Stimulants: Definition and types of drugs included within

Stimulants are exciting materials for the nervous system which when consumed in large quantities makes its practitioner angry, and active. Some stimulants are illegal and some stimulants are taken according to a doctor’s prescription, and its impact on the brain varies. Stimulants types are:

1.Caffeine:

Caffeine is the simplest type of stimulants and it is found in certain types of foods and beverages such as chocolate, coffee and soft drinks.

2. Cocaine:

Cocaine is made of the Coca plant’s paper and is available in the form of white powder used by way of inhalation.

3. Crack:

Crack is a type of cocaine which is smoked, not inhaled.

4. Amphetamine:

Amphetamine is a type of pills prescribed sometimes by doctors to solve medical problems. It is sometimes called Speed.

5. Methamphetamine:

Methamphetamine is a type of amphetamine. It may be in the form of solid material called Snow, or a powder called Crack. It is smoked or injected.

Crack is a very dangerous drug because it is made from the imperfections of cocaine. It sends high levels of cocaine in the bloodstream thus damaging the heart and leading to sudden death.

Cocaine:

Definition:

Cocaine is a drug that excites the brain. It is made from the coca’s plant paper. Cocaine is one of the strongest types of drugs leading to addiction.

Cocaine is known by several other names including: Coke, Snow, Candy Nose, Flake, Big C, Lady, White, and Snow Bird. Rock is also known by Rock and Freebase.

Inhaling cocaine harms the interior area of the nose and exposes the abuser to nose bleeding, nose pain as well as the loss of the smell and taste senses.

Means of use:

1.Inhalation: which is harmful to the nose
2.Smoking: which is more dangerous than inhalation because it harms the lungs
3.Injection: which is the most dangerous means of use because it leads the stimulant directly to the brain and causes the overdose; besides, it hurts the arteries and exposes the abuser to the risk of getting infectious diseases by sharing needles with others.

Finally, it is important to note that sharing needles for injection with others causes infectious diseases such as Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.

Effects on the brain and blood vessels:

Cocaine leads to narrowing the arteries and reducing the rate of blood flow thus causing an increase in the speed of heartbeat as well as irregular beating.

Cocaine and Amphetamine alter the way the brain works by altering the way that the nerve cells correspond with each other through chemical mediums called “neurotransmitters”. Cocaine affects dopamine, one of the chemical mediators which make the abuser overjoyed for a short period of time. It has been scientifically proved that chronic cocaine abuse leads to the reduction of the quantity of dopamine in the brain, consequently, the need for further cocaine doses increases.

Cocaine is a strong cause of addiction, especially if it is of the Crack type, since scientific studies have proven that animals addicted on Cocaine prefer cocaine to food, even when they are starving. This is due to the fact that addiction is physical and psychological, and a single dose of the drug is able to make the abuser addicted.

Close-term effects:

Cocaine causes the following effects in the close-term:

1.Narrowing the arteries
2.Expansion in the iris
3.High fever
4.Increase in the heart rate
5.High blood pressure
6.No appetite
7.Feeling of dissatisfaction
8.Unease

Opposed to popular belief, the cocaine addict does not have a good performance at work, sports, school and sexual activity. On the contrary, his chronic use of cocaine results in a poor concentration ability, tension, loss of memory and anxiety in addition to the loss of energy and the loss of interest in sex.

Generally, the impact of cocaine extends to short term periods of around 10 minutes. When this impact disappears, the cocaine addict experiences frustration, agitation and fatigue.

Long-term effects:

The abuse of cocaine causes abnormal behavior on the long-term including stress, anxiety, frustration and aggression. Moreover, the chronic cocaine inhalation causes sores in the nose which are so difficult to treat.

Finally, cocaine abuse might lead to death.