ABUSED DRUGS
Drug abuse is a very common problem in
most countries so it seemed like a good topic for a list. This is a list of ten
of the most abused drugs and the effects they have on people.
10
Heroin
Heroin is an
opiate processed directly from the extracts of the opium poppy. It was originally
created to help cure people of addiction to morphine. Upon crossing the
blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into the
bloodstream, heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of
endorphins, creating a sense of well-being; the characteristic euphoria has
been described as an “orgasm” centered in the gut. One of the most common
methods of heroin use is via intravenous injection.
9
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane
alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is both a
stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, giving
rise to what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased
energy. It is most often used recreationally for this effect. Cocaine is a
potent central nervous system stimulant. Its effects can last from 20 minutes
to several hours, depending upon the dosage of cocaine taken, purity, and
method of administration. The initial signs of stimulation are hyperactivity,
restlessness, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate and euphoria. The
euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of discomfort and depression and a craving
to experience the drug again. Sexual interest and pleasure can be amplified.
Side effects can include twitching, paranoia, and impotence, which usually
increases with frequent usage.
One of the best treatment
for drug addiction is to consult with cocaine rehab centers for recovery.
8
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine,
popularly shortened to meth or ice, is a psychostimulant and sympathomimetic
drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading release of
norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Since it stimulates the mesolimbic
reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement, it is prone to abuse and
addiction. Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as
cleaning, hand-washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is
characterized by excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often
accompanied by anxiety and drug-craving.
7
Crack Cocaine
Crack cocaine,
often nicknamed “crack”, is believed to have been created and made popular
during the early 1980s . Because of the dangers for manufacturers of using
ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step of
removing the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically,
filtration processes are also omitted. Baking soda is now most often used as a
base rather than ammonia for reasons of lowered odor and toxicity; however, any
weak base can be used to make crack cocaine. When commonly “cooked” the ratio
is 1:1 to 2:3 parts cocaine/bicarbonate.
As I held the
smoke in for a ten count and exhaled, I thought I felt nothing except a little
excitement that was neither bad nor pleasurable. The complete rush some writers
have called a ‘whole-body orgasm’ hit me shortly after and I distinctly
remember demanding ‘more’ as soon as the realization of heaven-on-earth came.
Some people say that the effects of smoking crack lasts 10-15 minutes. For me,
it was just a shortest instant of gratification. Everything afterwards was just
a great increase in energy and confidence geared towards obtaining more of the
drug.
6
LSD
Lysergic acid
diethylamide, LSD, LSD-25, or acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the
tryptamine family. Arguably the most regarded of all psychedelics, it is
considered mainly as a recreational drug, an entheogen, and a tool in use to
supplement various types of exercises for transcendence including in
meditation, psychonautics, and illegal psychedelic psychotherapy whether self
administered or not. LSD’s psychological effects (colloquially called a “trip”)
vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous
experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength. They also
vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a single trip. An
LSD trip can have long term psychoemotional effects; some users cite the LSD
experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life
perspective. Widely different effects emerge based on what Leary called set and
setting; the “set” being the general mindset of the user, and the “setting”
being the physical and social environment in which the drug’s effects are
experienced.
5
Ecstasy
Ecstasy (MDMA) is
a semisynthetic psychedelic entactogen of the phenethylamine family that is
much less visual with more stimulant like effects than most all other common
“trip” producing psychedelics. It is considered mainly a recreational drug
that’s often used with sex and associated with club drugs, as an entheogen, and
a tool in use to supplement various types of practices for transcendence
including in meditation, psychonautics, and illicit psychedelic psychotherapy
whether self administered or not. The primary effects of MDMA include an
increased awareness of the senses, feelings of openness, euphoria, empathy,
love,happiness, heightened self-awareness, feeling of mental clarity and an increased
appreciation of music and movement. Tactile sensations are enhanced for some
users, making physical contact with others more pleasurable. Other side
effects, such as jaw clenching and elevated pulse, are common.
4
Opium
Opium is a
resinous narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating (or “scoring”)
the immature seed pods of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). It contains up to
16% morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically
to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. Opium has gradually been
superseded by a variety of purified, semi-synthetic, and synthetic opioids with
progressively stronger effect, and by other general anesthesia. This process
began in 1817, when Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner reported the isolation of
pure morphine from opium after at least thirteen years of research and a nearly
disastrous trial on himself and three boys.
3
Marijuana
Cannabis, known as
marijuana in its herbal form, is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis
sativa. Humans have been consuming cannabis since prehistory, although in the
20th century there was a rise in its use for recreational, religious or
spiritual, and medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of
the world’s adult population use cannabis annually. It has psychoactive and
physiological effects when consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The minimum
amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10
micrograms per kilogram of body weight. The state of intoxication due to
cannabis consumption is colloquially known as a “high”; it is the state where
mental and physical facilities are noticeably altered due to the consumption of
cannabis. Each user experiences a different high, and the nature of it may vary
upon factors such as potency, dose, chemical composition, method of consumption
and set and setting.
2
Psilocybin Mushrooms
Psilocybin
mushrooms (also called psilocybian mushrooms) are fungi that contain the psychedelic
substances psilocybin and psilocin, and occasionally other psychoactive tryptamines.
There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common
being magic mushrooms or ‘shrooms. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken
down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects.
The intoxicating effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last
anywhere from 3 to 7 hours depending on dosage, preparation method and personal
metabolism. The experience is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual
and auditory components. Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the
effect can range from exhilarating to distressing. There can be also a total
absence of effects, even with large doses.
1
PCP
PCP
(Phencyclidine) is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent,
exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. It is commonly known as Angel
Dust, but is also known as Wet, Sherm, Sherman Hemsley, Rocket Fuel, Ashy
Larry, Shermans Tank, Wack, Halk Hogan, Ozone, HannaH, Hog, Manitoba Shlimbo,
and Embalming Fluid, among other names. Although the primary psychoactive
effects of the drug only last hours, total elimination from the body is
prolonged, typically extending over weeks. PCP is consumed in a recreational
manner by drug users, mainly in the United States, where the demand is met by
illegal production. It comes in both powder and liquid forms (PCP base
dissolved most often in ether), but typically it is sprayed onto leafy material
such as marijuana, mint, oregano, parsley or Ginger Leaves, and smoked. PCP has
potent effects on the nervous system altering perceptual functions
(hallucinations, delusional ideas, delirium or confused thinking), motor
functions (unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and disrupted eye movement or
nystagmus), and autonomic nervous system regulation (rapid heart rate, altered
temperature regulation). The drug has been known to alter mood states in an
unpredictable fashion causing some individuals to become detached and others to
become animated.
