1. Consciousness Topic: Psychoactive Drugs
Objective: Provided notes & an activity, swbat chart names & effects of depressants, stimulants, & hallucinogenic drugs
Agenda:
-do now
-notes
-activity
Topic: Psychoactive Drugs

2. Consciousness: Psychoactive Drugs
Part one

3. Consciousness: Psychoactive Drugs
Chemical substances that modify mental, emotional or behavioral functioning
Continued use of a psychoactive drug produces tolerance; thus creating a situation in which greater quantities are needed to produce the desired effect
Leads to…?

4. Consciousness: Psychoactive Drugs
Physical Dependence
Condition occurring when a person’s body becomes unable to function normally without a particular substance
Psychological Dependence
The feeling that a drug is needed to continue a feeling of emotional or psychological well-being
Withdrawal
Physical symptoms that can include nausea, pain, tremors, crankiness & high blood pressure, resulting from the lack of an addictive substance

5. Depressants: Down in the Valley

6. Depressants: Down in the Valley
A class of drugs that decrease the functioning of the central nervous system

7. Depressants: Down in the Valley
Alcohol
The most commonly used & abused depressant
10 t0 20 million American suffer from alcoholism
Impact of Alcoholism
Health risks (liver, heart, brain, etc.)
Loss of work time, loss of job, loss of economic stability
MANY, MANY, MANY RISKS…

8. Depressants: Down in the Valley
Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Range from…
Binge drinking + drunkenness
Guilt associated with drinking
Drinking in the morning and/or drinking alone
Drinking to recover from drinking
Drinking enough to have blackouts or memory loss
Lying about drinking
Sensitivity to comments
What constitutes “a drink?” (see handout)

9. Depressants: Down in the Valley
Barbiturates/Major Tranquilizers
Drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment
Sedative effects
Range from mild sedation or sleepiness to unconsciousness or coma
Highly addictive; users rapidly develop a tolerance
Examples
Nembutal
Seconal

10. Depressants: Down in the Valley
Benzodiazepines/Minor Tranquilizers
Drugs that lower anxiety and reduce stress
Considered safer than Barbiturates; prescribed much more often
Examples
Valium
Xanax
Librium
Minor tranquilizers can STILL be very addictive & dangerous

11. Depressants: Down in the Valley
Opiates (Narcotics)
Opium and its derivatives (morphine and heroin); depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
Bind to & stimulate receptor sites for endorphins; when brain is repeatedly flooded with an artificial opiate, it eventually stops producing its own
Highly addictive & associated with severe withdrawal
Treatment options?
Methadone…

13. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away

14. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
A class of drugs that cause either the sympathetic division or the central nervous system (or both) to increase levels of functioning, at least temporarily
Excite neural activity & speed body functions
“Uppers”

15. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
Amphetamines
Stimulates neural activity, causing accelerated body functions, as well as energy & mood changes
Synthesized in laboratories
DO NOT provide extra energy; simply cause people to burn energy reserves; leads to an inevitable crash
Methamphetamine
Related compound; sometimes prescribed to treat ADHD, obesity and narcolepsy
DANGER: “Crystal Meth”

17. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
Cocaine
A natural drug that induces euphoria, energy, power & pleasure followed by a crash
Leads to agitated depression; the “high” depletes the brain’s supply of dopamine, serotonin & norepinephrine
Highly addictive
Three basic signs of physical dependency
Compulsive use
Loss of control
Disregard for consequences

18. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
Also known as Ecstasy
Stimulant (and mild hallucinogen)
Produces euphoric high
Can damage serotonin- producing neurons, which results in a permanent deflation of mood and impairment of memory
Known as the “Club Drug”

19. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
Caffeine
Naturally occurring in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa nuts & at least 60 other types of plants
Mild stimulant; increases heart and breathing rates
Found in coffee, tea, most sodas, chocolate & many over-the-counter drugs

21. Stimulants: Up, Up & Away
Nicotine
Relatively mild, though toxic stimulant; produces a slight “rush” or sense of arousal; raises blood pressure & accelerates heart rate; also stimulates the release of adrenalin
Nearly 438,000 Americans die from nicotine-related illnesses each year
According to the CDC (2002), that’s more people than those who die from accidents, alcohol, cocaine, heroin and other drug abuse, AIDS, suicide and homicide COMBINED
Rates of usage?
Addictive power?

22. Hallucinogens: Higher & Higher

23. Hallucinogens: Higher & Higher
A class of drugs that cause false sensory messages (hallucinations), altering the perception of reality
Example
In some cases sensations can cross over each other (e.g. colors have sound, sounds have smells, etc.)

24. Hallucinogens: Higher & Higher
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
A synthetic hallucinogen; extremely potent
Synthesized from a grain (rye) fungus called ergot
Takes people out of the real world & puts them into a world of the brain’s creation; NOT ALWAYS A PLEASANT PLACE!
Phencyclidine (PCP)
A synthetic drug so dangerous that it became useful only as an animal tranquilizer
***Depending on its dosage, can be a hallucinogen, stimulant, depressant or analgesic drug

25. Hallucinogens: Higher & Higher
Marijuana (Cannibas Sativa)
Mild hallucinogen derived from the leaves and flowers of a particular type of hemp plant
Best known and most commonly abused hallucinogen
Effects relatively mild compared to others
Mild euphoria and relaxation
Altered time sense
Mild visual distortions
Associated with high levels of psychological dependency & low (no) levels of physical dependency

26. Mouse Party