Getting Started: A Primer on Stimulants and Depressants

What are Stimulants?

Stimulants are drugs that “stimulate” or wake-up the nervous system and can lead to increased energy, blood pressure, heart rate and positive mood. Stimulants are often used by college students who need to stay up late to study, truck drivers on long hauls, and athletes competing in high-intensity sports.

Types of Stimulants

There are various types of stimulants such as, coffee and caffeine beverages, nicotine products like cigarettes and snuff. Prescription drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta. Cocaine and Crystal Meth are illegal stimulants.

What are Depressants?

Depressants are drugs that calm down the activity of the central nervous system. These drugs can make a person feel relaxed or more sedated. Depressants can promote sleep and cause unconsciousness in larger doses. Depressants are often used to treat stress-related ailments like neck and back pain.

Types of Depressants

The most popular depressant is alcohol. Others are GHB, barbiturates, Benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax, Heroin, and other opioids.

How Do Drugs Work in the Brain?

Drugs trigger chemical messengers in the brain, known as neurotransmitters. These messengers are involved in emotion, mood, behavior and thinking. The specific actions of drugs may depend on the drug’s chemical properties and effects on these specific messaging systems. For instance, cocaine blocks the reuptake of neurotransmitters like dopamine in the brain, thereby increasing these Brain messengers in concentration and continuity to illicit favorable outcomes such as pleasure, sociableness, and job excellence.

Why Do People Use Drugs?

The reasons that people use drugs can vary, and include; relief from stress, unhappiness or pain; increased energy and alertness; curiosity and exploration with a group; self-emulation and competition, Sociableness; unique religious or shamanic place in societies,

Should I Take Drugs?

The decision to take drugs is ultimately a personal one. It is important that one examines the potential risks and dangers involved in drug use and weigh them against the perceived rewards. It is essential to be mindful that copenhagen does not always equate to immune exploitation of the human brain, thus dosage, age differences, healthy testing, and Government/WHO recognized guidelines are called for.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, drugs interact with the brain’s internal messaging systems leading to significant alterations in an individual’s physical states. Studying and fully researching available psychoactive substances will always produce integral knowledge into the associated reward and risks and beckon reasonable caution or complete abstinence.