The psychoactive substances They are chemical components whose main effect is to alter the functioning of the brain. This causes changes in some of your main functions, as well as in your mood, consciousness, behavior, perception or thoughts..
Psychoactive substances can be used for different purposes. For example, some medications fall into this category, such as antidepressants. On the other hand, they can also be used recreationally (as in the case of drugs), spiritually, or even for scientific research..
Most psychoactive substances cause changes in the experience of the person that are often considered pleasant or positive. For example, caffeine (one of the most common) generates a state of alert, while alcohol helps many individuals to relax and disinhibit.
Because their effects may appear positive in the short term, a large number of psychoactive substances are susceptible to addiction. For this reason, many of the most powerful drugs are prohibited in most countries, as is the case with most drugs. Others, however, are used routinely in therapeutic or medicinal contexts, such as anesthesia.
There are a lot of different psychoactive substances, and each of them has a slightly different effect on the body of the people who use them. However, they are all based on the same principle: they alter the balance of the nervous system in some way, in such a way that they cause changes in the functioning of the brain and in consciousness..
Generally, there are two ways by which psychoactive substances can produce their effects.
For example, MDMA (also known as ecstasy) is a psychoactive substance whose main mechanism of action is the release of large amounts of serotonin in the brains of those who consume it..
In this way, users experience a very pleasant sensation, since this neurotransmitter is responsible for producing a state of general well-being..
Other psychoactive substances, such as psilocybin (present for example in hallucinogenic mushrooms) alter the normal functioning of the brain for a few hours. As a consequence, those who consume this substance may experience hallucinations, have altered thought patterns and experience more intense moods than usual..
There is no single classification of the different types of psychoactive substances that can be found. However, some classification systems have been created that are used on a regular basis..
The most important is the one that divides them into five different types: stimulants, depressants, opioids, hallucinogens, and cannabinoids. Next we will see what each of these groups consists of.
Stimulants are psychoactive substances whose effects include creating alertness, higher energy levels, improving mood (which can sometimes become euphoric) and causing bodily changes such as a higher level of heart rate and high blood pressure.
There are many different stimulants, some of them legal and with moderate effects, while others are prohibited due to their great risks. Some of the most common are caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, and cocaine..
Nervous system depressants are psychoactive substances that reduce anxiety, eliminate feelings of body tension, relax muscles and cause a state of tranquility and calm. At the body level, they reduce the heart rate and blood pressure, and their abuse can lead to cardiac arrest.
The most common nervous system depressant is alcohol, although there are also more powerful ones such as benzodiazepines. The latter substance is used in some medications to treat anxiety, although it has the disadvantage that it is extremely addictive.
Opioids are psychoactive substances derived from morphine, the main effects of which include elimination of pain, euphoria, extreme relaxation, confusion, and drowsiness. If opioids are abused, their most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, seizures, breathing difficulties, or even death..
These psychoactive substances are widely used in the medical field, and the most common include codeine and morphine. In the field of illegal drugs, heroin is possibly the best known within this group.
All opioids have the problem that they generate a great addiction, and they can lead their users to death if they are consumed without due precautions.
Hallucinogens are a group of psychoactive substances whose main effects include the appearance of paranoia, depersonalization, erratic behavior, visual and auditory hallucinations, lack of control over one's thoughts and an increase in blood pressure and pulse.
In the long term, hallucinogens can cause problems with thinking and speaking clearly, memory loss, depression, and severe weight loss, although they generally do not have life-threatening consequences for their users. To date, its use in therapy contexts is being studied, although more tests are still needed to study its effects..
Among the most common hallucinogenic substances are psilocybin (present in hallucinogenic mushrooms), LSD, ketamine, salvia divinorum, mescaline (present in peyote) and ayahuasca.
Cannabinoids are substances extracted from marijuana. In this group we only find its two main psychoactive components: THC and CBD. Among its effects we can mention changes in sensory perception, a feeling of euphoria and relaxation, changes in appetite, and difficulties in cognitive and motor tasks.
As we have already seen, psychoactive substances do not cause a single type of effect, but their consequences depend to a large extent on which of them is being consumed. However, in most cases its abuse can cause very serious consequences, which often includes death..
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