Alicia Wilson

December 11, 2016

PSY 1103
Drugs and Altered States
First, a psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily
upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in
perception, mood, consciousness and behavior. Psychoactive drugs are everywhere. What does
conscious psychoactive drugs consist of natural and synthetic substances that after a person’s thoughts
or feelings. There exist hundreds of plants, which if eaten, smoked, snorted, or injected, will affect the
mind-whether acting as a stimulant, depressant, or psychedelic. Humans have used psychoactive
substances for as long as we have records and some of the largest corporations in the world are actively
developing new ones for the future.

Some psychoactive drugs are found in everyday foods and beverages, including chocolate,
coffee, ad soft drinks, as well as in alcohol and in over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, Tylenol, and
cold and cough medications. Psychoactive drugs are also frequently prescribed as sleeping pills,
tranquilizers and antianxiety medications, and they are taken illegally, for recreational purposes.
Psychoactive drugs affect consciousness by influencing how neurotransmitter operate at the synapses of
the central nervous system. African culture uses psychoactive drugs and search for altered states of
consciousness for treatments and for personal use. An example of psychoactive drug that the African
culture uses is cannabis, which is marijuana and is the oldest known psychoactive plant. It is highly
revered for its ability to improve mood, alter, perception and consciousness, as well as treating
symptoms such as nausea, respiratory ailments, fever, and pain. An altered state of consciousness is
temporary change in one’s normal mental state without being considered unconscious. Altered states of
consciousness can be created intentionally or they can happen by accident or due to illness. Often,
people intentionally try to alter their conscious state.