Define hypnosis. What are some of the benefits? What can’t hypnosis help people do?

Objective: SWBAT define psychoactive drug.

psychoactive drug: a chemical substance that alters perceptions and mood.

This includes legal drugs, like caffeine, nicotine, Botox, diet pills, alcohol, sleeping pills, etc.

Objective: SWBAT discuss the nature of drug dependence, and identify three common misconceptions about addiction.

tolerance: the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect.

neuroadaption: when the brain changes its chemistry to offset the drug.

Becoming “tolerant” of a drug is still damaging to your body.

withdrawl: the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug.

physical dependence: a physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued.

psychological dependence: a psychological need to use a drug, such as to relieve negative emotions.

addiction: compulsive drug craving and use, despite adverse consequences.

1. Addictive drugs quickly corrupt; for example, morphine taken to control pain is powerfully addictive and often leads to heroin abuse.› Only about 10% of people have a hard

time using a psychoactive drug in moderation or stopping all together.

› People do not typically become addicted while using drugs medically.

2. Addictions cannot be overcome voluntarily; therapy is required.› Some addicts do benefit from treatment

programs.› However, people often recover on their

own.› The Alcoholics Anonymous model views

addiction as a disease, but this can undermine self-confidence and the will to change cravings that one “cannot fight.”

› e.g. 41 million American ex-smokers quit on their own.

3. We can extend the concept of addiction to cover not just drug dependencies, but a whole spectrum of repetitive, pleasure-seeking behaviors.› Viewing addiction as disease may allow

some people to use it as an all-purpose excuse.

› Some behaviors (like gambling) may become compulsive and dysfunctional, like a drug addiction, but should it be classified as one?

Objective: SWBAT name the three main categories of psychoactive drugs, and list three ways these substances can interfere with neurotransmission in the brain.

There are at least three categories of psychoactive drugs: depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.

Drugs stimulate, inhibit, and mimic the activity of neurotransmitters in the synapse.

Our expectations also play a role in the way drugs affect us.

They trigger negative aftereffects that offset their immediate positive effects.

Objective: SWBAT explain how depressants affect nervous system activity and behavior, and summarize the findings on alcohol use and abuse.

drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.

Includes: alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates.

Alcohol is a depressant, even though people who drink a lot may seem like they are being stimulated.› This comes from a slowing of brain activity

that controls judgment and inhibitions. It increases both harmful and helpful

tendencies. In low doses, alcohol slows the sympathetic

nervous system. In larger doses, it can slow reactions, slur

speech, and decrease skilled performance.

It impairs judgment and memory, and reduces self-awareness.

It also disrupts the processing of recent experiences into long-term memories.

Prolonged and excessive drinking can permanently shrink the brain.

Girls and young women can become addicted more quickly and face worse damage because they lack a stomach enzyme that digests alcohol.

People’s expectations also influence how alcohol affects them.

drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment.

They are sometimes prescribed to induce sleep or reduce anxiety.

In large doses, they can be very harmful, and when combined with alcohol the total depressive effect can be lethal.

They are used by some people to commit suicide.

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin.› They depress neural activity, temporarily

lessening pain and anxiety. Addicts need progressively larger

doses to get the same effects. Commonly causes physical withdrawal

and death by overdose. When flooded with artificial opiates,

the brain stops producing natural ones, making withdrawal all the more painful.

Objective: SWBAT identify the major stimulants, and explain how they affect neural activity and behavior.

drugs that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

They are used to stay awake, lose weight, or boost mood or athletic performance.

amphetamines: drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.

methamphetamine: a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.› Over time, appears to reduce baseline

dopamine levels. Stimulants, including caffeine, can be

addictive and can cause a crash of fatigue, headaches, irritability and depression.

Cocaine is a stimulant that enters the bloodstream quickly.

It depletes brains supply of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

the crash causes agitated depression when the drug wears off.

Many regular cocaine users become addicted.

Cocaine’s psychological effects depend on the dosage, form in which one takes the drug, and one’s expectations, personality, and the situation.

Also known as MDMA, a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen.

Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.

Some immediate risks: dehydration› When combined with prolonged dancing,

there is a risk of severe overheating, increased blood pressure, and death.

Objective: SWBAT describe the physiological and psychological effects of hallucinogens, and summarize the effects of LSD and marijuana.

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input.

a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid.

LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide.

It is chemically similar to serotonin.

Emotions of an LSD trip vary from euphoria to detachment to panic.

Hallucinations usually starts with simple geometric forms, then moves to more meaningful images.

When the hallucinogenic experience peaks, people frequently feel separated from their bodies and experience dreamlike scenes as though they were real.

THC: the major active ingredient in marijuana.› It triggers a variety of effects, including

mild hallucinations.

Users experiences vary depending on the situation.› If a person feel anxious or depressed,

taking the drug may intensify these feelings.

› The more one uses it, the greater the risk of anxiety, depression, or even schizophrenia.

Briefly compare and contrast sleeping/dreaming, hypnosis, and being under the influence of psychoactive drugs.

Marijuana can be used to alleviate pain, nausea, and severe weight loss, like the symptoms associated with AIDS.

Marijuana impairs motor coordination, perceptual skills, and reaction time necessary for safely operating an automobile or other machine.

THC and its by-products linger in the body for a month or more.

Objective: SWBAT discuss the biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors that contribute to drug use.

genetic tendencies dopamine reward circuit

lacking sense of purpose significant stress psychological disorders, such as

depression

urban environment belonging to a drug-using cultural

group peer influences