Drug Working

Mind Altering Drugs

How a Drug works?

Each psychotic drug may have a different effect on each user. For instance, marijuana makes some users act out-going and talkative; others become self-contained and quiet. Even the same user taking the same amount of the drug can react differently each time. This is because the psychotic effect of the drug depends on four factors.

The dose. How much of the drug is taken and how strong is the drug? It is hard to tell the strength of the drug. Drugs may become weaker over a period of time because of chemical changes within the drug; also the conditions of the manufacture of the drug and the place where it is grown will influence its strength. LSD manufactured in a street laboratory may be very strong or very weak. Marijuana comes from different countries and varies in THC content.

The person's body. Each person is different in his body constitution. Reaction to a drug may be different depending on how big or small a person is. It takes more alcohol to make a big person drunk than a small person.

The food a person has eaten may slow down or speed up the effects of some drugs. The nature of the other constituents of the body can determine how rapidly or strongly the effect of the drug will be. If a person has used a drug regularly, the body may require more of the drug to produce the desired effect. Very experienced users may be able to take a dose of some drugs that would kill an inexperienced user or make him very ill.

The route. How is the drug being taken ? A drug may be swallowed, injected, smoked or inhaled. The quicker it gets into the blood stream, the faster it gets to the brain and the nervous system to produce the effects.

Highlights

Dealing with normal adolescent
Rebellion

Hobbies

Peer Pressure

Articles

Related Issues

(Mind Altering Drugs)

Developing a healthy approach to life

How a drug works?

Reasons for the use of psychotic drugs

Parental handling of the psychotic drug problem

Resisting harmful peer group pressure

FAQs

The quickest way into the blood stream is by injection - the drug is injected directly into the vein with a needle. Inhaling is also quick. The drug enters the blood stream through the thin blood vessels of the nose or lungs. When a drug is swallowed, it is absorbed into the blood stream through the walls of the stomach or small intestines. Drugs lose their effects and leave the body through the kidney, bowels or lungs at different rates of speed.

Set and setting. A person trying a drug usually has a number of ideas as to what is going to happen. This is called the mind set. These ideas are usually based on what a person has heard or read, the previous experience with drugs, and the mood of the person when taking the drug. This setting or environment will influence the effects of the drug.

A user who is very anxious about a drug experience may be more likely to have a panic reaction than someone who is not. Sometimes having a definite idea about what will happen can cause a reaction even when the drug itself would not have caused it. For example, if a person is told that a certain drug will make him or her see blue butterflies, then he or she will tend to see blue butterflies.

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