By We Level Up NJ Treatment Center | Editor Yamilla Francese | Clinically Reviewed By Lauren Barry, LMFT, MCAP, QS, Director of Quality Assurance | Editorial Policy | Research Policy | Last Updated: February 16, 2023

Is alcohol a depressant? The answer is yes. When you first drink, you may feel happier and calmer, but excess alcohol can cause slurring and processing problems. It can make your feelings of anxiety and depression worse.

Psychoactive Drug Statistics

An estimated 35 million people are thought to be affected by drug use problems, and roughly 270 million people (or 5.5% of the population of the world between the ages of 15 and 64) used psychoactive drugs in the preceding year (harmful pattern of drug use or drug dependence).

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Depressants’ Effect On The Brain

Depressants inhibit the central nervous system (CNS), increasing the activation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter. This increased activity reduces brain function, resulting in the relaxing effect of these drugs. Other symptoms of taking depressants include:

When taking depressants, individuals can develop drug tolerance fast. Tolerance means a person has to take a higher and higher dose to feel the same effects as the first time they used or ingested the drug. As tolerance increases, so does the risk of drug dependency, addiction, and withdrawal.

Opioids

Opioids also act as depressants. When used as prescribed, opioids can help someone with moderate or severe pain. When abused, they can produce feelings of relaxation and euphoria.

Opioids include drugs like:

The strength of each opioid varies, so it’s not always evident how much you’re taking. And if you get pills off the street, you never know exactly what you’re getting. For instance, you may assume you’re getting Vicodin, but a dealer may lace the pill with fentanyl, which is highly addictive and deadly.

If you stop using opioids abruptly, you may undergo withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms range in severity. You could feel sick for several days before your body starts to heal. During that time, you’re at risk of relapsing. That’s because you may experience increased cravings. Most people benefit from a medically assisted detox throughout this stage and then professional opioid addiction treatment once the drugs are out of their system.

Opioids Effect On The Brain

Opioids have become a national epidemic. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) [3], in 2019, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including heroin, prescription pain relievers, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.

Stimulants

Stimulants increase the activity of the central nervous system, making the person more alert and aroused. Examples of stimulants are nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamines, speed drug, and ice.

Stimulants increase brain activity. As a result, it enhances energy and alertness. Some individuals have been prescribed stimulants for symptoms related to narcolepsy (sleep disorder) and ADHD. 

Common stimulants include:

When stimulants are abused, they can produce a euphoric rush, but a “crash” soon follows, making the person want to continue taking more drugs.

Long-term abuse can result in several health complications, including:

Heavy stimulant users may develop withdrawal symptoms after stopping drug use. 

Common symptoms can include:

Stimulants Effect On The Brain

Like all drugs that may lead to abuse and addiction, stimulants affect the limbic reward system of the brain. Stimulants increase the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates the feelings of pleasure and alters the control of movement, motivation, cognition, and euphoria. 

When there are high levels of dopamine, a person will feel their mood enhanced (feelings of euphoria) and increased motor activity. However, when there is a dopamine surge, people may become nervous, aggressive, irritable, or paranoid. 

Other effects of stimulants include hallucinations as well as bizarre thoughts and paranoia that approaches schizophrenia. Like depressants, stimulants can lead to increased tolerance, dependence, and addiction.

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens include several drugs that alter your consciousness. It makes someone hear, smell, or feel things that aren’t there. Classic hallucinogens (psychedelics) interfere with specific serotonin-receptor activities and produce hallucinations. Substances in these groups imitate the effects of traditional drugs such as 2C-B, LSD, and DMT but may also possess residual stimulant activity [5].

Hallucinogens disrupt the connection between brain chemical systems. When abused by the body, hallucinogens can result in sensory issues, mood problems, and sleep disruptions. They can also trigger delusions and hallucinations. Sometimes individuals experience a “bad trip.” When this happens, they may feel stuck in a panicked state for hours or days. Eventually, they may experience flashbacks syndromes, where they relive the panic over and over again.

Hallucinogens include drugs like:

Most people take these drugs orally. They might eat them or brew them into tea. 

Hallucinogens Effect On The Brain

Hallucinogens primarily affect the neural circuits in the brain that produce serotonin (a neurotransmitter) and produce perception-altering effects in the user.

These experiences are unpredictable and vary from person to person. While these drugs do not produce the physical symptoms of addiction and withdrawal that opioids, depressants, and stimulants cause, they do significantly alter the way the brain functions.

Long-term effects of hallucinogens include paranoia, persistent visual disturbances (flashbacks), disorganized thinking, and mood disturbances. Flashbacks (formally termed Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder), produce intense hallucinations that are nearly impossible to predict.

Designer Drugs

Designer drugs are drugs that have been formulated to imitate the effects of illegal substances while still trying to be sold legally. They are often produced in homes or secret illegal labs. They can be made from plant substances or entirely synthetic chemicals that can be legally purchased to attempt to create a new “legal” substance.

There are many different kinds of designer drugs. 

Common ones include:

These drugs are synthesized. That means they are manmade. Their chemical composition remains unknown. Because of that, it’s impossible to know what you’re actually taking when you take a designer drug. Often, manufacturers use many different chemicals to create these drugs.

Designer Drugs Effect On The Brain

Designer drugs are dangerous because the combinations used to create them are untested. As a result, designer drugs’ effects on the body are often unknown, as are the effects on the brain and the user’s overall health and behavior. Moreover, because drugs are created so quickly with chemicals that are not meant for human consumption, there is little known about the long-term health effects for users.

Dangers Of Psychoactive Drugs

All drugs aid a reaction within your body. Some of those reactions are positive and expected; others cause significant and long-lasting complications. Those complications and difficulties are increased when the drugs are abused. Some of the dangers of psychoactive drugs include:

The most severe effects are tied to more dangerous drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine, or even legal drug such as alcohol. But even psychoactive drugs that are widely found in foods, such as caffeine, can also cause problems with dependence.

Psychoactive Drugs Withdrawal Symptoms

If someone uses psychoactive drugs regularly and stops, the person is likely to experience withdrawal. Withdrawal can cause symptoms that could last for several weeks or even months.

Common withdrawal symptoms:

More extreme withdrawal symptoms:

These withdrawal symptoms can be very distressing and risky for people to try and manage by themselves. However, drug abuse treatment can help people manage these symptoms.

Most Popular Psychoactive Drugs FAQs

Rehab Center and Detox Treatment In New Jersey

Psychoactive drugs that lead to addiction are a difficult problem to address. In most instances, it’s not safe to end addiction alone. You need the help and support of medical and counseling professionals in a rehab treatment facility.