1. Drugs and Consciousness

2. Drugs and Consciousness
Many of us take drugs on a pretty regular basis.  Some for medical reasons (painkillers), some for recreational reasons (alcohol) and some just to get up in the morning (caffeinated sodas).  Although the drug business is very complex and there are literally tens of thousand of drugs out there today; for the most part they all have one thing in common- they manipulate our neurotransmitters.

3. Almost everything a drug does it does by tricking our neurons into firing or not firing neurotransmitters.  If you think about it, every feeling that drugs give us, is really our natural neurotransmitters in overdrive.  If you had REALLY good control over your own body you could up your own dopamine levels and feel like you are on Crack without ever taking the actual drug (actually, its not possible and probably would not be healthy).

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5. Psychoactive Drugs Chemicals that have psychological effects
meaning that they change perceptions, moods, thinking, and behavior
Sometimes called recreational drugs, though some may have legitimate medical uses

6. Types of Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants
Narcotics
Stimulants
Hallucinogens

7. Depressants – sedatives
Calm neural activity and slow body functions
Downers – induces relaxation
Alcohol, inhalants, barbiturates (tranquilizers)
Effects – relaxation, less anxiety
Negative Effects – impaired coordination (messes with cerebellum) judgment and memory, depression, mood swings, drowsiness

8. Stimulants
Temporarily excite neural activity and arouse body functions – Uppers
Amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine (speed)
Effects – excitation, confidence, increased alertness
Neg. Effects – anxiety, restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness, increased aggressiveness, feelings of panic, paranoia (schizophrenia like symptoms), even death from overdose, extensive brain damage and tissue loss

9. Effects of Stimulants

10. Stimulants Smoking Caffiene
In this clip from How Stuff Works, we get a short tutorial about how caffeine works to keep us from feeling sleepy. Caffeine inhibits the absorption of adenosine, leading to increased arousal. It starts to affect the body with doses as small as 50 milligrams, or about half a cup of coffee. What category of drugs does caffeine fall into? What are the various side effects of caffeine?
This video from veriatv.com explains what happens to your body when you smoke a cigarette. It obviously is taking an anti-smoking stance, and moves on to explaining the positive effects on your health when you quit smoking. Considering all of the negative effects on the body, why do people smoke? What reasons are there besides the physical “high”?

11. Narcotics (Opiates) Pain reducers (analgesics)
Depress the central nervous system
Mimic endorphins
Codeine, heroin, morphine, opium
People take narcotics to induce feelings of euphoria, relieve pain, and induce sleep
Very addictive and produce terrible withdrawal

12. You on Drugs
This clip is the late 1990s follow-up to the classic “brain on drugs” campaign. The original campaign is expanded upon by Rachel Leigh Cook demolishing the kitchen with the frying pan. Her tirade continues the analogy of the effects drugs have on one’s family, friends, money, and job. What do you think of the persuasiveness of these commercials? Why did this campaign spawn so many spoofs and parodies in popular culture?

13. Hallucinogens - psychedelics
Distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input
sights, sounds, and tastes that aren’t actually there
LSD, PCP, marijuana, ecstasy
Effects – changed perceptions, hallucinations, euphoria, relaxation, increased awareness
Neg. Effects – nausea, paranoia, anxiety, mood swings, impaired judgment, jumbled thoughts, impaired memory, sluggishness

14. LSD PSA

15. The odds of getting hooked after trying various drugs
Marijuana – 9%
Alcohol –
15%
Cocaine –
17%
Heroin –
23%
Tobacco –
32 %

16. What can influence the effects of Psychoactive Drugs??
The amount and potency of the drug
How the drug is administered
How much previous experience a user has with the drug
The user’s age and body weight
The user’s mood, personality, and motivation
The environment in which the drug is used
The user’s expectations about the drug’s effects

17. How Psychoactive Drugs Work
Psychoactive drugs work by affecting neurotransmitter function
Drugs can cause more or less of a neurotransmitter to be released into synapses
(agonist)
Drugs can stimulate or block receptors
(antagonist)
Drugs can block the reuptake of a neurotransmitter
(reuptake inhibitor)

19. The Blood Brain Barrier ("Keep Out")
Protects the brain from "foreign substances" in the blood that may injure the brain
prevents materials from the blood from entering the brain
it allows some materials to cross, but prevents others from crossing
allows the entrance of essential nutrients
The concept of the blood brain barrier was first introduced by Paul Ehrlich
He found that intravenous injection of dyes into the bloodstream stained all the tissues in most organs except the brain.

20. Chronic Use of Psychoactive Drugs

21. Chronic Use of Psychoactive Drugs
Tolerance
with repeated exposure to a psychoactive drug, the drug’s effect lessons
thus it takes bigger doses to get the desired effect
the user experiences neuroadaptation
the brain adapts its chemistry to offset the drug effect

22. Chronic Use of Psychoactive Drugs
Withdrawal
what people experience when they stop using a drug after a long period of regular use
the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
Different drugs produce different kinds of withdrawal symptoms

23. Withdrawal

24. Chronic Use of Psychoactive Drugs
Physical vs. Psychological Dependence
Physical Dependence
the body responds to the drugs absence and the user may feel physical pain and intense cravings
Psychological dependence
a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions
Addiction
a craving for a substance despite adverse consequences and often with physical symptoms such as aches and nausea

25. Heroin Addicts
In this National Geographic clip, a cameraman follows around heroin addicts from Oslo and the American Midwest. Joaquim and Trina sell magazines in Oslo in order to score their next fix of Afgan heroin. Included is footage of Joaquim injecting his girlfriend. Faces of addiction from the American Midwest soon follow. Why is heroin called a “dirty, back alley drug?” One speaker from the Midwest group says that he never met a recreational user of heroin. Why is this so?

26. So why take drugs in the first place??
Drug Use Influences
So why take drugs in the first place??

27. Influence on Drug Use Biological genetic tendencies
dopamine reward circuit
a brain pleasure pathway

28. Influence on Drug Use Psychological Lacking sense of purpose
Significant stress
Psychological disorders such as depression

29. Influence on Drug Use Social-cultural Urban environment
Belonging to a drug using cultural group
Peer influences

30. Alcoholism is Not a Disease
Addiction specialist and licensed psychologist Stanton Peeleresponds to the question “Is alcoholism a disease?” Peele argues that alcoholism as “inbred and lifelong, and not susceptible to external factors is incorrect. All factors have an impact.” Do you agree with Peele’s conclusions? What are some of the external factors which affect problem drinking? How does social class or socio-economic status affect drinking tendencies? Is there any evidence that alcoholism can be inherited?

31. Don’t Do Drugs!!!

32. Anti Drug Commercials
The following public service announcements were aired on television and online as part of the Montana Meth Project. Some will consider these scenes dramatic, visually disturbing, and/or violent. Which was the most effective and least effective ad? Do you believe campaigns employing scare tactics will be effective in preventing teen and adult drug use?