PSY 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Pentobarbital, Endorphins, Codeine

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 1101
• Professor: Rosalinde Klempan

Document Summary

Addiction: compulsive craving of drugs or certain behaviors (such as gambling) despite known adverse consequences. Withdrawal: the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing an addictive drug or behavior. Diminished control: using substance for longer than intended, spends a lot of time around drugs, cravings. Hazardous use: continues use despite physical or psychological problems. 3 categories of psychoactive drugs: *work at brain"s synapse, mimics neurotransmitters: depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens. Definition: drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions. Alcohol is not a stimulant, low doses may enliven a drinker but they act as a disinhibitor, equal opportunity drug. Disinhibitor slows brain activity that controls judgment and inhibitors low doses of alcohol relax the drinker by slowing sympathetic nervous system. You can poison yourself by drinking moderately and then heavily later on, it depresses the vomiting response. Binge drinking in adolescents impairs growth of synaptic connections, and contributes to nerve cell death.