1.  Define hypnosis.  What are some of the benefits?  What can’t hypnosis help people do?

3.  Objective: SWBAT define psychoactive drug.

4.  psychoactive drug : a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood.  This includes legal drugs, like caffeine, nicotine, Botox, diet pills, alcohol, sleeping pills, etc.

5.  Objective: SWBAT discuss the nature of drug dependence, and identify three common misconceptions about addiction.

6.  tolerance : the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect.  neuroadaption : when the brain changes its chemistry to offset the drug.  Becoming “tolerant” of a drug is still damaging to your body.

7.  withdrawl : the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug.  physical dependence : a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.  psychological dependence : a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions.

8.  addiction : compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences.

9.  1. Addictive drugs quickly corrupt; for example, morphine taken to control pain is powerfully addictive and often leads to heroin abuse. › Only about 10% of people have a hard time using a psychoactive drug in moderation or stopping all together. › People do not typically become addicted while using drugs medically.

10.  2. Addictions cannot be overcome voluntarily; therapy is required. › Some addicts do benefit from treatment programs. › However, people often recover on their own. › The Alcoholics Anonymous model views addiction as a disease, but this can undermine self-confidence and the will to change cravings that one “cannot fight.” › e.g. 41 million American ex-smokers quit on their own.

11.  3. We can extend the concept of addiction to cover not just drug dependencies, but a whole spectrum of repetitive, pleasure-seeking behaviors. › Viewing addiction as disease may allow some people to use it as an all-purpose excuse. › Some behaviors (like gambling) may become compulsive and dysfunctional, like a drug addiction, but should it be classified as one?

12.  Objective: SWBAT name the three main categories of psychoactive drugs, and list three ways these substances can interfere with neurotransmission in the brain.

13.  There are at least three categories of psychoactive drugs: depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.  Drugs stimulate, inhibit, and mimic the activity of neurotransmitters in the synapse.  Our expectations also play a role in the way drugs affect us.  They trigger negative aftereffects that offset their immediate positive effects.

14.  Objective: SWBAT explain how depressants affect nervous system activity and behavior, and summarize the findings on alcohol use and abuse.

15.  drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.  Includes: alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates.

16.  Alcohol is a depressant, even though people who drink a lot may seem like they are being stimulated. › This comes from a slowing of brain activity that controls judgment and inhibitions.  It increases both harmful and helpful tendencies.  In low doses, alcohol slows the sympathetic nervous system.  In larger doses, it can slow reactions, slur speech, and decrease skilled performance.

17.  It impairs judgment and memory, and reduces self-awareness.  It also disrupts the processing of recent experiences into long-term memories.  Prolonged and excessive drinking can permanently shrink the brain.  Girls and young women can become addicted more quickly and face worse damage because they lack a stomach enzyme that digests alcohol.  People’s expectations also influence how alcohol affects them.

18.  drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment.  They are sometimes prescribed to induce sleep or reduce anxiety.  In large doses, they can be very harmful, and when combined with alcohol the total depressive effect can be lethal.  They are used by some people to commit suicide.

19.  opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin. › They depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety.  Addicts need progressively larger doses to get the same effects.  Commonly causes physical withdrawal and death by overdose.  When flooded with artificial opiates, the brain stops producing natural ones, making withdrawal all the more painful.

20.  Objective: SWBAT identify the major stimulants, and explain how they affect neural activity and behavior.

21.  drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.  They are used to stay awake, lose weight, or boost mood or athletic performance.  amphetamines : drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.

22.  methamphetamine : a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes. › Over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels.  Stimulants, including caffeine, can be addictive and can cause a crash of fatigue, headaches, irritability and depression.

23.  Cocaine is a stimulant that enters the bloodstream quickly.  It depletes brains supply of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.  the crash causes agitated depression when the drug wears off.  Many regular cocaine users become addicted.  Cocaine’s psychological effects depend on the dosage, form in which one takes the drug, and one’s expectations, personality, and the situation.

24.  Also known as MDMA, a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen.  Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.  Some immediate risks: dehydration › When combined with prolonged dancing, there is a risk of severe overheating, increased blood pressure, and death.

25.  Objective: SWBAT describe the physiological and psychological effects of hallucinogens, and summarize the effects of LSD and marijuana.

26.  psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.

27.  a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid.  LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide.  It is chemically similar to serotonin.

28.  Emotions of an LSD trip vary from euphoria to detachment to panic.  Hallucinations usually starts with simple geometric forms, then moves to more meaningful images.  When the hallucinogenic experience peaks, people frequently feel separated from their bodies and experience dreamlike scenes as though they were real.

29.  THC : the major active ingredient in marijuana. › It triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations.

30.  Users experiences vary depending on the situation. › If a person feel anxious or depressed, taking the drug may intensify these feelings. › The more one uses it, the greater the risk of anxiety, depression, or even schizophrenia.

31.  Briefly compare and contrast sleeping/dreaming, hypnosis, and being under the influence of psychoactive drugs.

32.  Marijuana can be used to alleviate pain, nausea, and severe weight loss, like the symptoms associated with AIDS.  Marijuana impairs motor coordination, perceptual skills, and reaction time necessary for safely operating an automobile or other machine.  THC and its by-products linger in the body for a month or more.

33.  Objective: SWBAT discuss the biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors that contribute to drug use.

34.  genetic tendencies  dopamine reward circuit

35.  lacking sense of purpose  significant stress  psychological disorders, such as depression

36.  urban environment  belonging to a drug-using cultural group  peer influences