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Psychoactive Drugs and How They Are Used

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Psychoactive Drugs and How They Are Used
Core 1 Research Paper- Psychoactive Drug Use
13 October 2011

Psychoactive Drugs and How They Are Used
We drink our morning coffee; have soda with dinner, and might take a cigarette break at work. Psychoactive drugs are used in everyday life, and most of us don’t even realize it. Those listed are minor examples of psychoactive drugs, but most people wouldn’t even consider this a drug habit. They are substances that change our mood, thoughts, behavior, and consciousness. It affects the central nervous system, which alters the brains functions. From mild to more severe drugs have different categories they are placed under. These include: stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens.
Psychoactive drugs, also known as psychotropic drugs, have been used since the prehistoric times. Over 8,000 years ago chewing Coca leaves was popular, and psychoactive drugs were mainly based from plants. They are chemicals that act mainly on the Central Nervous System. It affects brain functions and alters your mood, thoughts, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. Some are mild and some are very dangerously addictive. The main reason we consume these drugs in our everyday life is for pleasure, and that is why they are abused. They could also be used for spiritual reasons, or therapeutic like medication. The more you use these drugs the easier you become addicted, and reliant of it.
Tobacco is one of the most widely used substances around the globe. Tobacco is an agricultural product made from leaves from a plant known as Nicotiana. It is also a very important cash crop for Cuba, China, and the United States. Today statistics show that 1 out of 7 Americans who try to quit after they are already addicted can’t. Tobacco is a psychoactive drug that is used in everyday life for instance: Cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, dip, hookah, and snus. Not surprisingly, nicotine was the psychoactive drug responsible for the greatest mortality, accounting for slightly more than half of



Cited: Des Jarlais, Don PhD. "Prospects for a Public Health Perspective on Psychoactive Drug Use." American Journal of Public Health (2000): 335-337. SIRS Researcher. Web. 19 Sep. 2011. Interlandi, Jeneen. "What Addicts Need." Newsweek Vol. 151, No. 9. 3 Mar 2008: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 27 Sep. 2011. Las Vegas, Leaving. Dir. Mike Figgins. Perf. Nicolas Cage, and Elisabeth Shue. Initial Production. 1995. Film. Reid, T.R. "Caffeine." National Geographic Vol. 207, No. 1. Jan. 2005: 1-33. Print. Sparrowe, Linda. “Somethin’ Got a Hold on You?” Natural Health. June 2011: 1-2. Print

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