...Drugs are any substance that has mind altering effects on the human brain. Such as Marijuana, Beer, Hard Liquor, Cocaine, and even Morphine. Drugs, in the medical level, can be used for a multitude of reasons. A notable example is wild Marijuana and THC. People who have developed cancer, such as my mother, can use the chemical THC, usually in a pill form prescribed to them, to increase their appetite because Chemo therapy, which she is going through, is good for allowing to eat. Drugs effect people’s brains and can change the chemical makeup of the body and mind. These are synthetic adrenaline, body numbing, high releases of dopamine, and other effects. Addiction is when the brain and or body want more things that are satisfying. The body...
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...Darnae Johnson We often hear of absurd crimes that take place and wonder how individuals can draw themselves to doing such psychotic crimes. It is important to analyze the negative effects of illegal drugs and how it predisposes it’s users to criminal behavior. Drug users are seen to be associated with violence and illegal activity. The use of illegal drugs can cause individuals to hallucinate and engage in criminal offenses that they would not have committed in a normal state of mind. (1) There is a correlation between drug usage and criminal behavior, predisposing individuals to commit social acts of crime due to the biological altercations that the drugs have on one’s brain. Abusing illegal drugs can definitely turn a normal individual into a criminal by socially impairing them and causing them to commit acts of crime that they would not have committed if they were sober. A study conducted by the US Department of Justice showed that 1 in 4 criminal offenders were on drugs when they committed their...
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...Colegio Americano Del Noreste Drugs Miss: Nancy Mario Fabrizio Curzio Aguirre Grade: 9° Group: “A” December 3, 2013 How do the drugs affect the brain? When drugs get into the bloodstream they are carried to all parts of the body and some reach the brain. The quicker the drug reaches the brain, the more intense the effects. The quickest way to get a drug into the brain - and also the most dangerous way of using any drug - is to inject it intravenously, or into the vein. Almost as quick is smoking a drug. followed by sniffing or snorting and then by mouth. Eating or drinking a drug is the slowest route, because the drug has to pass through the stomach first. Once in the brain drugs affect chemicals called neurotransmitters. These are the chemicals that control the flow of information within the brain between the neurons or brain cells, forming a synapse. Neurotransmitters also alter people's moods and feelings. Different drugs can affect different neurotransmitters. How do the drugs affect the heart? Once drugs are taken and enter the bloodstream the heart pumps blood containing the drug to the brain where it will affect how people feel. Drugs can also have an affect on the heart directly and exacerbate heart disease. Heavy drinking of alcohol, for example, can weaken the heart's ability to pump blood and lead to heart failure although some studies have suggested that moderate consumption may be better for the heart than not drinking alcohol at all. Taking...
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...Motivation and the Brain Motivation and the Brain Scientists and psychologists alike have been exploring the relationship between addiction and the brain for decades. The motivations behind the core root causes of addiction and how it affects the brain have been speculated over and theorized about. Refraining from drugs can be very difficult for a person to do when they are an addict. Drugs have a way of taking over a person’s life and destroying all of their relationships around them. People start using drugs for different reasons. Some people start using drugs for fun, some use to mask the feelings they are feeling, and some use for pain. This paper is going to discuss the brain structure and functions, the impact of intrinsic factors, and the extrinsic factors, which will include hereditary and the environment. Brain Structure and Functions The brain is the most delicate organ of the body. Drugs release dopamine to the brain. “Dopamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter formed in the brain from the amino acid tyrosine. Dopamine is essential for the healthy functioning of the central nervous system; it has effects on emotion, perception and movement.”(Purse, 2009) This gives a person a feeling of pleasure. The brain makes less dopamine when people continue to use drugs. With this, when people stop using drugs the dopamine is low and your brain has a hard time with pleasure. The ways that drugs motivate the brain are two-fold, chemical and psychological. There...
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...showed that meth helped people with narcolepsy to stay awake. With this drug their sleeping episodes decreased as well as other common affect that people with narcolepsy get, such as hypnologic hallucinations. This might let people to believe that methamphetamine is put to a good use, but reality is that it can damage so much more. ( Merrill M. Miller, Roza Hajdukovic, and Milton K. Erman, 1993) People that use methamphetamine for a long time look older than they really are. Methamphetamine causes the skin to lose elasticity and make the skin sag. Acne and blisters are signs of the abuse of the drug. The blood flow in the body is damaged and can no longer flow evenly around the body. This drug also damages the body’s capacity to fix itself and meth users can develop a disorder called formication. Formication is a constant picking at the skin because of the feeling or hallucination of insects on the body. This drug is used at times to lose weight and seem more attractive but in the process it makes the user less attractive. Hygiene is not an important issue in meth users. Meth users have mouth problems and most users have bad looking teeth. This all happens because of methamphetamine and this is a path that many people chose to take. There are so many other factors that involve this drug and how it affects the brain. (Frontline, 2006) Dopamine is a tremendously important part in how the brain works. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps with the movement of the...
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...two goes hand in hand. “Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.1). Addiction can be several things, two well-known addictions are drinking and doing drug. When addiction starts to change the brain it leads to long terms affects which is usually abuse. Adolescents can and will go a little further with abuse by adding things like pill popping and smoking. “Many adolescents who abuse drugs have a history of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse or other trauma” (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014, p.2). Abuse begins when adolescents start to do things like steal and lie to friends and family members to get what it is they want. How does abuse or addiction affect the developing brain of an adolescent? Drug abuse can cause serious progressive problems within the adolescent brain.”Memory loss, ability to concentrate, motor skills and coping skills are all affected by drug and alcohol abuse. Adolescents tend to make decisions that are irrational when under influence of drugs and alcohol, they may think they are making the right decisions but they are actually they are doing more harm to themselves then they realized. For adolescents, this can be even more significant as the brain is still developing and changing and any damage to sensitive nerves or brain matter can be permanent” (Alcohol rehab, 2015,p.1). Adolescents when...
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...How Drugs and Alcohol Affect the Mind and Body Drug and alcohol abuse can have very devastating effects on the user. It can affect you mentally and physically, and if continued can even lead to death. I’m here to explain all the ways that drugs and alcohol affect you. Many people believe that since prescription pills and alcohol are “legal†that their safe. That would be nice, if only it were true. First, I’m going to tell you how alcohol affects the mind. It all depends on three things, how much does that person consume, how often that person consumes it, and how long have they been drinking. Some of the short-term effects of drinking are: Slurred speech, and slowed reaction times. The long-term effects are: Permanent brain damage, and a life-threatening brain disorder called hepatic encephalopathy. This disorder can cause changes in sleep patterns, mood and personality, have psychiatric implications like developing anxiety and depression , severe cognitive effects like shortened attention span and problems with coordination like shaking hands. Next, I’ll talk about how alcohol affects the body. One of the big effects that almost everybody knows is liver damage. But what most people don’t know is that prolonged liver dysfunction as a result of chronic alcohol abuse can harm the brain and leads to the potentially life-threatening brain disorder that I was talking about in the last paragraph. It can also cause heart problems, pancreas, and can cause...
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...Motivation and the Brain | AbstractIn this paper I will talking about how a person can refrain using drugs. And how drugs can affect the human brain structures and the functions. Jennifer Shumate PSY 355 | Motivation and the Brain | AbstractIn this paper I will talking about how a person can refrain using drugs. And how drugs can affect the human brain structures and the functions. Jennifer Shumate PSY 355 | Motivation and the Brain Jennifer Shumate PSY/355 June 22, 2015 Christopher Crimson Motivation and the Brain Introduction When I comes to refraining from using illegal drugs, smoking and or alcohol it can be a hard task for anyone. But motivation is the key to get things done. Even if it is refraining from using illegal drugs or remaining in treatment to stay off the illegal drugs. Motivation is what is required to complete the basic tasks to be able to keep the body strong and from any kind of destruction. However this also consist of the brain. Though out my paper, we will being viewing the brain assemblies and the purposes that is affected when someone is using drugs. We will also be looking at the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that can help a person refrain from drug use, and we will also be looking at the genetic and environmental issues that it take to be able to get treatment. Brain structures and Functions Neuroscience and...
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... Teenage Drug Abuse There are many illnesses that can take over a child’s life and even cause death. Drug abuse is at the top of that list. Teenage drug abuse is a common problem in today’s society and has increased over the last fifty years but, what most do not realize is that an increase in drug abuse leads to addiction and that addiction leads to an incurable disease. Many people do not understand how or why anyone could become addicted to drugs, especially teens. Studies have pointed out “having fun” as a teens number one reason for using drugs, but recent studies show that teens are now using drugs to problem solve or to hide feelings. The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that “by 8th grade, 52% of adolescents have consumed alcohol, 42% percent have smoked cigarettes, and 20% have used marijuana”, (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2012). The top five reasons teens abuse drugs are: stress, social acceptance or low self esteem, self medication, to rebel, and to experiment. The problem is that drugs do not care what the reason is for using them, and effects on the body and brain are the same whether teens are using to deal with a problem or using to have fun. The truth of matter is that the earlier teens starts to use, the greater the risk of becoming addicted. Dr. Manny Alvarez wrote an article on teen drug abuse becoming an epidemic. He addresses how easy it is to get a hold of prescription drugs at any age (Alvarez, 2012). Teens are looting drugs from their...
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...Drug addiction is most often defined as a chronically relapsing disorder in which the addict experiences uncontrollable compulsion to take drugs, while simultaneously the repertoire of behaviors not related to drug seeking, taking, and recovery, declines dramatically."(1) Recent scientific research has shown significant causal relationships between drug addiction and genetic predisposition as well as between addiction and environmental factors. Both genetics and the environment influence the brain, which in turn effects the behavior of usage. Once an individual begins using psychotropic substances, such as cocaine or heroin, measurable changes in brain chemistry and physiology perpetuate the cycle of addiction. Thus, we have an example of brain affecting behavior, which in turn, affects the brain. This cycle is particularly extreme and insular in the situation of drug addiction where free will and decision making are quickly and severely impaired. In this paper, we will first explore the genetic and environmental theories on drug addiction. We will then investigate how the behavior of drug addiction changes the brain to perpetuate the circle of cause and effect between the brain and behavior. Genetic Influences on the Behavior of Drug Addiction: Addiction does not result from a single gene. However, multiple genetic trends have been identified as crucial contributors to the illness of addiction. Alcoholics and cocaine addicts often express the A1 allele of the dopamine receptor...
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...Drug Profile Drug Profile * * Addiction is an escape of experiencing control it is an illusion and a mood altering experience. A pathological relationship with life-threatening or negative consequences, it is the experience that is addicting. People can become addicted to anything that alters our mood or consciousness. Addiction can be about self-harm and when done repeatedly it will stop or ease emotional pain that a person may be going through. An individual’s addiction can show an increased psychological and physiological dependence on the substance, and the person will cannot live a normal life. A drug addicted person will become unable to cope without the drug they are addicted too. Addiction can lead to antisocial behavior, violence; crime of all sorts, even murder to get what they want. Giving up drug addiction takes strength, mind strength mostly because the mind is responsible for the addiction. It is the beginning of addiction and the end of addiction. The mind and the body crave pleasure and stimulate neurotransmitters in the brain and the addiction finds pleasure in the drugs and the sensation itself. Any withdrawals from the drug will bring about depression, irritability, suicidal thoughts, restlessness, and anxiety. Addiction is mind control and can be overcome if the person wants, learning about his or her condition will give insight and understanding as why he or she may be addicted. There are three categories that certain drugs can share and have...
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...Effects of Drug Abuse Imagine you were so dependent on something that if it were ever taken away from you, you would feel like you couldn't live anymore. This is what having a drug addiction is like. Drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the drug addict and those around them. Although it is true that for most people the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary, over time the changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse could affect a person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, and at the same time create an intense impulse to take drugs. However what people don't realize is the effects this can have on not only their own life, but on those around them as well. Addiction affects the individual, physical and mental health. It affects the individual financially and economically. Most importantly, drug addiction affects the people the addict cares about most. According to the gateway foundation, more deaths, illnesses and disabilities stem from substance abuse than from any other preventable health condition. Today, one in four deaths is attributable to illicit drug use. Drugs hijack the “reward” system of the brain. This can cause unusually large amounts of dopamine to flood the system. This flood of dopamine is what causes the “high” associated with drug abuse. The problem with this however, is that when one is sober their emotions and brain interactions do not function...
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...other reasons while play a role in the addiction (Lewis, 2014). The client uses blame for using, like another person caused them to do self-medicate. Therapist may use behavior therapy, or use coping mechanisms to encourage a total recovery (Lewis, 2014). The psychological model suggests that the addiction is an individual program (Lewis, 2014). Within the Psychological model, drugs, like heroin, work to mimic the brains own chemicals because they activate neurons, which do not active neurons in the same way as they normal would, this leads to abnormal messages that are transmitted in your brain (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2014) Drugs, for example, Cocaine, can release neurotransmitters that prevent...
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...Self-Inflicted Destruction? Drug addiction is a large problem in today’s society. There’s an ongoing debate on whether drug addiction is a choice or if it is truly a disease. Addiction is a sickness because it is common among people who suffer from mental illness, it is an actual brain disease due to the lack of dopamine in certain individuals and, it is damaging the body without the abuser even knowing. however, most people believe it is a choice because the first time somebody agrees to just try it once they are hooked for life. People who suffer from drug addictions brains are severely affected. Drug “ addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use” (Is...
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...Compare and Contrast how Cocaine, Ecstasy, Heroin and Cannabis Work in the Brain Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and cannabis, are of natural or synthetic origin, which can alter the emotional state, perception, body functioning and behaviour of an individual. Drugs are known to work in the brain by activating certain brain circuits via different mechanisms, and stimulate or inhibit different neurons in the pathway. However, due to the effects of each drug being different, a drug will affect either different pathways and neurons in the brain to that of another, or through a different process, i.e. direct or indirect activity. This essay will discuss the different mechanisms of action that cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and cannabis have in the brain, in terms of their similarities and dissimilarities. Recent studies are also discussed in relation to such theories, with findings of research having been derived from both humans and animals. Ecstasy and cocaine are psychostimulants that temporarily increase alertness and awareness. They both act as ‘indirect agonists’, which increase neurotransmitter binding to receptors in the synapse. By binding to the transporters that normally remove the excess of these neurotransmitters from the synaptic gap, ecstasy and cocaine prevent them from being reabsorbed by the neurons that released them, and therefore increase their concentration in the synapses. Changes in the activity of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline neurotransmitters...
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