nothing else. All drugs can be deemed dangerous. They are, after all, changing natural body and brain functions in one way or another. 3t is important to remember that fact. (uch everyday substances as alcohol and caffeine need to be treated with a little more respect and education. %hile there is no need to ma)e out caffeine to be a horrible substance, it is important to )now its effects. :ven e.cessive caffeine can adversely affect the user. :ven still, some of these psychoactive drugs have improved the lives of their user. (uch drugs in the class of Anti-$sychotic drugs can be credited for their help in the medical community without the ris)s of addiction involved with other medicines. ,owever, it is

important that the effects of all drugs, and social habits of users, be )ept in mind when dealing with legislation, prescriptions, and hospital use. 3t is also important to )eep these things in mind when considering use of them. 4The 1( &epressant <en'odia'epines does not cause respiratory failure li)e it's counterparts. (5oenigshofer, 6778). 1( &epressant

5oenigshofer, 5. $h.&. (677@). <iological -oundations of Mind and <ehavior. (http!""voices.yahoo.com"psychoactive-drugs-classes-uses-effects-of-AA7B87.html;catC@D)