Sometimes people choose an altered state of consciousness wherein they are free. They would prefer being independent to be euphoric, licensed to fill out emptiness and liberty to be completely irrational. Disregarding the possibilities of a toxic life for them is a choice because it would give them a chance to be okay even for a short period of time. These are just one of the usual reasons why people resort to drug addiction and why they fail to give up their bad habits.

It often starts with people seeking pleasure in a world of unrealistic standards and societal pressure and ends up being completely powerless as their addiction slowly consumes them.

On my previous post I briefly discussed on some important facts about Depressants & Opioids/Opiates and it's harmful effects to our physical,cognitive and emotional well-being. For today's article, I am going to tackle about addiction in the form of tolerance in Stimulants & how it alters human consciousness. Drug addiction is obviously a global issue & it will stay on the spotlight as long as there are people who abuses illegal drugs. This worldwide menace continues to destroy homes,relationships and lives. It is also vital that we understand how addiction destroys & how we could help others recover from their terrible fate with illegal drugs.

Stimulants | Understanding the Deadly Effects of "Uppers"

While "Downers" is the slang term for depressants like Alcohol & Barbiturates , "Uppers" on the other hand are varied types of stimulants. Stimulants are categorized as one of the 4 Psychoactive drugs that I have mentioned on my previous blog specifically the Depressants and Opiods/ Opiates and the other two psychoactive substances will be highlighted on this article & on the next. These type of substances heighten the activity of the CNS (Central Nervous System) which means an increase of activity in our brains. The positive effects of stimulant intake could help people control their impulses & increase cognitive functions. It is a drug given to calm hyperactive children like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) cases and used to treat Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is a condition wherein a person suffering from it experiences uncontrollable sudden attacks of deep sleep. These brief attacks could happen anytime and anywhere so a patient should be prescribed with it to enhance alertness & focused attention.

Stimulants are abused because they contribute to feelings of euphoria and an increase level of physical performance.

People abuse stimulants not only because of being high but mainly because it can help them outsmart or surpass their peers. Abusing stimulants would increase dopamine release, a neurotransmitter that is mainly responsible for inducing pleasure in the brain thus boosting energy and attentiveness. There are countless cases of students and athletes abusing stimulants because of these side effects. Students misuse these kind of drugs thinking that it can make them smarter since stimulants are known for heightening mental functions. While athletes abuse them because of it's promising effects to a powerful well-being.

Whatever their reasons are,misusing and abusing these substances could illict harmful effects to an individual's mind and body .

Short term effects of abusing stimulants could result in euphoric feelings and high doses of it could be a probable cause for heart failures,seizures and other dangerous effects to the human body. Aside from that repeated misuse of stimulants could result to psychosis,hallucinations & restlessness. The long term effects of stimulant abuse could again result to mental or psychological injuries like paranoia,delusions,panic attacks and even depression. Physical effects could be very detrimental to our health since it would open up possibilities of acquiring problems with breathing,gastrointestinal problems,convulsions and worst is coma.

It is very essential to understand the ugly truth behind stimulant abuse and misuse to prevent the negative consequences from occuring. Nobody wants to be a slave of someone or something right? Not even drugs...

Now in this section, I will be emphasizing some facts about certain types of stimulants.

Amphetamines & Other Similar Substances

These drugs are a group of stimulants that are used by certain people to stay alert. If you are a driver, Amphetamines can help you stay alert while driving at night. If you are a college student who aims to top your class or to pass your subjects in school,these kind of drugs could help you stay awake at night during your all-nighters. But Amphetamines should not be used on these cases since it may cause overdependence on them & tolerance develops very fast.

Remember that Amphetamines are prescribed by doctors for treating Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder in calming the hyperactive children's uncontrollable behavior.

These uppers are abused because people who uses them claims that it produces an intense feeling of euphoric rush. Tolerance for Amphetamines makes people use it on different ways like swallowing pill form Amphetamines or injecting Methedrine. The negative results of prolonged use of these drugs are again just short term effects, being high and awake on days could eventually end. Addicts who are on a constant high could sometimes crash anytime. Crashing means being restless,inability to sleep,extreme weight loss,depression and may result in having suicidal tendencies.

Nicotine | The Horrors Of Tobacco Smoking

I grew up in a family where most of my uncles smoke. They can consume a pack of cigarette or more even on a single day. They smoke after meals, they smoke whenever they feel cold and they smoke whenever they want. Which of course is very alarming and dangerous to their health but we tried convincing them a lot of times to stop their bad habit. These attempts by concerned family members were just neglected & frowned upon.

I tried smoking too when I was in highschool just to cure my curiosity on smoking and why people are addicted to it.

I smoke whenever I drink booze thinking that it could make me hooked up in the long run but to no avail. I did not end up as a chain smoker just like my uncles do & I'm thankful for that up until today.

Nicotine increases the release of adrenaline and certain neurotransmitters like dopamine. Adrenaline stimulates a sudden burst of acceleration of heart rate and releases sugar into the blood. Just like cocaine and heroin, Nicotine could stimulate feelings of pleasure & creates a very relaxing effect for smokers.
Nicotine which is found in tobacco smoke is an extremely addictive drug that acts as a sedative and stimulant.

Because of it's addictive component, smokers find it very difficult to quit.

My uncles knew that tobacco smoking is bad but still continues to indulge theirselves with it. It is known that cigarette smoking can cause lung cancers and other deadly effects. Secondhand smoke is also linked with other healh problems like respiratory diseases.

Cocaine | A Euphoria Producing Stimulant

Did you know that your favorite softdrink "Coke" got it's name from Coca Leaves? Cocaine was an important ingredient in Coke and it adds up life into it. During that time it was not yet illegal until there were reported cases of physical dangers that the company decided to stop adding cocaine to the Coca-Cola Formula. Cocaine is a very addictive stimulant that produces euphoric effects that usually results to extreme self-esteem. A person who is addicted to the drug experiences a very rewarding high. Because neurotransmitters like norepinephrine,serotonin and dopamine are being released it would produce an intense feeling of "rush". But when the levels of cocaine drops, the person using it would experience a sudden "crash".

Cocaine is usually abused through snorting it in a power like form, injected it's liquid state through the veins or the Coca leaves itself could be prepared as tea. People who often snort cocaine thinks that it could give them a longer high but then eventually it often results to experiences of nasal damages.

Cocaine overdoses can emerge to a lot of cases of death worldwide. Well, it's not surprising since we read a lot of cocaine overdoses on tabloids and on the internet.

Overdoses can result to irritability,extreme headaches,convulsions and even mental damages like delusions and hallucinations. Cocaine tolerance & addiction could harm the body since it can cause respiratory and heart problems in the long run.

I know that I promised to include Hallucinogens in this post but I think I need to park it first. I am going to finish Part III of my Drug Addiction Awareness Series on my next blog. See you next time fam ! 😊🌸

References:
1. Effects of Stimulant Drugs
2. Drug Facts Prescription Stimulants
3. Different Types of Stimulant Drugs
4. Nicotine | Psychology Today
5. The Effects of Cocaine Use
6. Cocaine, A Short History

Further Reading:
1.Rathus, S. A. (2014) Psychology Third Edition, "Stimulants" (pp. 101-104),Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd,Quezon City:Philippines

Images:
1., 2.,3.,4.,5.

Love & Light,
@sakura1012

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