Psychological Perspectives on Substance Abuse
...ous System Stimulants (Cocaine), and Hallucinogens (LSD). It should be noted that substance abuse does not just occur from the use of drugs. Substance abuse can occur from excessive use of alcohol as well, but the consequences and sensations are very similar. For this discussion I will be concentrating on the abuse of drugs and its effects in a psychological perspective. What separates Cocaine, LSD and Ecstacy from the millions of the other combinations of atoms in nature is that these drugs have the ability to control the behavior of an individual. Psychoactive (Ecstacy) is a drug that creates hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like effect. Ecstacy has the element name of MDMM, or known in our mainstream society as “XTC” or “E”. This drug is produced in underground labs then formed and sold as tablet or powder. There is no medical use for ecstacy; it is merely an illegal drug to escape reality. “XTC” creates a euphoric state within an individual where he/she feels full of energy, sexually proactive, and an increased awareness for people and their surroundings. While it’s more serious negative effects include jaw grinding, anxiety, an increased blood pressure and heart rate, and even death if too many tablets are taken. This drug has just recently become mainstream. This is due to recent booming success of the “rave” scene. While this drug is still in its infancy there has not been enough research to show that ecstacy causes physical dependency, but also the long-term effects of the drug are still not known. Yet the drug is still being by young teens, and eventually these youngsters will abuse this drug, as they grow older. Cocaine is a CNS stimulant that is very powerful. It comes from the Erythroxylon coca plant, and this drug was crystallized into its purest form in the 1860’s by scientists, while users try their very best to get their hands on cocaine as pure as possible in order to obtain the greatest “high”. From 1860 – 1890 cocaine was used as a mild stimulant (like caffeine) and was put in beverages (for example coca-cola). Cocaine exploded in the 70’s because of its Columbian import into America. In the 1970’s cocaine had the same mainstream acceptance as “E” does today. Cocaine is a stimulant, in which an individual feels an appetite, pleasure (sexual), and a heightened alertness of surroundings. Hallucinogens (LSD’s) have the chemical name of Iysergic acid diethylamide, or better known as “acid”. It is scientifically considered to be the most powerful hallucinogen, because the drug distorts the perception of reality in order to promote hallucinations. Also it causes an individual to suffer from numbness, an increased heart rate/blood pressure/temperature, also the user may sense flashbacks (by recalling past incidents even when they no longer apply to his/her surroundings). Once the user abuses this drug they will feel these frightening hallucinations even when they are no longer under the influence of the drug. LSD is produced in underground labs and it is semi-synthetic, which means that the drug is derived from fungus that grows on rye. LSD is an odorless white powder that is soluble in water. In the end LSD has no physical dependency properties, but does make a user an addict over time. THE BEHAVIORIST APPROACH Through this approach one will be able to see how the environmental stimuli around an individual determines their behavior. With this approach I will look at how cocaine is abused. There are many reasons as to why someone would start using cocaine, such as peer pressure, anxiety, or just general curiosity. After consuming the drug an individual will feel better through euphoria and their anxiety will seem to be relieved. The drug is a reinforcer (something that creates a greater response when it follows a response). Thus, once something of a negative nature occurs in ones’ life, they will very quickly and easily run to the thing that would give them instant gratification (while relieving the negative problems). As long as the individual has had an experience with the drugs’ effects, then they will runt to the drug over and other measure to rid themselves of negative emotions surrounding them. This is an example of learning (through behaviorism, one’s own experience will effect their own behavior). Through “learning” an individual will tend to use cocaine, in order to bring forth a desired behavior. THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH The biological approach applies to two entities of the human being, which are the mind and the body. The mind refers to all the experiences that one is aware of; also the mind has no relation to the physical form. And the body refers to the physiological way humans are made-up. To biologically understand substance (cocaine) abuse one must know how the brain operates and whit is composed of. There are thousands of cells in the brain that conduct a signaling function, and these cells are called neurons. These neurons transmit electrical impulses to other neurons through the dendrites, which in turn will allow humans to experience language, movement, and sensations. At the end of an axon (which conducts the impulses away from a cell) is a synapse (which is a small gap between the next axon). These axon t...