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OxyContin is a prescription painkiller that is often abused by those seeking to get high. The main drug within this pain medication is oxycodone, an opioid drug similar to morphine and even heroin in effects. There are pain medications that also carry this opioid drug, and they are Percocet, Oxycocet and Endocet.

The precise mechanism by which OxyContin works is to perform what is known as a time-release function. That is to say that rather than the body immediately absorbing the entirety of the drug at one time, it instead is slowly released into the body over a duration of time – usually 12 to 24 hours. This provides around the clock pain relief so redosing is not necessary. What addicts will often do is they will crush or chew the tablets so as to bypass the time release function built into them. This will provide them with a shorter high, but a much greater rush than they would otherwise have experienced had they administered the drug in the way in which it was intended to be applied. These medications are carefully given out as prescriptions because they have one of the highest abuse potentials of any other class of prescription drugs available. It is always important to follow doctor guidelines, and to not deviate from those guidelines without first consulting with and obtaining approval from your doctor.

Improper use of OxyContin can lead to physical dependency, overdose and, unfortunately, death in some cases. Because OxyContin is a Central Nervous System Depressant, it is unwise to combine it with other Central Nervous System Depressants as the risk of respiratory depression leading to death is much greater. This is one of the guidelines that doctors stress the most, but it is also one that many who are seeking to abuse this substance overlook. Besides death, a user may sustain brain damage following overdose. The symptoms of overdose include nausea, shallow breathing, vomiting, and loss of consciousness.

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Methadone, like Heroine and Morphine, is an opioid  substance that was synthesized during the second world war. Morphine, originally, was used for the treatment of severe pain and pain relief, but is now best known for its use in the treatment of those recovering from opioid addiction  One of the factors that makes Methadone so enticing for those undergoing a detoxification process is that a single Methadone treatment can last for many hours, up to 24 hours, which allows a single treatment per day for recovering addicts.  This is in contrast to Heroin which has a half-life of 30 minutes which can result in rapid cycling as the user seeks intense highs and refuge from steep comedowns. When Methadone is administered, it is typically in the form of a liquid , although tablets are less commonly prescribed.

Methadone is used in the Heroin detoxification process by virtue of the fact that opiate substances are so dependency building that to quit cold turkey could cause almost life threatening withdrawal. Thus, it was reasoned, a substance like methadone can bridge the gap between addiction and sobriety for recovering opiate users as they are weaned off methadone. That is not to say that Methadone is not without risk itself.

The drug is an opiate like heroin and carries much of the same potential for addiction all the same. It is therefore important that Methadone clinics effectively screen patients so that only those with genuine needs and a genuine desire to recover enter the programs. Like any other opioid substance, Methadone results in respiratory depression, and this stresses the importance that medical professionals calibrate the patient’s tolerance very carefully lest they take a dosage that is too high.

Known by various names, some of which are MDMA , “XTC”, “ecstasy“, this mind altering substance combines stimulant and hallucinogenic properties . In term of its chemical make up, MDMA is closely related to methamphetamine and MDA, both illicit substances. Research has linked MDMA to long term brain damage in regions of the brain that control memory and thought. Like its cousin methamphetamine, MDMA, by degrees, will damage those parts of the brain that are tasked with the creation of dopamine. This, in turn, can mean it is harder for users to maintain focus, enthusiasm and even feel positive emotion in what is known as anhedonia. Damage to Dopamine neurons has also been associated with Parkison’s disease, so that is a very real and possible consequence of the abuse of this drug.

The setting in which MMA is most often used is at clubs, raves, concerts and other raucous settings. The typical profile of the MDMA user is a young adult in their teens and twenties.  The fact that it is so prevalent among young people is particularly disturbing given what we know about the sensitivity of the developing brain, and the damage this drug has been known to cause the brain.

Like with MDMA’s sister class of drugs, amphetamines, this substance can result in increased heart rate and blood pressure, and this is particularly concerning for those with circulatory issues and heart disease, or who are at a risk for it. Another system commonly found in stimulant abuse is teeth clenching , muscle tension, and sleep problems. Other physical symptoms include nausea, blurred vision, faintness, chills and sweating, and faintness.

Psychological difficulties originating from the use of MDMA include epression, anxiety, paranoia, and in extreme cases, psychotic episodes.

The DEA or Drug Enforcement Administration rates this substance as a Schedule I drug meaning that it is illegal to consume or possess.

Alcohol, formally called “ethanol”, is an intoxicating beverage substance that is as much a drug as any other.  Alcohol is a depressant that in varying doses can act as a social lubricant in lower doses,  and put  the user in a dangerous stupor in higher doses; rendering them a danger to themselves and others around them.

The main areas of the brain that alcohol impacts upon consumption are the cerebellum, a region of the brain that principally is tasked with coordinating the body’s gross motor function. The other main region of the brain that alcohol is known for impacting is the hippocamus region of the brain. The hippocampus  mainly handles memory retention and retrieval (among other things) and alcohol consumption in large quantities impedes its ability to function. This can result in memory issues and the loss of the ability to judge one’s place in relation to objects and people in one’s immediate environment.  This, naturally, results in spatial impairment. Alcohol can also significantly impair the frontal lobe and thereby impair the executive functioning of the user. This region of the brain can impact one’s ability to plan ahead and to use sound judgement.

There are a number of variables that will determine one’s susceptibility to alcohol addiction, and just how this substance will impact the user upon ingestion and the resultant absorption of the alcohol into the bloodstream via the small intestine.

Some of the contributing factors to how alcohol will affect a given individual:

• Weight of the individual
• Metabolism of the individual
• Content of the stomach (empty / full)
• The individual’s sex
• The individual’s previous pattern of alcohol consumption

When a user drinks frequently and in a large enough quantity, they will begin to develop alcohol tolerance in response. Simply put, alcohol tolerance denotes the phenomenon by which an individual requires greater and greater amounts of alcohol to realize the same level of inebriation the more they consume.