Psychoactive drugs are drugs that change your mental state. These drugs can cause intoxication, which impacts your mood, perception, and consciousness.
Many legal and illegal substances contain psychoactive properties, so it’s important to know the benefits and risks associated with these drugs.
The Six Types of Psychoactive Drugs
Depressants
Opioids
Stimulants
Hallucinogens
Marijuana
Designer drugs
Depressants
Depressants slow down the central nervous system. They typically cause people to feel sedated and relaxed. Some people take prescribed depressants to help with sleep or anxiety. Others abuse these substances to get high.
- Benzodiazepines include medications like Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin.
- Sedative-hypnotics include medications like Ambien and Lunesta.
- Barbiturates include medications like Nembutal and Luminal.
Alcohol is also a depressant. When you first drink, you may feel calmer and happier, but excess alcohol can cause slurring and processing problems. It can make your feelings of depression and anxiety worse.
Opioids
Opioids also act like depressants. When taken as prescribed, they can help people with moderate or severe pain. When abused, they can produce feelings of euphoria and relaxation.
Opioids include drugs like:
- Fentanyl
- Heroin
- Vicodin
- Oxycodone
- Morphine
The strength of each opioid varies, so it’s not always obvious how much you’re taking. And if you buy pills off the street, you never know exactly what you’re getting. For example, you may assume you’re buying Vicodin, but a dealer may lace the pill with fentanyl.
If you stop taking opioids suddenly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms range in severity. You could feel sick for several days before your body starts to heal. During that time, you’re at risk of relapsing. That’s because you may experience intensified cravings. Most people benefit from a supportive medical detox during this stage and then professional opioid addiction treatment once the opioids are out of their system.
Stimulants
Stimulants increase brain activity. They enhance energy and alertness. Some people are prescribed stimulants for symptoms related to ADHD or narcolepsy.
Common stimulants include:
- Amphetamine
- Methamphetamine
- Cocaine
When abused, stimulants can produce a euphoric rush, but a “crash” soon follows, making the user want to continue taking more drugs.
Long-term abuse can result in several health complications, including:
- Tissue damage
- Stroke
- Heart attacks
Heavy stimulant users may develop withdrawal symptoms after stopping drug use.
These symptoms can include:
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
Although stimulant withdrawal is not life-threatening, medical detox can help you feel more comfortable during this time.
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens include several drugs that alter your consciousness. Hallucinogens include drugs like:
- LSD
- Psilocybin
- DMT
- Peyote
- Ketamine
- DXM
Most people take these drugs orally. They might eat them or brew them into tea.
Hallucinogens disrupt the communication between brain chemical systems. When abused, these drugs can result in mood problems, sensory issues, and sleep disruptions. They can also trigger hallucinations and delusions. Sometimes people experience a “bad trip.” When this happens, they may feel stuck in a panicked state for hours or days. Afterward, they may endure flashback syndromes, where they relive the terror over and over again.
Marijuana
Marijuana affects how your senses perceive the world. The THC found in marijuana can produce feelings of euphoria and relaxation, but it can also impair memory and cause coordination problems.
Designer Drugs
There are many different kinds of designer drugs. Common ones include:
- Bath salts
- Spice/K2 (synthetic marijuana)
- MXE
- Flakka
- W18
These drugs are synthesized, which means they are manmade. Their chemical composition remains unknown. Because of that, it’s impossible to know what you’re actually taking when you take a designer drug. Often, manufacturers use many different chemicals to create these drugs.
Self-Assessment
Are you Addicted?
1. Do you or your loved often use drugs or alcohol in larger amounts or over a longer period of time than you or they intended?
2. Have you or your loved for a while now wanted to cut back on drugs or alcohol or made unsuccessful attempts to do so?
3. Do you or your loved spend a great deal of time finding, using, or recovering from drugs or alcohol?
4. Do you or your loved have strong urges or powerful cravings to use drugs or alcohol?
5. Has your or loved one’s use of drugs or alcohol resulted in your inability to meet your or their obligations at work, home, or school?
6. Have you or your loved had to cut back on or abandon social, professional, or recreational activities due to your or their use of drugs or alcohol?
7. Have you or your loved repeatedly used drugs or alcohol when it was hazardous to do so, such as while driving a car or operating machinery?
8. Have you or your loved experienced social or relationship problems due to your or their use of drugs or alcohol and kept using anyway?
9. Have you or your loved kept using drugs or alcohol knowing that it has caused or worsened physical or mental health issues?
10. When you or your loved attempt to cut back on or stop your use of drugs or alcohol, have you or do they experienced uncomfortable physical or mental health symptoms (withdrawal)?
Key
If your answer was “yes” 1-3 times, you have a mild substance use disorder
If your answer was “yes” 4-6 times, you have a moderate substance use disorder
If your answer was “yes” 7 or more times, you have a severe substance use disorder
Finding Help for Addiction
Whether you’re reading this article for yourself or someone else, there are many things you can do to fight back against addiction. Here are some options you can start implementing to make a difference:
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a behavioral therapy modality that has the goal of understanding the thoughts and feelings that drive behavior. According to the methodology of behavioral therapies, thoughts, feelings, and actions are interconnected. What may start out as a thought can influence how you feel, and in turn, how you behave.
Finding the motivation
It’s important to understand the motivating force that leads you to seek recovery. Recovery doesn’t just happen when you enter a treatment program, the same way seeing a therapist doesn’t solve the reason you made an appointment. The work starts with you. You must be the driving force behind your own recovery.
Understanding Your needs
Not all substance abuse treatment programs are made the same. It’s important to inquire about treatment methods and additional services, so that you can be confident in the help you will be receiving. At Footprints to Recovery, we are a dual-diagnosis program— this means we specialize in treating co-occurring disorders (like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, etc.) alongside alcohol or substance use disorders.
Keep a Journal
Sometimes writing down how you feel, or even writing about anything, can help you to better understand where you’re at mentally and emotionally. It’s important to have some type of log that can help you keep track of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, because this will help you (and a licensed mental health professional) be able to spot trends or commonalities.
If you are looking for treatment for substance abuse or addiction, you’re not alone—we’re here to support you every step of the way.
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