Psychoactive Drug

Psychoactive Drug Psychoactive drugs are everywhere in society today. Not all of these drugs are illegal but they do affect you mentally and physically. For example, some of these drugs are used every day by a vast amount of people. The most well-known psychoactive drugs are “tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine”; some of the drugs that are not as widely used are “marijuana, mescaline, opium, and cocaine.” (168). Psychoactive drugs are, ‘”drugs capable of influencing perception, mood, cognition, or behavior.”(168). Psychologists have many explanations for why people use psychoactive drugs. The reasons vary from psychologist to psychologist but the main reasons are, “to alter consciousness, as a part of a religious ritual, for recreation, to decrease physical pain or discomfort, and for psychological escape.” (168). There are many different kinds of classification for psychoactive drugs in psychology. The classifications are depending on what the drug does to you and your body. One of these classifications is stimulants. This classification includes “drugs that speed up activity in the central nervous system.”(168). A few examples of these drugs are caffeine, cocaine, and nicotine. Another classification is Depressants. A depressant is a “drug that slow activity in the central nervous system” (169), a depressant is simply the opposite of a stimulant. Some examples of depressant drugs are alcohol and tranquilizers. The third classification is opiates. These drugs are drugs that take care of pain. Some examples of opiates are pain killers and heroin. “Opiates are highly addictive and in large amounts can cause a coma or death.”(170). The final classification is psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic drugs are “consciousness-altering drugs that produce hallucinations, change through procession, and disrupt the normal perception of time and space.” (170). I can relate to the psychoactive drugs personally in my life. All of my friends smoke marijuana which is commonly

Cited: Wade, Carole. Psychology; Tenth Edition. Boston: Pearson: 2011, 86-89. Print