How Different Drugs Affect the Brain

Different drugs affect different parts of our bodies different ways.  For instance, alcohol is a depressant.  What some people see as being relaxed is actually the alcohol depressing the brain.  It alters the memory and leads to blackouts.  It causes a person to become incoherent and unable to think properly, leading to irresponsible decisions such as driving while intoxicated.

Many people believe marijuana does not hurt a person but this is wrong.  Marijuana weakens the short-term memory of the brain by blocking its journey to the long-term memory section.  Marijuana has been proven to affect the emotions, judgment and problem solving abilities of the brain.

Ecstasy is the party drugs.  However, it destroys cells in the brain, leading to blackouts and memory loss.  It is part of why it is used as a date rape drug.  It also causes confusion, anxiety, paranoia and again, memory loss.  LSD also causes these same damaging effects to the brain.

Have you seen a person get upset and agitated because they are out of cigarettes?  This is because nicotine affects the brain as well.  Once a person gets that tobacco, a feeling of pleasure takes over quickly.

Heroin causes a person to become greatly dependent of the drug so that they need it in order to get through a day and follow even the simplest of routines.  While it begins with a rush of pleasure, it ends up with the person walking around as if in a fog.

Cocaine and crack cocaine take over a person entirely.  The drug addict may think it is no big deal but in reality, the one in control is the cocaine.  The drug addict being controlled by the drug has bouts of paranoia and anxiety and loses interest in all things, family, friends, working, relationship and simply living life.

Remember the term from the 70s known as huffing paint?  Yes, it's still around.  People sniff paint thinner, gasoline, glue and hair spray.  These inhalants immediately affect the brain by destroying nerve cells.  A person then has problems trying to learn or remember things.  When a teen is sniffing glue or “huffing paint”, a red flag is a sudden drop in grades as the effect is immediate.

More and more is coming about regarding athletes and steroids.  Finding out that using drugs is how some are breaking records and getting into the Hall of Fame means they didn't deserve it because they got it by cheating.  What they don't realize is that they are damaging their brains in the process.  Mood swings and memory impairment are what an athlete gets out of using steroids, along with a scandal.

Think before you use drugs.  They are not harmless.  The truth is, if you do take drugs, you are going to end up losing the ability to think.  Is it really worth it?  Absolutely not.


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