7.3.2  Effects of drugs and alcohol

. . Effects of drugs and alcohol Short-term effect appears only for a few minutes after the intake of drugs and alcohol. The abuser feels a false sense of well being and a pleasant drowsiness. Some short term effects are euphoria, pain, dullness of senses, alteration in behaviour, blood pressure, narcosis (deep sleep), nausea and vomiting. Drugs and alcohol have long-term effect that lead to serious damages, because of the Fig. . Atropa belladonna Fig. . Datura Drugs like methamphetamine, amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquilizers, Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) are normally used as medicine to treat patients with mental illness like depression and insomnia and are often abused. Tobacco is smoked, chewed and used as snuff. It increases the carbon monoxide content of blood and reduces the concentration of haem bound oxygen, thus causing oxygen deficiency in the body. Tobacco contains nicotine, carbon monoxide and tars, which cause problems in the heart, lung and nervous system. Adrenal glands are stimulated by nicotine to release adrenaline and nor adrenaline which increases blood pressure and heart beat.