Impact of Mind-Altering Substances - Essay Example

Mind Altering Substances Introduction Psychoactive drugs have been used over time to alter the mind through both illegal and legal means. The most common psychoactive drugs include alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine and heroin amongst others and are used to change the mind in terms of altering the consciousness, moods and thoughts of a person. This is because the psychoactive drugs may affect communication amongst the cells of the brain by either imitating or blocking the effects of molecules that occur naturally in the brain. This prevents the transfer of specific messages from one brain cell to another within the brain. These drugs have varied impacts on members of the community, which may both be positive or negative in nature when prescribed or abused respectively. The psychoactive drugs also impose serious health risks to the society and may lead to forms of disability or death on the persons that use them (Julien, 2005). Other health effects of psychoactive drugs apart from causing pleasure and pain include diseases affecting mainly the liver and the lungs, normal accidents, suicides and general assault. The impacts also affect the social welfare of a person including arrests, break up of relationships and general neglect of family and work-related duties. Psychoactive drugs may include depressants, which affect the central nervous system making them decrease the person’s awareness, coordination as well as their consciousness. It also includes stimulants, which affect the central nervous system by increasing alertness or activity, and hallucinogens which distort perceptions and subjective awareness. Impacts of Psychoactive Drugs Psychoactive drugs may cause addiction, which will ultimately affect the functioning of the brain as the person becomes increasingly dependent on the drugs. This leads to craving for the drug and the person may find it difficult to control how much drug he consumes at any given time (Julien, 2005). The person addicted to the drug may also suffer from withdrawal symptoms when he reduces its intake or discontinued its use as well as lowered levels of tolerance. A person suffering from the withdrawal symptoms of the psychoactive drug may not participate in other interests and may increase his use of the drug or recovery from it. He may also find himself over-consuming the drug despite clear signs and symptoms that the drug is causing harm to him. Psychoactive drugs may also lead to addiction to the drug as once it is taken; it causes a rewarding or reinforcing psychoactive effect that affects the person psychologically. This creates a sort of circuit that makes the human brain susceptible to desire to repeat the consumption or abuse of the drug for its effects (Robinson and Berridge, 2000). The addiction leads to higher dependence on the drugs that may result into health or social effects. These include the destruction of the person’s body and health, which may lead to diseases or even death. Smoking tobacco or cannabis has been known to cause certain cancers such as lung cancer while over-consumption of alcohol may cause liver cirrhosis. The major disease caused by psychoactive drugs is mental illness such as depression. It has been proven that addiction to drugs is mostly common among people with mental disorders such as depression as compared to other members of the population. This is because persons with mental disorders are more likely to be dependent to on these drugs in order to alter their minds and thoughts (Mann, 2004). Equally, people who are dependent on the consumption of these drugs are more likely to suffer mental disorders than people who are not dependent on the psychoactive drugs. This shows that there is a common basis for addiction on the drugs and mental disorders or illnesses for persons who abuse or use the psychoactive drugs. The effects of the use of the psychoactive drug depends on the type of the drug that is used and the manner it is used or abused, as well as how often the person takes it or misuses it. This means that the greater a person uses or abuses the drug, the higher the risk of becoming dependent on it and suffer its detrimental effects (Julien, 2005). The dependence on the use of the drug is a medical disorder and may be caused by several factors depending on the person, the drug abused and the manner it is used. Pros of Psychoactive Drugs Psychoactive drugs may be used in medical applications especially when they result into a condition that may require medical intervention. This therefore means that psychoactive drugs can be advantageous when prescribed by a medical practitioner or a qualified person to persons suffering from specific illnesses and conditions (Ghodse, 2002). Psychoactive drugs that have compounds that may have an effect on the mind or the body may be used effectively to manage anxiety and depression. Some medications that have similar effects like psychoactive drugs can be used to treat addiction to the psychoactive drugs themselves, for instance methadone which is psychoactive may be used to treat heroin addiction. In addition, some people with disorders of the mind such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be given psychoactive drugs to help them in such faculties as communication. Cons of Psychoactive Drugs The use of psychoactive substances has potential harm on the person using them in either the short-term or the long-term. The major disadvantage of psychoactive drugs is that they cause diseases thus increasing the global burden of disease, which eventually leads to premature death and disability (World Health Organization, 2004). Closely connected to this is the fact that persons who inject themselves the psychoactive drugs through shared needles and syringes increased their exposure to HIV/AIDS. The psychoactive drugs that increase the risk to diseases most is tobacco and alcohol which have been proven to cause diseases such as cancer and cirrhosis, while tobacco smoking also disposes a person to diabetes. Psychoactive substances can cause chronic sicknesses to the person using or abusing them. For instance, alcohol causes liver cirrhosis while tobacco causes lung cancer and emphysema amongst other illnesses. Injection of heroin and cocaine through shared and contaminated illnesses may lead to transmission of infectious viruses such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. These drugs also cause short-term biological health effects on the users such as overdose, casualties arising from loss of concentration and physical judgment as well as impaired judgment. Psychoactive drugs have also caused casualties on persons that use them especially those involved in motor accidents, assaults or suicides (World Health Organization, 2004). More adverse is the fact that the use of psychoactive substances lead to serious social consequences such as relationship break-ups, frequent arrests by the law enforcement authorities or broken families. Conclusion The use of psychoactive drugs or addiction to them may cause serious health and social problems in the society as compared to their advantages. The health problems usually result into diseases, illnesses and conditions that may lead top premature death of the users or disability. This requires that every person is involved in the finding of solutions aimed at addressing the larger problem of their abuse. There is need to have effective programs to reduce the health burden caused by the use and abuse of psychoactive drugs, which must include effective treatment and behavioral change. The treatment must be made available to every person that requires them and the prejudice and discrimination that is often shown to drug dependent people reduced. The authorities concerned also need to research on the functioning of the brain as well as in social science, which may help in the understanding on how to prevent and treat dependency on psychoactive drugs. References Ghodse, H. (2002). Drugs and addictive behaviour: A guide to treatment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Julien, R. M. (2005). A primer of drug action: A comprehensive guide to the actions, uses, and side effects of psychoactive drugs. New York, N.Y: Worth Publishers. Mann, K. (October 01, 2004). Neuroscience of Psychoactive Substance Use and Dependence. Addiction, 99, 10, 1361-1362. Robinson, T. E., & Berridge, K. C. (January 01, 2000). The psychology and neurobiology of addiction: an incentive-sensitization view. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 95, 91-117 World Health Organization. (2004). Neuroscience of psychoactive substance use and dependence. Geneva: World Health Organization. Read More