Furthermore, the quality and contents of illegal drugs are generally unknown, and the doses can vary substantially from purchase to purchase. In low to moderate doses, alcohol first acts to remove social inhibitions by slowing activity in the sympathetic nervous system. A depressant is a psychoactive drug that reduces the activity of the CNS. a. Depressants are widely used as prescription medicines to relieve pain, to lower heart rate and respiration, and as anticonvulsants. The hallucinogens are frequently known as psychedelics. Drugs in this class include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, or Acid), mescaline, and phencyclidine (PCP), as well as a number of natural plants including cannabis (marijuana), peyote, and psilocybin. How do psychoactive drugs affect the central nervous system? MDMA (ecstasy, molly) drug facts. Alcohol use also leads to rioting, unprotected sex, and other negative outcomes. They affect how a person thinks, feels and behaves. Many psychoactive drugs have multiple effects, so they may be placed in more than one class. Consider the research reported in the research focus on risk and cigarette smoking. It's interesting to note that psychoactive drugs can be stimulants or depressants. Barbiturates (Seconal, Nembutal) are depressant psychoactive drugs that were once used as sleeping aids. Dissociative drugs are believed to disrupt the action of glutamate, a brain chemical that is involved with memories, cognition, emotions, and how people perceive pain. As a result, fluid builds up in the brain. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This allows the drugs to attach onto and activate the neurons. Particularly when used in combination with psychotherapy, psychotropic drugs can be powerful tools in managing conditions such as borderline personality disorder (BPD), anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia. Some of these experiences can feel pleasurable and profound, while others can feel frightening. When we are sober, we realize that being aggressive may produce retaliation, as well as cause a host of other problems, but we are less likely to realize these potential consequences when we have been drinking (Bushman & Cooper, 1990). Both physical and psychological dependence are important parts of this disorder. They can mimic neurotransmitters and attach to receptor sites. Some also cause euphoria, increased energy, sleepiness, hallucinations, and more. Marijuana also acts as a stimulant, producing giggling, laughing, and mild intoxication. What are the short-term effects of cocaine use? Cigarette smokers who try to quit, for example, experience physical withdrawal symptoms, such as becoming tired and irritable, as well as extreme psychological cravings to enjoy a cigarette in particular situations, such as after a meal or when they are with friends. Escalation of drug use in early-onset cannabis users vs co-twin controls. A major problem is the crash that results when the drug loses its effectiveness and the activity of the neurotransmitters returns to normal. Alcohol and social behavior: I. Robins, Davis, and Goodwin (1974) found that the majority of soldiers who had become addicted to morphine while overseas were quickly able to stop using after returning home. 12.2 Anxiety and Dissociative Disorders: Fearing the World Around Us, 12.4 Schizophrenia: The Edge of Reality and Consciousness, 12.6 Somatoform, Factitious, and Sexual Disorders, 13.1 Reducing Disorder by Confronting It: Psychotherapy, 13.2 Reducing Disorder Biologically: Drug and Brain Therapy, 13.3 Reducing Disorder by Changing the Social Situation. Examples of psychoactive drugs and substances include alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, marijuana, and certain pain medicines. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 32(2), 275285. However, some may have negative effects after taking the drug, such as feeling panic, fear, and distrust. Heroin is an illegal drug that binds to opioid receptors in the brain, causing a rush of pleasurable sensations. In recent years, cannabis has again been frequently prescribed for the treatment of pain and nausea, particularly in cancer sufferers, as well as for a wide variety of other physical and psychological disorders (Ben Amar, 2006). This is not to say that smoking marijuana cannot be deadly, but it is much less likely to be deadly than is heroin. Cannabinoids in medicine: A review of their therapeutic potential. Despite the initial feelings of euphoria, heroin can cause a slower heart rate, feelings of sleepiness, and clouded thinking. Supporting the hypothesis that risk tolerance is related to smoking, Lejuez et al. This is the most common form of legal psychoactive drug. Lots of very ordinary substances are recreational drugs: tea and coffee alter mood and cognition as does chocolate; obviously alcohol and tobacco are recreational drugs that are sold and used legally (with certain restrictions). The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is found in humans and other mammals and consists of different endocannabinoids. Many depressant medications also have the potential to be addictive. Stimulants may cause someone to feel a sense of euphoria, excitement, or increased energy. Can poor sleep impact your weight loss goals? While certain drugs like Marijuana have been used for medical purposes to treat both physical and psychological disorders, such Psychopharmacology: study of the ways drugs affect the nervous system and behavior Psychoactive drug: substance that acts to alter mood, thought, or behavior used to manage neuropsychological illness-To be effective, a psychoactive drug must reach its nervous system target Define catabolized, agonist, antagonist, affinity, efficacy. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 2553; Steele, C. M., & Southwick, L. (1985). Methamphetamine Addiction Methamphetamines increase dopamine levels in the brain. The drugs that produce the most extreme alteration of consciousness are the hallucinogens, psychoactive drugs that alter sensation and perception and that may create hallucinations. People have used, and often abused, psychoactive drugs for thousands of years. And students binge drink in part when they see that many other people around them are also binging (Clapp, Reed, Holmes, Lange, & Voas, 2006). Depending on the situation, the effects of psychoactive drugs may be beneficial or harmful. Bushman, B. J. Marijuana also interferes with levels of dopamine in the brain, causing the euphoric high that users document. NIDA warns that even long-term abstinence may not reverse all of the negative brain changes incurred by meth abuse. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan (conducted for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Health). hallucinogens affect your senses and change the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things. Psychoactive drugs create negative effects not so much through their initial use but through the continued use, accompanied by increasing doses, that ultimately may lead to drug abuse. This does not mean that using recreational drugs is not dangerous. This is because heroin increases blood pressure. Nicotine content in cigarettes has slowly increased over the years, making quitting smoking more and more difficult. Find your insurance. Relationship Between Substance Abuse and Panic Attacks, Treatment Options for Co-Occurring Disorders, The Connection Between Anxiety and Addiction. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 8(2), 7585. While CNS depressants all share an ability to reduce activity in the central nervous system . Alcohol and illicit drugs (like cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, prescription pain killers, etc.) This drug delivery platform can be used to treat cancers in the brain and other sites of the body, as well as other inflammation-related diseases in the central nervous system and elsewhere. Psychoactive drugs are drugs that affect the Central Nervous System, altering its regular activity. East Norwalk, CT: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Opioids have become a national epidemic. LSD and other hallucinogens can cause a person to experience, hear, or see things that do not exist. Opioids are chemicals that increase activity in opioid receptor neurons in the brain and in the digestive system, producing euphoria, analgesia, slower breathing, and constipation. Cocaine and meth, especially, produce an intense high as they rapidly flood the brain with dopamine. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. CNS stimulants are associated with a number of severe and undesirable side effects such as: Depersonalization (a feeling that you are an observer of yourself) Dizziness. Some may even suffer from a serious disorder called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder, or HPPD, which interferes with daily life functioning in the form of ongoing visual disturbances and hallucinations, or persistent psychosis, a series of mental problems that continue after drug use is stopped. High doses can cause heart failure or seizures. Long-term damage includes the following issues: Acute changes to neurotransmitters. What is the Common Comorbidity in Substance Abuse? Caffeine acts as a stimulant that can aid alertness. For example, some illegal drug makers mix drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA, with a powerful synthetic opioid called fentanyl. Because more of these neurotransmitters remain active in the brain, the result is an increase in the activity of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). (2015). Johnston, L. D., OMalley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2004). MDMA, also called molly or ecstasy, can have both stimulant and hallucinogen effects. Death to brain cells. For instance, we might normally notice the presence of a police officer or other people around us, which would remind us that being aggressive is not appropriate. There are many types of hallucinations and possible causes, including drugs and, Microdosing involves taking a very small dose of some popular hallucinogenic substances. Addiction is a common problem in many countries. Barbiturate intoxication and overdose. Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Central Nervous System. Psychological Bulletin, 107(3), 341354. It acts to enhance perception of sights, sounds, and smells, and may produce a sensation of time slowing down. What Is a Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Program? MDMA interferes with the way the brain processes information and stores memories, and with long-term use, these cognitive issues can become more pronounced. DREs classify drugs in one of seven categories: central nervous system (CNS) depressants, CNS stimulants, hallucinogens, dissociative anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, inhalants, and cannabis. This can result in impaired motor functions, auditory and visual distortions, memory loss, anxiety, numbness, and body tremors. In many cases people are able to get past the physical dependence, allowing them to quit smoking at least temporarily. 1. Nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine are all types of psychoactive substances that people frequently consume. Withdrawal symptoms can include: depression. Alcohol is the oldest and most widely used drug of abuse in the world. Many people who struggle with substance use disorders are either unaware or refuse to acknowledge that drugs are causing negative consequences in their lives. Some depressants include alcohol, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Drugs with lower ratios are more dangerous because the difference between the normal and the lethal dose is small. Psychoactive drugs may be legal prescription medications (e.g., codeine and morphine), legal nonprescription drugs (e.g., alcohol and tobacco), or illegal drugs (cocaine and LSD). Breathing and respiration problems, chronic cough, and bronchitis are additional possible consequences of chronic marijuana smoking. Addiction. Despite the fact that young people have experimented with cigarettes, alcohol, and other dangerous drugs for many generations, it would be better if they did not. The central nervous system controls both voluntary movements, such as those involved in walking and in speech, and involuntary movements, such as breathing and reflex actions. Depressants, including, alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines, decrease consciousness by increasing the production of the neurotransmitter GABA and decreasing the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. These include: There are several different examples of psychoactive substances, and they all have different effects on the body and brain. The chemical compositions of the hallucinogens are similar to the neurotransmitters serotonin and epinephrine, and they act primarily as agonists by mimicking the action of serotonin at the synapses. In higher doses, alcohol acts on the cerebellum to interfere with coordination and balance, producing the staggering gait of drunkenness. Examples of stimulants are nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, ecstasy and the methamphetamines, speed and ice. Ecstasy stimulates a sense of emotional closeness and warmth, while enhancing and distorting the senses, heightening energy levels, decreasing anxiety, and increasing feelings of pleasure. Chapter 6 Define psychopharmacology and psychoactive drug. Academic and social motives and drinking behavior. The opioids activate the sympathetic division of the ANS, causing blood pressure and heart rate to increase, often to dangerous levels that can lead to heart attack or stroke. Because more of these neurotransmitters remain active in the brain, the result is an increase in the activity of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The effects of the stimulant methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as Ecstasy, provide a good example. Caffeine is the most widely consumed central-nervous-system stimulant. Find out more about the health risks of smoking. Heart failure: Could a low sodium diet sometimes do more harm than good? Drunk in public, drunk in private: The relationship between college students, drinking environments and alcohol consumption. . MDMA also affects the temperature-regulating mechanisms of the brain, so in high doses, and especially when combined with vigorous physical activity like dancing, it can cause the body to become so drastically overheated that users can literally burn up and die from hyperthermia and dehydration. Effects of stimulants include increased heart and breathing rates, pupil dilation, and increases in blood sugar accompanied by decreases in appetite. All rights reserved. They also suppress appetite. Review the evidence regarding the dangers of recreational drugs. A stimulant is a psychoactive drug that operates by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the synapses of the CNS. How Do Drugs & Alcohol Affect the Endocrine System? However, it can also reduce a persons ability to think rationally and lead to impaired judgment. People sometimes use these as recreational drugs, as they can give a person a rush of euphoria and increase energy and alertness. In this way Chantix dampens nicotine withdrawal symptoms and cravings. When the user powerfully craves the drug and is driven to seek it out, over and over again, no matter what the physical, social, financial, and legal cost, we say that he or she has developed an addiction to the drug. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. People generally class alcohol as a depressant because it slows down a persons thinking and responses. 23(4), 564576. Reports note intense cravings similar to what methamphetamine users experience. A percentage of individuals (likely around 5 percent) may experience flashbacks, or a reoccurrence of symptoms, randomly and without warning months or even years after using a hallucinogenic drug, the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology publishes. Marijuana also has several long-term side effects on the brain, which are especially prevalent in individuals who use the drug before the brain is fully developed. One way to determine how dangerous recreational drugs are is to calculate a safety ratio, based on the dose that is likely to be fatal divided by the normal dose needed to feel the effects of the drug. Although all recreational drugs are dangerous, some can be more deadly than others. Depressants can make people feel sleepy, relaxed, or calm. This class of psychoactive drugs includes ketamine and PCP (phenyl cyclohexyl piperidine or phencyclidine). The brain stem controls life-sustaining functions, including sleeping, breathing, and heart rate, while the limbic system holds the brains reward circuitry and helps to control emotions and the ability to feel happiness. Psychedelic therapy is the use of plants and compounds that can induce hallucinations to treat mental health diagnoses, such as depression and PTSD, Hallucinations are sensory experiences that exist only in the mind. Effects include increased breathing and heart rate, dilated pupils, dehydration, increased color perception, a state of empathetic well-being (feeling as though one is at peace with everyone and everything), and visual distortion: things may appear to move, shapes may appear on textures and exhibit a kaleidoscope-like effect, or lighting may They are synthetic compounds introduced into medicine to produce an anesthetic loss of sensation without depressing respiration and cardiovascular function as do the general anesthetics. In addition, many illegal drugs, such as heroin, LSD, cocaine, and meth are also psychoactive substances. Eighty percent of the adolescents indicated that they had never tried even a puff of a cigarette, and 20% indicated that they had had at least one puff of a cigarette. Medline Plus. They cause changes in a person's mood, behavior, and awareness (like time and space). Cocaine abuse and addiction. Cocaine, methamphetamine (meth), and prescription amphetamines, such as those used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) like Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine) and Ritalin (methylphenidate) are classified as stimulant drugs. Abbey, A., Ross, L. T., McDuffie, D., & McAuslan, P. (1996). Since cocaine also tends to decrease appetite, chronic users may also become malnourished. American Journal of Epidemiology, 99, 235249. Our admissions navigators are available to help 24/7 to discuss treatment. Want to create or adapt books like this? Organic solvents may produce encephalopathy, cerebellar dysfunction, optic and other cranial neuropathies, parkinsonism, and peripheral neuropathy ( 1, 4, 5 ). Cocaine has a variety of adverse effects on the body. Opioids, including codeine, opium, morphine and heroin, produce euphoria and analgesia by increasing activity in opioid receptor neurons. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 67(3), 382390. These experiences are unpredictable and vary from person to person. Some brand names of amphetamines are Adderall, Benzedrine, Dexedrine, and Vyvanse. (2007). These drugs are generally illegal and carry with them potential criminal consequences if one is caught and arrested. If we expect that alcohol will make us more aggressive, then we tend to become more aggressive when we drink. Are you covered for addiction treatment? The crash that comes after a stimulant high can be significant, leaving a person feeling extremely fatigued, hungry, irritable, mentally confused, and depressed, which is followed by intense cravings. Psychoactive drugs are drugs that affect the Central Nervous System (CNS), altering its regular activity. Other common risks of psychoactive substances include: Seeking help for addiction may seem daunting or even scary, but several organizations can provide support. The adverse effects of ecstasy abuse and/or overdose include hyperthermia, high blood pressure, panic attacks, faintness, involuntary teeth clenching, impaired vision, nausea, sweating, chills, arrhythmia, heart failure, renal failure, dehydration, loss of consciousness, and seizures. A multilevel analysis. Common brand names of prescription opioids include OxyContin and Percocet. Inability to sleep. Different drugs have varying risks, but some are common among psychoactive drugs. However, these drugs form part of a larger category of psychoactive substances, several of which are legal. Snorting cocaine tends to cause a high that averages about 15 to 30 minutes. Opioid drugs are considered highly addictive, as ASAM publishes that almost a quarter of heroin users will suffer from addiction to opioids. Chapter 12: Defining Psychological Disorders, Chapter 13: Treating Psychological Disorders, Chapter 14: Psychology in Our Social Lives, Table 5.2 Popular Recreational Drugs and Their Safety Ratios, http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=mg18725181.700, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000951.htm, http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/cocaine/cocaine.html, http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/HSYouthTrends.html, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/BuyingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/UCM205286.pdf, Next: 5.3 Altering Consciousness Without Drugs, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Brand names include Centrax, Dalmane, Doral, Halcion, Librium, ProSom, Restoril, Xanax, and Valium. While depressants are the drugs which slow down the nervous system, stimulants are the ones which stimulate the central nervous system and speed up the messaging process. Based on what you have learned in this section, why do you think that they are used, and do you think that their side effects are harmful? Learn more about psilocybin here. It is the world's . (2018). Human aggression while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs: An integrative research review. Hallucinogens can alter a persons senses and cause them to see or hear things that are not there. For instance, heroin has a safety ratio of 6 because the average fatal dose is only 6 times greater than the average effective dose. Dissociative drugs are believed to disrupt the action of glutamate, a brain chemical that is involved with memories, cognition, emotions, and how people perceive pain. Some people who use it feel increased empathy and emotional closeness, an elevated mood, and increased energy. For instance, ingesting alcohol or benzodiazepines along with the usual dose of heroin is a frequent cause of overdose deaths in opiate addicts, and combining alcohol and cocaine can have a dangerous impact on the cardiovascular system (McCance-Katz, Kosten, & Jatlow, 1998). After all, stimulant medications are powerful psychoactive substances, which are prohibited to use without medical prescriptions, under federal drug laws. Although the level of physical dependency is small, amphetamines may produce very strong psychological dependence, effectively amounting to addiction. The methylated version of amphetamine, methamphetamine (meth or crank), is currently favored by users, partly because it is available in ampoules ready for use by injection (Csaky & Barnes, 1984). It can make someone feel calm, relaxed, or euphoric. Psychotropic drugs are medications that alter mood, perceptions, and behavior. c. They can increase the speed with which the CNS gives commands to the body. Also, initiating marijuana use before turning age 18 raises the risk for addiction as an adult. Psychoactive drugs are classified as stimulants, hallucinogens, or depressants based . Irritability. From first drug use to drug dependence: Developmental periods of risk for dependence upon marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. All recreational drug use is associated with at least some risks, and those who begin using drugs earlier are also more likely to use more dangerous drugs later (Lynskey et al., 2003). Hallucinogens like mushrooms, LSD, DMT, and ayahuasca affect the brain differently. The chemical compositions of the hallucinogens are similar to the neurotransmitters serotonin and epinephrine, and they act primarily by mimicking them. Nicotine is the main cause for the dependence-forming properties of tobacco use, and tobacco use is a major health threat. Continued use of stimulants may result in severe psychological depression. Most experts feel that using small amounts of caffeine during pregnancy is safe, but larger amounts of caffeine can be harmful to the fetus (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2007). When heroin was produced a few decades later, it was also initially thought to be a more potent, less addictive painkiller but was soon found to be much more addictive than morphine. Can you see any weaknesses in the study caused by the fact that the results are based on correlational analyses. Stimulants increase the activity of the central nervous system, making the person more alert and aroused. Psychoactive drugs are usually broken down into four categories: depressants, stimulants, opioids, and hallucinogens. Psychoactive drugs belong to a broader category of psychoactive substances that include also alcohol and nicotine. tolerance Continued use of psychoactive drugs leads to.. tolerance the need to take increasing amounts of a drug to get the same effect tolerance They can come in the form of prescription medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or narcolepsy, with the brand names Adderall or Dexedrine. Opiates can cause euphoria and have a tranquilizing effect. found that the tendency to take risks was indeed correlated with cigarette use: The participants who indicated that they had puffed on a cigarette had significantly higher risk-taking scores on the BART than did those who had never tried smoking. Until it was banned in the United States under the Marijuana Tax Act of 1938, it was widely used for medical purposes. Comparison of acute lethal toxicity of commonly abused psychoactive substances. Drugs are chemicals that affect the body's structure or function. With the ability to change the brain's functionality, they quickly alter mood, perception, and consciousness. They cause changes in a person's mood, behavior, and awareness (like time and space). Even for a highly addictive drug like cocaine, only about 15% of users become addicted (Robinson & Berridge, 2003; Wagner & Anthony, 2002). This method of drug use provides the highest intensity and quickest onset of the initial rush but is also the most dangerous. Give two examples. b. At the same time the drugs also influence the parasympathetic division, leading to constipation and other negative side effects. As tolerance increases, so does the risk of drug dependency, addiction, and withdrawal. (Ed.). Caffeine is a bitter psychoactive drug found in the beans, leaves, and fruits of plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide. What are the immediate (short-term) effects of heroin use? The DRE categorization process is premised on these long-standing, medically accepted facts. Medicines in my home: Caffeine and your body. It constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils, and increases body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Psychoactive drugs are chemicals that change our state of consciousness. As you can see in Table 5.1 Psychoactive Drugs by Class, the four primary classes of psychoactive drugs are stimulants, depressants, opioids, and hallucinogens. Alcohol is not a safe drug by any meansits safety ratio is only 10. Other effects of stimulants include hallucinations as well as bizarre thoughts and paranoia that approaches schizophrenia. Beside this, how do drugs affect the central nervous system? Low-tolerance people tend to make a few pumps and then collect the money, whereas more risky people pump more times into each balloon. Using psychoactive drugs may create tolerance and, when they are no longer used, withdrawal. High enough blood levels such as those produced by guzzling large amounts of hard liquor at parties can be fatal. . Children try drugs when their friends convince them to do it, and these decisions are based on social norms about the risks and benefits of various drugs. The cerebral cortex is considered the thinking center of the brain, managing problem-solving, planning, and decision-making abilities as well as helping people to process information provided by their senses. Psychoactive drugs affect the body's central nervous system. Remember that there is no safe level of drug use. The effects of all psychoactive drugs occur through their interactions with our endogenous neurotransmitter systems. A stimulant is a psychoactive drug that operates by blocking the reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin in the synapses of the CNS. First of all, cocaine stimulates the release of dopamine into the empty spaces between neurons, essentially flooding the brain with this neurotransmitter. Industry Accreditations, Reviews & Ratings. These slow down the central nervous system, having an impact on both mental and physical activity. A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in . These drugs are called opioids partly because they activate the opioid receptors on nerve cells, mimicking the effects of pain-relieving chemicals that would otherwise be produced naturally. If you believe that you or someone close to you is showing signs of addiction, you can contact the following organizations for immediate help and advice: Psychoactive drugs alter the way a person thinks, acts, and feels. However, when there is a dopamine surge, people may become nervous, irritable, aggressive, or paranoid. Respond in an appropriate manner to the sensory inputs. Caffeine acts as a mood enhancer and provides energy. are all psychoactive drugs. When there are high levels of dopamine, a person will feel their mood enhances (feelings of euphoria) and increased motor activity. A depressant is a drug that tends to suppress central nervous system activity (Figure SC.15). anxiety. Psychoactive drugs affect consciousness by influencing how neurotransmitters operate at the synapses of the central nervous system (CNS). Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/HSYouthTrends.html. Alcohol, a depressant psychoactive, slows down brain activity by increasing the activity of GABA neurotransmitters.