Although there are a few legal psychoactive drugs, all of them can definitely have dangerous side effects. These drugs exert a considerable influence on the cardiovascular system and behavioral mood state. Caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine are all legal substances that most people use to make themselves feel good. Caffeine is the most used psychoactive stimulant in the world. Caffeine is in your coffee, sodas, chocolates, and energy drinks. Caffeine makes a person feel awake, alert, and alive which is so why so many people drink coffee the second they roll out of bed. Caffeine can be addictive and people often begin to depend on it or experience withdrawal side effects. Alcohol is another psychoactive drug. Ethanol is the alcohol inside of a drink, when taken in low amounts it can produce euphoria and releases social inhibitions. When taken in large amounts, alcohol can make you feel pretty much the opposite. Leaving you feeling sick, in a low mood, and with a nasty hangover the next morning. Lastly, nicotine is a psychoactive drug in tobacco. It is highly addictive but smokers report that nicotine is mood-enhancing and relaxing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621324/
Hi Alexa,
ReplyDeleteYour post made me think, “If it’s so bad for us, why is it still legal?” Making substances illegal, especially somethings as addictive and profitable as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol usually has some sort of backfiring effect. For example, the prohibition of alcohol and the prohibition of marijuana both seemed to fail. People were still able to get these substances through black market sales and in some cases, people went crazy for them in an excess amount. This is in part because these substances have a sort of cultural relevance and people don’t want to give them up even though science proves it kills you. Great Post!