Chemical Dependency Physiological Effects of Essay

Behavioral Effects of Abused Drugs

The common denominator among all users of abused drugs is the goal of attaining an altered state of consciousness. Whether to escape the reality of their own lives or to fulfill a chemically adventurous inclination, all illicit drug users want to leave behind their mundane and sometime painful lives. All of the drugs mentioned are able to meet this goal to various degrees, from alcohol to Ritalin; however, there is often a steep price to pay.

The acute effect of drug or alcohol abuse is almost universally a sense of euphoria. The one exception to this rule is hallucinogens, which are typically taken to experience a dissociative state. Hallucinogens can also lead to experiencing a bad 'trip', which would be antithetical to seeking a euphoric state. Another common experience is disinhibition, which can be elicited through over-ingestion of alcohol or illicitly taking cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, and narcotics.It could be reasonably argued that euphoria and disinhibition are the primary goals of recreational drug and alcohol use.

Chronic abuse of these drugs, however, can lead to significant behavioral changes that can undermine the user's life. This is primarily the result of tolerance and psychological addiction. Tolerance leads to taking larger doses in order to experience the same feelings of euphoria. Physical addiction is also an important concern, especially with some sedatives, since withdrawal can sometimes be life-threatening. While most drugs will elicit physical addiction, especially alcohol, narcotics, sedatives and cocaine, psychological addiction seems to be relatively rare for hallucinogens. The behavioral changes can sometimes be significant, with many experiencing paranoia and varying degrees of psychosis as a direct result of a decline in the ability of the nervous system to function normally......