Self-medicating is the new term used in the US for people who use substances to cope with their stress, grief, pain, and problems. It is a nicer word than drug addict. Using the term self-medicating helps addicts to justify their drug use and helps non addicts sound not so judgmental. Since drug use/self-medicating is a serious problem in the US it would be wise to have an understanding of drugs, their use, effects, and dangers. Drugs are broken down into different categories: Depressants, Stimulants, and Hallucinogens. Each category is defined by what the drug does to the body when ingested. In each category are the different substances that can be taken to produce said affect. Let’s look at these three categories and compare their differences and see if there are any similarities.
Depressants, also known as downers, are chemical compounds that affect the body by slowing down the central nervous system and lowering blood pressure. This happens when the brain increases its “production of the neurotransmitter GABA, which in turn slows down brain activity and produces feelings of relaxation, drowsiness, and a number of other effects”. (Addiction Center, 2020) Depressants are prescribed by doctors to help with anxiety and sleep issues. Oncologists and anesthesiologists will us a depressant known as fentanyl “for seriously ill cancer patients and terminal patients with intractable pain.” (Abadinsky, 2018, pg. 112)
Fentanyl is the most talked about man made narcotic depressant in America right now. Fentanyl was originally created for “use as an intra- venous anesthetic. Shortly after its introduction into the United States in 1968, there was a wave of abuse by medical professionals who had access to the drug in hospitals.” (Abadinsky, 2018, pg. 112) Users will substitute heroin for fentanyl because it is easier to acquire heroin than prescription pills. Fentanyl is more powerful than heroin. “Fentanyl has been used (illegally) to “dope” racehorses because the substance is very difficult to detect in urine or blood.” (Abadinsky, 2018, pg. 112) Fentanyl is typically taken in pill form or crushed then smoked. Whether taken by prescription or as a recreational drug fentanyl is highly addictive and the more it is ingested the greater the chance for dependency.
“Opioid drugs recruit neuronal pathways and neurotransmitter systems in the brain that are necessary for motivation, learning, and reward. It is this “takeover” of the brain’s natural learning and reward centers by opioid drugs that cause an almost immediate addiction risk.” (My Brain Test, 2017) Repeated use also increases a person’s tolerance. Serious effects on the body range from respiratory depression to convulsions to death. When a user does not have their medication, they may experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms that can occur in fentanyl users are appetite loss, panic attacks, sweating, nausea, tremors, and the chills. (Abadinsky, 2018, pg. 113)
Stimulants are just like they sound. They stimulate the central nervous system, unlike depressants that slow down the central nervous system. Stimulants are referred to as uppers, whereas depressants are known as downers. Using stimulants cause the heart to beat rapidly as well as increase the body’s temperature. Effects of stimulants after the high is gone can be exhaustion and irritability. “It is this immediate and lasting exhaustion that quickly leads the stimulant user to want the drug again.” (Drug Free World, 2020) A tolerance for the drug is built up also causing the user to use more of the drug.
Methamphetamine is a man-made (synthetic) stimulant drug that “typically take the form of a white powder, a pill, or a shiny crystalline formation (crystal meth)”. (AAC, 2020) Meth can be smoked or injected with a syringe, as is done with fentanyl. This drug is manufactured in illegal labs with very dangerous and unhealthy chemicals. This being an illegal drug, the only way to get it is through illegal means, which means the end user never really knows what they are ingesting. When a person ingests meth their brain literally goes crazy. It stops telling the person that it needs to eat, sleep, clean themselves, and so on. Users of meth risk shutting their bodies down over obsessive use.
Before methamphetamines were classified as illegal doctors would use them to help treat ADHD and wight loss. Although illegal, addiction to methamphetamines in America is a major issue. People are using this drug to escape their reality, to lose weight, or to accomplish more. Whatever the users reason the addiction takes over the persons priorities and destroys the user’s life. Fentanyl is similar to meth in this way. The user risks all chasing the high just to feel ‘normal’.
Hallucinogens are drugs that cause a person to have hallucinations. Although hallucinogens are not as well known, radially available, and as addictive as stimulants and depressants they are still classified as illegal in the US. Ingesting “hallucinogens can change a person’s perception, making the person see or hear things that do not exist. They can also produce changes in thought, sense of time, and mood.” (Abadinsky, 2018, pg. 133) Like stimulants hallucinogens can increase the users body temperature and heart rate.
Hallucinogens are either extracted from certain plants or made in a lab. “Historically, hallucinogenic plants have been used for religious rituals to induce states of detachment from reality and precipitate visions thought to provide mystical insight or enable contact with a spirit world or ‘higher power’.” (NIDA, 2020) Today hallucinogens are typically used to have a good time/fun. Mescaline is a well-known hallucinogen that is extracted from a cactus plant known as Peyote. Mescaline is usually eaten or boiled as a tea. This drug has a high potential for abuse and does not have any known medical uses. When using mescaline, a user can experience heavy sweating, nausea, and headaches.
Hallucinogens, stimulants, and depressants are used to self-medicate, have a good time, acquire energy, and to deal with stress. Some of these drugs have medical uses and some do not. From our research we can see that whatever the drug one must use with caution or risk becoming addicted. It would be best to avoid these drugs all together. Fentanyl, methamphetamines, and mescaline each have different effects on the body and mind but are similar in that they can be habit forming. Hallucinogens is the only drug category that does not have specific withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinued use. Finding better ways to cope would be priceless when compared to the options of using substances to enhance one’s life.
