Brain + Drugs = ?
Brain + Drugs = ?
This series is designed to encourage young people to learn about the effects of
drug abuse on the body and the brain. The explanations are simplified to help
everyone understand.
Marijuana - You may have heard it called pot, weed, grass, ganja or skunk, but
marijuana by any other name is still a drug that affects the brain.
Opiates - Maybe you've heard of drugs called heroin, morphine or codeine. These
are examples of opiates. If someone uses opiates again and again, his or her
brain is likely to become dependent on them.
Inhalants - Hair spray, gasoline, spray paint -- they are all inhalants, and so are
lots of other everyday products. Some people inhale the vapors on purpose.
Hallucinogens - Hallucinogens cause people to experience - you guessed it -
hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real.
Anabolic Steroids - Anabolic steroids are artificial versions of a hormone that's in
all of us -- testosterone. Some people take anabolic steroid pills or injections to
try to build muscle faster.
Stimulants - Stimulant drugs such as cocaine, "crack," amphetamines, and
caffeine are substances that speed up activity in the brain and spinal cord.
Stimulants often influence a person to be more talkative and anxious and to
experience feelings of exhilaration.
Nicotine - When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed by the lungs and quickly
moved into the bloodstream, where it is circulated throughout the brain.
Methamphetamine - Methamphetamine comes in many different forms and is
snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked. Methamphetamine can cause lots of
harmful things, including inability to sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness, and
hallucinations.

