Experimenting with your consciousness

A desire to experience an altered state of consciousness has been a feature of human culture from time immemorial. In the search for mood and mind altering substances, humankind has long experimented and taken risks. Perhaps more than ever before, we are surrounded by legal drugs in coffee, alcohol and cigarettes, let alone in prescribed medications such as sleeping tablets, tranquillizers and opioid painkillers. Using these can be a temptingly easy way to change or control ones mood and psychological state. Advertising and marketing may enhance the appeal of substance use. There are fashions in drug use and the use of a certain drug may be associated with a particular (and perhaps desirable) lifestyle or subculture.

It is likely that you will encounter illicit drug use either prior to or at university. It is estimated that at least 60% of students will have tried cannabis at some time or another. About 33% will experiment with other substances. In a survey of Cambridge University students carried out between 1995 and 1998, 10% reported using cannabis on a weekly basis and 30% at some point during the previous year. Between 3% and 7% reported using other drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines in the previous year. The majority of occasional users come to no long-term harm. They are also unlikely to harm others. Inevitably, some will run into problems, and, more seriously, some risk death as a direct result of their drug use.

Substances Used

Recreational drugs can be classified as stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. Some drugs however can overlap these categories, for example ecstasy is both a stimulant and a hallucinogen, and, while low grade cannabis (hash) works as a depressant, stronger versions such as skunk may also have hallucinogenic properties.

Stimulants

Stimulants work by increasing neural activity in the brain. They have the short-term effect of making one feel lively, talkative, confident and euphoric. They are attractive to club and party-goers because they enhance sensory experience and postpone the need for sleep. As their effect wears off, however, they can leave you feeling restless, irritable or washed out. There may, therefore, be a temptation to avoid these 'coming down' feelings by taking more of the drug. Long-term use or high doses can lead to extreme agitation, insomnia, delusions, hallucinations and paranoia particularly in susceptible individuals.

The most common stimulants are

Amphetamines (speed)
Ecstasy (an hallucinogenic amphetamine)
Tobacco
Anabolic steroids - used illegally to enhance strength and performance in sport
Amyl nitrite (poppers)
Cocaine
Crack cocaine

Depressants

Depressants work by depressing the central nervous system. They can therefore induce a state of relaxation or sedation as well as reducing the intensity of pain and of emotions such as fear, anger or anxiety. They can also have short term effects of:

Reducing intellectual ability and the ability to concentrate or retain information
Reducing motivation and energy
Reducing manual dexterity e.g. the ability to operate machinery, drive, climb or swim.

Examples of depressants are

Opiates such as heroin/diamorphine (smack) morphine, pethidine and methadone
Benzodiazopines (tranquillizers such as Valium and Temazepam). These may be prescribed for short-term use to combat anxiety but they also have an illegal market