Stimulant Basics
Cocaine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine increase energy and alertness by speeding up the central nervous system, placing them in this drug class.
What are stimulants, or drugs that speed up brain and body activity?
Stimulants increase the activity of this neurotransmitter, strengthening pleasure, motivation, and reward learning.
What is dopamine, the brain's reward-related chemical messenger?
Eating your favorite food can activate this system in your brain.
What is the reward pathway?
The neurotransmitter that represents happiness/contentment and being focused, emotionally stable, happier, and calmer.
What is serotonin
This therapy helps people recognize and change the thoughts and behaviors connected with stimulant use.
What is cognitive behavioral therapy, or thought-and-behavior-focused counseling?
Changing cocaine into a freebase form allows it to be smoked and produces this form of the drug.
What is crack cocaine, or smokable freebase cocaine?
Highjacks the reward pathway in the brain.
What are substances/ drugs?
Stimulants can suppress appetite and reduce food intake over time, leading to this nutritional condition.
What is malnutrition, or undernourishment?
Your brain releases these chemicals when you laugh, exercise, or spend time with friends
What are endorphins?
Name one serious medical emergency that stimulants can cause
What is a seizure, heart attack, stroke?
Cocaine increases dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin activity, which can keep the brain overstimulated and cause this bothersome symptom.
What is insomnia, or difficulty sleeping?
Your brain is designed to repeat behaviors that help you survive, like eating and drinking - what is this system called?
What is the natural reward system?
This is a common effect of stimulants that may make someone stay awake all night.
What is insomnia?
One stimulant, cocaine, produces numbness by blocking the channels that carry electrical signals through nerves.
What are voltage-gated sodium channels, or nerve-signal channels?
When someone repeatedly uses drugs, their brain may produce less dopamine naturally, making everyday activities less enjoyable.
What is tolerance?
Seeing or hearing things that aren't there after heavy stimulant use is called this.
What are hallucinations?
Name two healthy activities that naturally increase dopamine
exercise, music, spending time with friends, achieving a goal, laughing, learning something new, creating art, or getting enough sleep
Name one body system that stimulants put extra stress on.
What is the cardiovascular system?
This part of the brain helps you make good decisions but is still developing during the teen years.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
This treatment provides rewards or incentives for abstinence and other recovery behaviors.
What is contingency management, or incentive-based treatment?
Cocaine causes vasoconstriction, or narrowing of the blood vessels, which can lead to this cardiovascular condition.
What is hypertension, or high blood pressure?
Repeated stimulant use can cause lasting changes in the connections and functioning of the reward circuit through this brain process.
What is neuroplasticity, or the brain's ability to reorganize and change?
This dangerously high body temperature can occur during stimulant overdose.
What is hyperthermia?
The brain remembers activities that release dopamine so you may want to do them again
What is learning?
If someone using stimulants develops chest pain, seizures, or becomes unconscious, your first action should be this.
What is "call 911"?