Types of illegal DRUGS

Since the beginning of time there has been the use of psychoactive substances. The way in which societies use different drugs, the purposes for which they do so (for example, recreational, medical-curative or magical-religious) and the attitudes of their members towards them, constitute indicators of their evolution, helping us to understand the appearance and consumption of each substance in different cultures. In this Psychology-Online article we will explain the types of illegal drugs, keeping in mind what they are, what their effects are and what types of illegal drugs exist today.

Index

1. What are illegal drugs?
2. Effects of illegal drugs
3. Types of illegal drugs
4. Illegal depressant drugs
5. Illegal stimulant drugs
6. Illegal psychedelic drugs

One of the classifications of drugs is that of legal and illegal swallows. Illegal drugs are those that its consumption or distribution is not allowed in a certain society. So, a substance can be a legal or an illegal drug depending on the culture. For example, alcohol has different connotations and meaning in a Mediterranean society than in an Anglo-Saxon society, or cannabis is legalized in the Netherlands and not in Spain. Thus, what marks the illegality of the substance are the norms established by each specific society.

The effects of the substance will be very different depending on the person that consumes them. The effects of illegal drugs vary according to age (child, adolescent, adult, elderly), weight (plasma concentration per kilogram of weight) and sex. The same substance may have a different effect if it is a mentally healthy adult or a person diagnosed with schizophrenia or another mental illness. The same dose of drug can have different effects on a person depending on their expectations, their mood, their physical state, etc.

It will depend on many factors that the consumption is problematic, creating a physical or mental dependence on the substance and tolerance.

• Physical dependency: it is characterized by the appearance of a series of pathological manifestations when drug administration is interrupted, which are called withdrawal syndrome.
• Psychological dependence: psychological dependence is a state in which a drug produces a feeling of satisfaction and a urge to periodically or continuously take the drug to experience pleasure or to avoid or discomfort.
• Tolerance: it is characterized by a decrease in responses to the same amount of drug or by the need to consume a higher dose to achieve the same effect.

On the other hand, there are situations in which drug use has consequences for third parties, such as pregnant women or drivers.

Drugs can be classified according to their origin, sociological situation, legality, degree of danger, but the most accepted drug classification is that of the WHO. In this classification, drugs are grouped according to their effects on behavior, classifying them as drugs depressants, stimulants and psychedelics. Therefore, the types of illegal drugs are:

1. Illegal depressant drugs
2. Illegal stimulant drugs
3. Illegal psychedelic drugs

They generate great dependency and tolerance. They first depress the functioning of the Central Nervous System, generating a lower judgment, less ability to think and more primitive behaviors. Second, they act on the autonomic nervous system. Not all depressant drugs are illegal in Spain, such as alcohol, sedatives, anxiolytics and inhalants (chemicals). However, the depressant drug considered illegal in Spain is opium and its derivatives. That is, illegal stimulant-type drugs are opium and derivatives: heroin, codeine, matadone... This set of substances are powerful analgesics, which induce a state of relaxation, indifference, tranquility and euphoria.

Regarding the route of administration of this type of drug, it can be:

• Smoked
• Injected (the one with the highest risk of infections)
• Snort

The effects of illegal depressant drugs are:

• Inner peace
• Tranquility
• Harmony with yourself
• Great addiction
• Intense, fast and powerful effect

In summary, it is a very addictive drug, which produces very pleasant effects, great tolerance and great psychological dependence, but above all physical. Its effects last between 6 and 8 hours.

Illegal stimulant drugs are substances that generate great tolerance and psychological dependence. Within stimulant drugs we can find the presence of legal drugs such as tobacco and xanthines. However, the stimulant drugs considered illegal in Spain are the following:

Cocaine

Coca is the leaf that produces a decrease in sleep, hunger and a high increase in fatigue. On the other hand, cocaine favors vigor, lucidity and omnipotence. It works as a great local anesthetic and the ability to generate addiction depends on the route of administration: intravenous and smoking generates more addiction than snorted.

The route of administration of cocaine depends on the format of the substance and can be: coca paste, the first extraction process from the coca leaves that are smoked mixed with tobacco or marijuana; the cocaine hydrochloride, that is to say, the popular cocaine, which is the alkaloid that is extracted from the leaves of the plant; and the base cocaine, which is presented in crystallized form as small 100 mg stones. The popular name of crack comes from the crackling noise produced by cocaine base crystals when they are heated, but especially when they are smoked directly through rolls or a pipe.

Regarding the effects of this type of illegal drug, we can differentiate between short-term and long-term effects. The short term effectsof cocaine They are:

• Euphoria
• Increased energy
• Disinhibition
• Increased curiosity
• Interest in the environment
• Increased self-esteem
• Feeling of omnipotence
• Loss of appetite
• Loquacity

On the other hand, long-term effects of cocaine are as follows:

• Depression
• Increased anxiety
• Irritability
• Paranoia
• Decreased self-esteem
• Decreased energy
• Impaired judgment
• Decreased REM sleep
• Hypervigilance
• Agitation
• Confusion and inability to concentrate
• Tactile hallucinations: bugs under the skin
• Paranoid psychosis that can become chronic

Amphetamines

It is an illegal stimulant drug that is reminiscent of the effects of cocaine: it excites, keeps you from sleeping and takes away your hunger. Facilitates the release of neurotransmitters (adrenaline and dopamine) and tolerance is very high.

Regarding the route of administration, it is usually consumed in the form of pills, but it can also be injected or taken as a powder (speed). The most potent and fastest-acting group are methamphetamines.

The effects of this type of illegal drug can be separated into psychological effects and physiological effects. The psychological effects of amphetamines are as follows:

• Excitement
• Agitation
• Euphoria
• Increased self-esteem
• Feelings of greatness
• Verbiage
• Alert and surveillance
• Increased physical activity
• Increased aggressiveness and irritability

On the other hand, physiological effects of amphetamines They are:

• Decrease in hunger
• Tachycardia
• Insomnia
• Dry mouth
• Sweating
• Increased blood pressure
• Incrise of cardiac frecuency
• Jaw contraction
• Decreased feeling of tiredness and fatigue
• Increased body temperature

Psychedelic drugs produce a distortion of perception and sensation, mimicking a psychotic state. It is difficult to objectify psychological or physical dependence. Among these types of illegal drugs we find:

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens produce their effect by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin, causing behavioral and perceptual alterations, including mood, decreased hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception. The risk of its consumption is that there is a crisis or Psychotic attack and that reaches a psychotic disorder, however, they have little risk of addiction, because they do not generate physical or psychological dependence. The most common is LSD and its route of administration is oral.

The effects of this type of illegal drug are the following:

• Altered perception, including self-image
• Sensory hypersensitivity
• Deformation of the perception of time and space
• Hallucinations
• Delusional ideas
• Euphoria
• Mental confusion
• Hyperactivity
• Mystical experience

Cannabis

That is, marijuana or hashish. This type of drug alters perception with euphoria, disinhibition, memory leaks, degree of drowsiness and confusion. Regarding the route of administration, its consumption is mostly smoked.

The effects of this type of illegal drug can be separated into psychological and physiological effects. The psychological effects of cannabis They are:

• Relaxation
• Hilarity
• Feeling that time passes very slowly
• Sensory disturbances
• Difficulty in the correct functioning of complex functions (such as expressing oneself clearly, immediate memory, concentration and learning)
• Predominance of sedation in a second phase (drowsiness, relaxation and sleep)

It also has these physiological effects:

• Increased appetite
• Dry mouth
• Bright red eyes
• Tachycardia
• Drowsiness
• Uncoordinated movements

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Types of illegal drugs, we recommend that you enter our category of Addictions.

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