The Impact of Drugs: Negative and Positive Effects

This article discusses the negative and positive effects of medical and recreational drugs. It covers the three main categories of recreational drugs, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens, and their effects on the body. The article also looks at Amy Winehouse and her addiction to alcohol, as well as the effects of cannabis and caffeine on the body.

Running Head: THE IMPACT OF DRUGS
The impact of drugs
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The impact of drugs
introduction
The topic of the negative and positive impacts of medical and recreational drugs is not
new. Any kind of medicine that significantly or insignificantly changes how the brain and the
body functions normally, is referred to as a drug (Verweij, Treur and Vink, 2018). Medical
drugs are given by health professionals while most recreational drugs are acquired in hidden
spots. Recreational drugs fall under three main categories. These are depressants, stimulants
and hallucinogens (Verweij et al., 2018). Depressants are those drugs which slow down the
intake and out-flow of messages in the brain. Examples of depressants include alcohol,
cannabis, petrol and glue, sedatives and opiates. Taking more than one depressant at the same
time or shortly after the other leads to an over-dose. The physical impacts of overdosing
depressants include passing out, vomiting, a feeling of nausea and a halt in breathing. Unlike
depressants, stimulants speedily enhance the intake and out-flow of messages in the brain.
Examples of stimulants include nicotine, caffeine, cocaine and ecstasy. When taken over time
or in large quantities, stimulants can cause an increase in the body temperature, a feeling of
paranoia and anxiety as well as putting unnecessary strain on the heart and how it functions.
Additionally, using more than one stimulant together or mixing it with a depressant can cause
a very heavy strain on the heart, leading to dangerous health conditions. Hallucinogens are
drugs which makes one change the real and normal perception of reality. Examples of
hallucinogens are ecstasy, high doses of cannabis, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as well
as mescaline. Individuals who take hallucinogens often have moments called ‘trips’. This is
when they see and imagine things which are not part of reality. The nature of the ‘trip’ is
dependant on what the person is going through, their mood and the setting they are in. Other
impacts of taking hallucinogens include feelings of anxiety, panic and paranoia, taking risks
one would not take in their normal self and severe psychosis in extreme overdose. In this

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paper, we will look at Amy Winehouse and her journey in alcohol addiction that led her to
her early grave.
Amy Winehouse and her addiction to alcohol.
Amy Winehouse was a super talented singer, whose singing career was cut short by
death due to alcohol poisoning. She plunged to heroin and alcohol abuse in her early
twenties. After years of drug and alcohol abuse, Amy Winehouse grew weak and this was
evident in her career failure as a musician (Jones, 2017). She could not entertain a crowd any
more since her voice was already weak. Her health was deteriorating day by day. At the age
of twenty-six years, Amy Winehouse was found dead in her apartment due to alcohol
poisoning (Jones, 2017).
Alcohol falls under the category of depressants as earlier stated. Prolonged and excess
alcohol consumption may cause one to stop breathing, which eventually leads to death.
Before Amy Winehouse passed on, she had repeated break-downs due to alcohol intoxication
coupled by a psychological eating disorder referred to as Bulimia (Jones, 2017). Amy had
experienced a coma following binge drinking alcohol, a few weeks before her death. Even
after pleas by people close to her to quit alcohol consumption, she repeatedly had relapses.
The addiction was just too much. Before she died, she had a relapse which led her to take
excess alcohol. Doctors reported that her body could no longer tolerate alcohol (Jones, 2017).
She was always sad and withdrawn which clearly depict the impacts of depressants in the
body.
Cannabis and Caffeine
Cannabis is a drug that has been recently legalised in most states. It possesses both
positive effects and massive side effects. It can be a depressant, a hallucinogen as well as a
stimulant (Verweij et al., 2018). On the other hand, caffeine is generally accepted and

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adopted in most countries in the world. It is a stimulant whose positive effects are well
appreciated. However, overdosing caffeine can harbour side effects that are not desired.
Cannabis can be taken in many ways such as smoking it, eating it or even drinking it.
A common effect of cannabis is stimulating the brain. Cannabis has been related with release
of dopamine which elevates the feeling of pleasure such as sex and food (Verweij et al.,
2018). In general, it leads to a feeling of euphoria and relaxation. Secondly, cannabis can
negatively affect one’s mental health. This is especially if it is taken in high doses. The
person may experience paranoia, anxiety, panic and fear. Thirdly, cannabis can negatively
alter one’s thinking making them do things they regret later. The ways in which the mind can
be distorted are interfering with the sense of time, taking risky chances, not evaluating the
depth of a matter before engaging in it among other random failures of the mind. This is
especially if the person is addicted to the drug, which happens when he/she takes it for the
first two times. A decline in the person’s intelligence quotient is the fourth severe effect of
cannabis abuse. Other effects include but not limited to poor academic performance,
negativity in life or low satisfaction in and with life, financial difficulties, antisocial
behaviour, loss of jobs, problems relating with other people leading to violence (Verweij et
al., 2018).
On the other hand, caffeine, mostly found in coffee and tea is regarded as a natural
stimulant. Its consumption possesses health benefits such as increase in brain activity. Several
studies have proven that caffeine can lower the risk of liver, mouth and throat cancer. Other
studies suggest that caffeine can protect against cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson’s disease,
type-2 diabetes as well as stroke (Verweij et al., 2018). However, when caffeine is consumed
in very high doses, it can lead to insomnia (lack of sleep), nervousness, irritability, muscle
twitching, a temporary increase in blood pressure as well as an irregular heartbeat (Verweij et
al., 2018).

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The positive effects of caffeine outweigh the positive effects of cannabis.
Additionally, the negative effects of cannabis are more severe than the negative effects of
caffeine. Caffeine use is therefore less damaging to a person’s body and well-being than
cannabis. However, it should be taken with moderation since it is dangerous when taken in
high doses. My opinion is that cannabis should be made illegal since it holds severe negative
effects in a person’s body even when taken in small doses. In small doses, it could lead to
minimal addiction due to excitement, which progressively leads to massive addiction over
time (Verweij et al., 2018). The consequences of taking cannabis are very severe, in that if
the user does not die, he/she will be a walking corpse. Cannabis use should therefore be
avoided at all costs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all drugs should be used in moderation. As a matter of fact, cannabis
and the existing illegal drugs should be avoided. This is because the benefits of these drugs
are less than their negative health consequences. All drug categories are dangerous to an
individual’s health. However, depressants are most dangerous to a human’s health. This is
because a small dose of these drugs contains many chemicals that induce toxicities, mostly at
the first or second puff/intake. Furthermore, they cause destruction of the brain and the
central nervous system, completely destroying not only the human body, but also his/her soul
and being. We should advocate for a drug-free world.

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References
Jones, A. W. (2017). Post-mortem toxicology findings from medicolegal investigations of
drug-related deaths among the rich and famous. Toxicology Analytique et
Clinique, 29(3), 298-308.
Verweij, K. J., Treur, J. L., & Vink, J. M. (2018). Investigating causal associations between
use of nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and cannabis: a two sample bidirectional Mendelian‐
randomization study. Addiction, 113(7), 1333-1338.