PS282 Lecture Notes - Gateway Drug Theory, Substance Abuse, Chemical Substance
Document Summary
What is a drug: alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, mdma, meth, foreign substance, that your body doesn"t make on its own, your body makes dmt, it"s a drug, has to modify on going physiology, brain activity etc. A chemical substance that, when taken into the body, alters the structure or functioning of the body in some way. Drugs do not include nutrients considered to be related to normal functioning. A drug that influences the functioning of the brain and hence our behaviour and experience. Actual drug itself matters, not who"s doing drugs. Why is a paramount thing, someone who is drinking just because they want to have a good time with friends, different from depressed, self medicating for problems. How are they inserting the drugs, addiction potential. Drugs, whore manufacture, sale or possession is legal (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, etc. Drugs whose manufacture, sale or possession, is illegal (heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, mdma, lsd, ghb, etc)
