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Drug Profiles

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Drug Profile Paper
Lainie Goodell
PSY/425
September 27, 2010
Dr. Maria Cuddy-Casey

Drug Profile Paper Addiction is an illness that usually progresses over time. Addiction is something that the body and the mind become used to and therefore all control is lost. Most addictions are caused from substances that are used to alter the mind and body. The psychology of addiction is the mind and physiology is the brain. Both the mind and the body can become addicted to substances and have altering, often painful, effects on the body if there is withdrawal. Even some substances, though legal, such as prescriptions are often abused the most. The following will address the different types of substances, including prescription drugs, their effects and withdrawal symptoms.
Psychology and Physiology of Addiction “The brain is greatly affected by the disease of addiction. It's the kind of addiction that targets the brain” (Powers, 2010, para.3). The body brain becomes addicted to the substance when it is taken on a regular basis. When the brain is affected it caused a person to lose all sense of what is right and willpower is no longer relative. The person who becomes addicted now has to have the drug simply to keep their body from failing them; almost like the person needs the drug to stay alive.
Specific Drug Substances Every drug has a category to which it belongs. Stimulants increase the activity in the brain. Depressants are exactly like their namesake and lead to such symptoms as drowsiness. Narcotics are all of the above. They have symptoms of stimulants which can also act like depressant sometimes. Hallucinogens are drugs that affect the central nervous system and act also as their namesake which produce a hallucination. Cannabis is simply marijuana.
Stimulants
As described above stimulants are a drug that increases activity in the brain. Many of these drugs temporarily elevate alertness, mood, and awareness (Cherry, 2010). Many of these drugs are considered legal such as caffeine and nicotine. Other drugs in this category, such as cocaine are illegal and considered dangerous. However, all are considered addictive. Caffeine is the most widely used drug because it is in almost all soft drinks, coffee, and tea. Nicotine is another drug that is very popular and considered highly addictive because it is in cigarettes. However, nicotine is much more harmful that caffeine and has been proven to cause some cancers. “Nicotine is considered one of the three most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world, despite the fact that there are few (if any) medical uses for the drug” (Cherry, 2010, para. 2). Amphetamines are also a form of stimulant and are often used as diet drugs because they tend to curb the appetite.
Depressants
Depressants are also a very common drug that is widely used among people. In the depressant category is alcohol, which is a very common and very widely used drug because it is easily accessible and acceptable. Depressants cause drowsiness and is considered one of the most widely used drugs in the world (Cherry, 2010), “Alcohol, also known as ethyl alcohol, is the second most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world (caffeine is number one). While alcohol is a legal drug, it also has a high potential for abuse” (Cherry, 2010, para. 2).
Narcotics
Narcotics are often called the happy drug because they give some people the feeling of happiness. However, narcotics can also give the feelings of drowsiness while making a person’s blood pressure go up. Many narcotics are in the form of pain medication and can easily be addictive. “Narcotics like morphine, heroin, codeine, opium, hydrocodone, oxycodone, meperidine, and methadone bind to certain painkilling sites in the brain” (Health Communities, 2010, para. 1).
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are psychoactive drugs that work by disrupting the neurotransmitters in the brain and send mixed misfired messages (Wisegeek, 2010). In other words, the brain sends mixed messages and makes a person believes they are experiencing something different than is actually real life; for example someone might see spiders on the wall when there is actually nothing there. “Today, hallucinogens are most commonly used for recreational purposes, although the religious use of certain hallucinogens such as peyote is protected by law” (Wisegeek, 2010, para. 5).
Cannabis
Cannabis is simply marijuana. Most people are very familiar with marijuana either personally or from afar. “Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit mind-altering drug in the world. It is classed as a minor hallucinogen with depressant qualities. When smoked or eaten, it has mild mind-expanding, painkilling, and intoxicating effects” (The Good Drugs Guide, 2010, para. 1).
Addiction Potential All of the aforementioned drugs have addiction potential because they are mind altering. Quite often these drugs can make a person feel euphoric and can make him or her feel invincible; therefore he or she does not want that feeling to end, so they try and try to get that same feeling. When a person becomes addicted many drugs can often give a feeling a pain or a hallucinogenic feeling when going through withdrawal.
Prescription Drugs Some prescriptions drugs can be highly addictive. One reason they are highly addictive is because they are so easily accessible. Many teenagers have a tendency to steal from their parents and share the drugs among their friends. These drugs are often abused because they are considered legal. Many people think that since they are legal drugs that it might be okay to take more than the prescribed dosage; and many think that since they are legal they are not as harmful as illegal or illicit drugs. Therefore, people will tend to take more than the required dosage and also deny being addicted because they are legal and a doctor prescribed them, so it must be acceptable.
Conclusion
Most all drugs can be harmful if taken incorrectly. Many drugs can also be helpful to some people with illnesses. However, the person needs to take the required dosage and learn when excess can lead to harmful effects. Prescription drugs can be just as harmful as illicit or street drugs if taken incorrectly or abused. The body and mind become addicted to the substances and have painful and often hallucinogenic withdrawal symptoms.

References
Cherry, K. (2010). Depressants. What are depressants. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychoactivedrugs/a/depressants.htm
Cherry, K., (2010). Stimulants. What are stimulants? Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychoactivedrugs/a/stimulants.htm
Health Communities (2010). Narcotic abuse overview, risk factors for narcotic abuse. Retrieved
September 28, 2010 from http://www.mentalhealthchannel.net/narcotic/index.shtml
Powers, J. (2010). Physiology of Addiction. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.alltreatment.com/science-of-addiction/rehab-interviews-physiology-of- addiction The Good Drugs Guide, (2010). Cannabis Basics. Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/cannabis/basics.htm
Wisegeek, (2010). What are hallucinogens? Retrieved September 27, 2010 from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-hallucinogens.htm

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