Mind-altering Drugs

DEPRESSANTS

• Drugs that cause sedation and euphoria
• Used medically to relieve pain, suppress cough, and control diarrhea
• Some opiates, such as heroin, have no medical use, and any possession or use is illegal
• Overdose can cause death by respiratory depression
• People can become physically and psychologically dependent
• Can damage the developing fetus
• Opiate abuse is linked with the spread of AIDS
• It can be hazardous to mix opiates with other drugs

• Depressant drugs that are used to treat anxiety and insomnia
• Anti-anxiety tranquilizers are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the world
• Low doses can make the user feel calm, relaxed, and drowsy
• High doses can cause incoordination and stupor
• Can become dependent
• Combining with other depressant drugs can be hazardous
• Can harm the developing fetus

MARIJUANA AND ITS DERIVITIVES

• Is the most frequently used illicit drug in America
• The average potency of marijuana, particularly a form called sinsemilla, has increased since the 1970s
• Marijuana cigarettes yield almost four times as much tar as tobacco, creating high risk of lung damage
• Users can become psychologically and physically dependent
• Can harm the developing fetus
• Can impair your coordination, short-term memory, ability to follow moving objects, and ability to learn

STIMULANTS

• Street names include: speed, bennies, Black Beauties, uppers, crystal, meth, co-pilots
• Strong central nervous system stimulants
• Can be prescribed by a doctor - any other use is illegal
• Can increase alertness and induce a sense of well-being
• Heavy doses or long-term use can lead to extreme anxiety, malnutrition, paranoia, other serious health problems, and death
• Users can become physically and psychologically dependent
• Can harm the developing fetus
• Use can reduce a person's resistance to disease

• Strong central nervous system stimulant
• Raises blood pressure, heart, and breathing rates
• Permanent damage to the lungs, liver and nose
• Even small amounts can cause heart irregularities, coma, even death
• Users can become physically and psychologically dependent
• Can cause severe problems for the developing fetus
• For 5-60 minutes the user feels "high," but as the drug wears off, the user feels tired, anxious, and depressed

• A widely consumed central nervous system stimulant
• Available in many beverages, foods containing chocolate, and medications
• Stimulant effects vary from a mild feeling of alertness to nervousness and insomnia
• Can become tolerant to caffeine's stimulant effects
• Can also become dependent on caffeine

OTHER DRUG CATEGORIES

• Street names include: acid, white lightning, magic mushroom, button, ecstasy
• Alter mood, thought, perception, and brain function
• Some also cause stimulation of the central nervous system
• LSD is the most potent psychoactive drug known
• Street preparations of these drugs are rarely pure and produce unpredictable effects
• People sometimes have brief or prolonged adverse psychological reactions
• Lethal overdose is possible with some hallucinogens
• Can become psychologically dependent on hallucinogens

• Street names include: poppers, rush, laughing gas
• Are absorbed into the bloodstream and passed to organs within seconds
• Slow the flow of oxygen by replacing it with vapor
• Can cause dizziness, double vision, slowed reflexes, convulsions, even death
• Can cause confusion, mood swings, delusions or hallucinations
• Can cause permanent damage to nervous system, lungs, kidneysd and other organs
• Can endanger developing fetus

• Almost everyone in the United States uses nonprescription (OTC) drugs
• Some ingredients have psychoactive effects
• Most are safe for most people if label directions are followed
• It is safest to take single-ingredient preparation to treat specific ailments
• Large doses can be toxic
• Some can harm the developing fetus