Drugs aren't just temporary toys. What they do to your brain can last forever.

Talking Points:

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Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  3. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

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Drugs aren't just temporary toys. What they do to your brain can last forever.

Most people take medicine during their lives, but how many of us understand how these substances actually work? In this topic, learn how drugs affect your brain.

Some drugs alter the communication between cells in the brain, and this affects our behavior in different ways. Different drugs have different effects – sometimes they even have different effects in different people!

The Biology of Drug Absorption

Before a drug can start taking effect, it has to go through the bloodstream. Depending on the drug in question and the method of administration, this journey through the bloodstream could last anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours. The slowest method of absorption is oral – typically by swallowing a pill. Injecting a drug into your bloodstream is much faster.

The “blood-brain barrier” keeps substances out of the brain that don’t belong there, and for a drug to reach the brain and begin working, it must contain a specific set of chemical compounds that will grant the drug access, like a key in a door, to the brain. At this point, the drug enters the brain and begins affecting its normal functionality by targeting nerves and synapses.

Neurons are brain cells. Synapses allow the exchange of electrochemical signals between neurons. These “signals” are called neurotransmitters. Generally, neurotransmitters work in one of two ways. They either inhibit receiving neurons – decreasing their activity, or they excite them – increasing activity. A drug’s effectiveness is determined by how much or how little it inhibits or accelerates these synaptic transmissions at different phases in the process of the drug releasing into your brain.

Common antidepressants stop the re-absorbing of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that modulates our moods. Energy, arousal, alertness, and pleasure can all be affected by how much or how little a drug inhibits or accelerates the absorption of serotonin.

Repeated Drug Use Can Be Dangerous

Repeated use of drugs can permanently rewire the brain’s internal “network” of cells. In the long term, this can damage a drug user’s ability to learn, remember things, and make decisions.

Even drugs for medicinal use can become dangerously addictive substances with unfortunate long-term consequences if they are abused. It’s important to carefully walk the fine line between legitimate medical use and drug abuse. Only take drugs when a doctor prescribes them, and don’t lie to your doctor to get drugs you don’t actually need!

Article for this topic by Daniel Martin.
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Key Points:

  • Different drugs affect different people differently. That’s why it’s important to use drugs legally and with a doctor’s oversight.
  • A drug affects your body by altering your brain’s normal functionality. In general, a drug either excites or inhibits your brain.
  • Repeated drug use over time can eventually rewire your brain, changing the way you think, learn, and remember. Even with prescription drugs!
  • Only take drugs when a doctor prescribes them, and don’t lie to your doctor to get drugs you don’t actually need.

Quote This:

The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope. -Russell Brand

Talk About It
  1. What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What are some common, legal drugs people regularly consume (HINT: don’t just think in terms of pills)? What are some reasons people use these legal substances?
  3. Why do you think the brain naturally has a “barrier” that limits what can and cannot enter it? What should this tell us about circumventing that barrier?
  4. Why do you think people use drugs when they do not have a legitimate medical need?
  5. Have you ever known someone who has become addicted to a drug? What happened?
  6. What are ways to help people who may be struggling with drug abuse? Explain.
  7. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.