Pros and Cons of Recreational Drug Use

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It is no secret that drug use has the ability to completely alter a person’s state of consciousness, whether it be through extreme euphoria, increased hyperactivity, pain relief or psychedelic hallucinations. Although many drugs are used for medical purposes, the global issue of recreational drug use is now being fronted as an extremely serious matter that is steadily on the uprise. Recreational drug use is often associated with negativity, addiction and as having serious physical and mental repercussions. One of the few class of drugs that is often associated with both positive and negative connotations are hallucinogens, otherwise known as “psychedelics”, which have powerful altering effects on ones sense of perception, brain function and mood (Nichols, 2004).
Hallucinogens are a class of drug that, as suggested by its name, have the ability to induce powerful hallucinations, and can even be “psychotomimetic” (Nichols, 2004), meaning that it has the ability to mimic the signs of psychosis. Hallucinogenic drugs often stir reactions in serotonin (5-HT) receptors in the brain. Serotonin, being “neurotransmitter” (Nichols, 2004) is responsible for various brain functions, inclusive of memory. Once these receptors respond to the ingested drug, the person may experience a range of both psychological and physiological onset effects, including “somatic symptoms” such as nausea, dizziness, frailty and lethargy, “perceptual symptoms” such as acute sensory functions, warped colours, warped shapes and trouble concentrating on surroundings and finally “psychic symptoms”, inclusive of perception of time, hallucinogenic manifestations and changes in emotional state (Nichols, 2004). All of these effects combined resulted in the phrase “trippin...

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