TYPES OF DRUGS ABUSED

Alcohol

Alcohol is the second most commonly used psychoactive substance today -- second only to caffeine. Use of alcohol dates back thousands of years, when "Mead," the oldest alcoholic beverage, was made from honey.

In low doses alcohol causes an exhilarating or euphoria-like sensation. Things feel good, and people become happy -- even those who were not so happy before drinking. At these lower doses we actually start to like ourselves more. We even start liking the "clods" whom we hang around with.Not-so-nice people suddenly become nicer. Depressed people might use alcohol for its ability to make them feel happy. After all, doesn't everyone want to be happy?

One effect of alcohol on the brain -- and there are others -- is to stop the release of achemical called acetylcholine, which is necessary for the movement of nerve impulses from nerve to nerve. This effect comes in somewhat higher doses than the amount that causes alcohol's euphoria. Without the acetylcholine, the brain becomes depressed in its activities. People who are anxious or uptight might use alcohol for this anxiety-relieving function. Another action of alcohol is thought to be its effect on what are called GABA receptors. These receptors, when bound to a chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid, cause a slowing of nerve transmissions in the brain.

When alcohol enters the body, an enzyme converts it into a second chemical that is then removed from the body by the kidneys. This enzyme is called alcohol dehydrogenase and is found in the liver of both men and women. Men also have some in their stomachs. Because of this extra amount of enzyme in a man's stomach, men become better at tolerating larger amounts of alcohol than women.

If you took a man and a woman, both weighing the same, and gave each of them the same amount of alcohol, the woman would suffer more intoxication than the man. This means women who drink with men are at a great disadvantage regarding their ability to maintain their judgment and sobriety. Women usually weigh less than men, so equal amounts of alcohol will make them more intoxicated because of their lower weight and because they have less of the enzyme that will convert alcohol and remove it from the body.

This, of course, has many social and health implications regarding the potential for unintended pregnancy, transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, rape, and other violence. Again, when men and women drink together, the woman is at a substantial disadvantage regarding her sobriety and ability to make sound judgments.

Cocaine
The drug cocaine is found in the leaves of the Erythroxylon coca plant and causes very interesting sensations. In the fifteenth century the leaves that contain the drug were actually exchanged as money. Sigmund Freud used cocaine to relieve his own depression and described it as a drug that caused exhilaration and lasting euphoria. He called the effects of cocaine "magical." In 1885 the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Company advertised cocaine as being able to "supply" the place of food, make the coward brave, the silent eloquent, and ... render the sufferer insensitive to pain.

Every animal that has ever been used in laboratory experiments with cocaine has self-administered cocaine voluntarily, often to the point of death. Researchers have made systems where animals are taught to push a lever if they want to receive a drug dose. If the animal likes the effects of the drug, it will likely push the lever again. This action is referred to as behavioral reinforcement.

Cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and narcotics are behavioral reinforcers. Animals won't push levers to get nicotine or alcohol if they have never been given these drugs previously. But once they have experience with these, they will then do what is required (push the lever) to again get the benefit of the drug's effect.

The brain contains two particular chemicals that work in our brain alerting system. Cocaine makes this alerting system work with more intensity. These two chemicals are calleddopamine and norepinephrine.

People who use cocaine don't do so as a method of making life worse; they do it because the cocaine makes life seem better. If you are emotionally stable and have adequate self-esteem, cocaine would probably not seem inviting to you. if you came from a home where you were told you were stupid and worthless, cocaine just might seem to be the greatest thing that ever happened to you. Cocaine users are typically between 12 and 39 years of age.


source:written by Gary L.Hopkins http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_n1_v14/ai_20182691