Psychoactive drugs are drugs that affect the Central Nervous System, altering its regular activity. They
cause changes in a person’s mood, behavior, and awareness (like time and space)
. Psychoactive drugs are usually broken down into four categories: depressants, stimulants, opioids, and hallucinogens.
What are the categories and effects of psychoactive drugs?
Psychoactive drugs include four groups of drugs:
depressants like alcohol and sleeping pills
; stimulants like nicotine and ecstasy; opioids like heroin and pain medications; and hallucinogens like LSD.
What is the purpose of psychoactive drugs?
Psychoactive drugs
alter brain function
, resulting in temporary changes in mood, perception, and behavior. These drugs may be used recreationally to intentionally alter one’s consciousness, as entheogens (Ruck et al., 1979) for ritual or spiritual purposes, or as medication.
What are the six types of psychoactive drugs?
Groups of psychoactive drugs include
stimulants, depressants, narcotics (opioids), hallucinogens, and marijuana (cannabis)
.
What is a psychoactive affect?
A drug or other substance that
affects how the brain works and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behavior
. Examples of psychoactive substances include alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, and certain pain medicines.
Is caffeine a drug?
Caffeine is a
drug that stimulates (increases the activity of) your brain and nervous system
. Caffeine is found in many drinks such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and energy drinks.
Which of the following psychoactive drugs is classified as a depressant?
Depressants: These are drugs that slow down your brain function. Examples include
alcohol
, alprazolam (Xanax), and barbiturates.
What are the major classification of psychoactive drugs?
There are four main groups of psychoactive drugs:
stimulants, depressants, narcotics, and hallucinogens
.
What is the best description of a psychoactive drug?
Psychoactive drugs are
substances that can alter the consciousness, mood, and thoughts of those who use them
. Examples include tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin.
How do drugs affect the brain?
Drugs
alter the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information
. They do this by (1) imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers, (2) by over-stimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain, (3) flooding the brain with excess chemicals, and (4) binding to receptors in the brain.
What drug is in caffeine?
Caffeine is
a stimulant drug
, which means it speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and the body. It’s found in the seeds, nuts and leaves of a number of different plants, including: Coffea Arabica (used for coffee) Thea sinensis (used for tea)
Is coffee a hallucinogen?
Caffeine
is the most commonly used psychoactive drug. Coffee and other caffeinated beverages such as tea, soft-drinks and energy drinks access the stimulant and when taken in large quantities increase tendencies to hallucinate says La Trobe University’s Professor Simon Crowe, School of Psychological Sciences.
Is aspirin a psychoactive drug?
Antiplatelet substances, generally aspirin, have become widely used for secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Used in relatively small doses, it is generally assumed that
aspirin has no psychoactive effect
.
What plants are psychoactive?
- Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) opium poppy. …
- Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) peyote. …
- Salvia (Salvia divinorum) Salvia divinorum © Doug Stacey/Fotolia. …
- Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) …
- Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi) …
- Betel nut (Areca catechu) …
- Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) …
- Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium)
Is caffeine good for human body?
Caffeine consumption is generally considered safe
, although habit forming. Some side effects linked to excess intake include anxiety, restlessness, tremors, irregular heartbeat, and trouble sleeping ( 53 ). Too much caffeine may also promote headaches, migraine, and high blood pressure in some individuals (54, 55 ).
Does coffee affect emotions?
When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyper-aroused state, your emotions overrun your behavior. Irritability and anxiety are the most commonly seen emotional effects of caffeine, but
caffeine enables all of your emotions to take charge
.
