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Drugs are widely used in everyday life. Doctors prescribe drugs to their patients every
day. Caffeine is a drug which is present in tea, coffee and cola
drinks. It acts as a stimulant - it gets you going! The question is not really
"Should I use drugs?" but more "Which drugs should I
use?"
A drug is any chemical substance that
causes changes in the mind (psychoactive) or the body
(physiological). Some drugs can do both. Psychoactive
drugs can be put into four categories. These are outlined below;
Depressants
- These drugs slow down how the brain and body works. Examples
are alcohol, cannabis, tranquillisers and solvents.
Hallucinogens
- These drugs can change the way a person sees things, such as light
and colour, and can cause hallucinations (seeing things that are not
there). Examples are LSD and
magic mushrooms.
Stimulants
- These drugs speed up or stimulate the brain or body systems.
Examples are amphetamine sulphate (speed), cocaine, caffeine and
'poppers'.
Opiates
-
These drugs reduce pain. Examples are heroin and morphine.
It is important to remember that
different drugs work in different ways and that some drugs may fall
into more than one category, e.g. Ecstasy combines hallucinogenic
and stimulant effects.
It is also important to remember that
some legal drugs are more dangerous than some illegal ones. You
cannot say that it is alright to use a drug just because it is
legal. Too much of any drug will kill you and alcohol and
tobacco are responsible for far more deaths every year in the U.K.
than all the other drugs put together.
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