Drugs

  Hello everyone,

Welcome back to my blog my self parmod sharma and in this blog we will discuss about a very important topic.

What is Drugs and its importance?

In pharmacology, a drug is a chemical substance, typically of known structure, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. A pharmaceutical drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent, or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being.

What is drug abuse?

Clinically known as substance use disorder, drug abuse or addiction is caused by the habitual taking of addictive substances. Drugs include alcohol, marijuana, hallucinogens and opioids. Substance use disorder is a disease, causing people to compulsively use drugs despite consequences.

THE EFFECTS OF DRUG ABUSE ON HEALTH

Substance use disorders are associated with a wide range of short- and long-term health effects. They can vary depending on the type of drug, how much and how often it’s taken and the person’s general health. Overall, the effects of drug abuse and dependence can be far-reaching. They can impact almost every organ in the human body.

Side effects of drug addiction may include:

A weakened immune system, increasing the risk of illness and infection

Heart conditions ranging from abnormal heart rates to heart attacks and collapsed veins and blood vessel infections from injected drugs

Nausea and abdominal pain, which can also lead to changes in appetite and weight loss

Increased strain on the liver, which puts the person at risk of significant liver damage or liver failure

Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage

Lung disease

Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make daily living more difficult

Global effects of drugs on the body, such as breast development in men and increases in body temperature, which can lead to other health problems

The most severe health consequences of drug abuse is death. Deaths related to synthetic opioids and heroin have seen the sharpest rise. In the past 12 months, 212,000 people aged 12 or older have used heroin for the first time. Every day, more than 90 Americans die after overdosing on opioids.

EFFECTS OF DRUG ADDICTION ON THE BRAIN

All drugs–nicotine, cocaine, marijuana and others–affect the brain’s “reward” circuit, which is part of the limbic system. This area of the brain affects instinct and mood. Drugs target this system, which causes large amounts of dopamine—a brain chemical that helps regulate emotions and feelings of pleasure—to flood the brain. This flood of dopamine is what causes a “high.” It’s one of the main causes of drug addiction.

Although initial drug use may be voluntary, drugs can alter brain chemistry. This can actually change how the brain performs and interfere with a person’s ability to make choices. It can lead to intense cravings and compulsive drug use. Over time, this behavior can turn into a substance dependency or drug and alcohol addiction.

Alcohol can have short- and long-term effects on the brain and disrupts the brain’s communication pathways. These can influence mood, behavior and other cognitive function.

Brain damage may also occur through alcohol-induced nutrition deficiencies, alcohol-induced seizures and liver disease. In pregnant women, alcohol exposure can impact the brains of unborn babies, resulting in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

It is reported that alcohol-induced brain problems can often be corrected with proper treatment. Abstinence from alcohol for months or years can help partially repair thinking abilities, like memory skills.

Drugs

The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) ensures that safe and effective drugs are available to improve the health of the people in the United States

Types of drugs

Drugs can be grouped together in different ways — by the way they affect the body or by how or where they are used. Find out which drugs we are focused on reducing in Australia.

On this page

Drug categories

Common groups of drugs

Our priorities

Drug categories

Drugs can be categorised by the way in which they affect our bodies:

depressants — slow down the function of the central nervous system

hallucinogens — affect your senses and change the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things

stimulants — speed up the function of the central nervous system

Some drugs affect the body in many ways and can fall into more than one category. For example, cannabis appears in all 3 categories.

Depressants

Depressants slow down the messages between the brain and the body — they don’t necessarily make you feel depressed. The slower messages affect:

your concentration and coordination

your ability to respond to what’s happening around you

Small doses of depressants can make you feel relaxed, calm and less inhibited.

Larger doses can cause sleepiness, vomiting and nausea, unconsciousness and even death.

Examples include:

alcohol

benzodiazepines (minor tranquillisers such as Valium)

cannabis

GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate)

ketamine

opioids (heroin, morphine, codeine)

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens change your sense of reality — you can have hallucinations. Your senses are distorted and the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things is different. For example, you may see or hear things that are not really there, or you may have unusual thoughts or feelings.

Small doses can cause a feeling of floating, numbness, confusion, disorientation, or dizziness.

Larger doses may cause hallucinations, memory loss, distress, anxiety, increased heart rate, paranoia, panic and aggression.

Examples include:

cannabis

ketamine

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)

psilocybin (magic mushrooms)

PCP (phencyclidine)

Stimulants

Stimulants speed up the messages between the brain and the body. This can cause:

your heart to beat faster

your blood pressure to go up

your body temperature to go up — leading to heat exhaustion or even heat stroke

reduced appetite

agitation

sleeplessness

You can feel more awake, alert, confident or energetic.

Larger doses can cause anxiety, panic, seizures, stomach cramps and paranoia.

Examples include:

amphetamines (speed and ice)

caffeine

cocaine

ecstasy (MDMA — methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

nicotine (tobacco)

Common groups of drugs

Drugs can also be grouped by how or where they are commonly used.

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