Ancient literary and religious texts show that, at all times and places, human beings deliberately used (and abused of) substances fitted to modify the nervous system functions, inducing altered bodily sensations and psychological states.

In his book " An Intimate History of Humanity", Theodore Zeldin states that "escaping to altered states of conciousness, towards sedation or exaltation, was a constant ambition everywhere, at all centuries. There wasn’t any civilization that didn’t try to evade normality with the help of alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffe, and all kinds of plants".

The search for agents able to modify the nervous functions is considered by some authors, like Ronald Siegel, an impulse as powerful as those impulses leading to the satisfaction of physiological needs, outdoing them sometimes. According to that author:

"Our nervous system is arranged to respond to chemical intoxicants in much the same way it responds to rewards of food, drink, and sex. Throughout our entire history as a species, intoxication has functioned like the basic drives of hunger, thirst, or sex, sometimes overshadowing all other activities: Intoxication is the fourth drive".

In this paper, we try to expose the reader to up-to-date knowledge about drug abuse, in a succint but encompassing way. We will particularly examine more closely the following topics:

• Why People Use Drugs?
• The Types of Drugs of Abuse
• Mechanisms of Action of Drug in the Brain
• The causes of Drug Abuse
• Chemical Changes Induced by Drugs in the Brain
  • Alcohol
  • Psychostimulants
    • Amphetamine
    • Cocaine
  • The Hallucinogens
  • Marijuana and Hashish
• Clinical manifestations of Drug Abuse
• The Treatment of Drug Abuse
• Bibliography

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The Types of Drugs of Abuse

The Authors

Tereza Sollero Claudio-da-Silva, MD, MSc Assistant Professor of the Department of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Doctoral student in Gynecology by the Institute of Gynecology "Moncorvo Filho" of the same University. Honorary Member of the National Academy of Military Medicine. Júlio Rocha do Amaral, MD Lecturer of clinical pharmacology, anatomy and physiology. Medical manager of Merck S/A Indústrias Químicas (pharmaceutical and chemical industries). Writer of teaching manuals on anatomy, physiology and pharmacology used by Merck S/A. Supervising editor of the following scientific publications: Senecta, Galenus and Sinapse. Writerr of clinical trials and protocols since 1978. Assistant coordinator of courses on Oxydology sponsored by the Human Being Institute and UNIGRANRIO (University of Greater Rio). Head of Psychiatric Service. Neurosciences Department. The Human Being Institute. Co-author of the book "Principles of Neurosciences". Member of the Editorial Board of Brain & Mind Magazine. Email: j.r.amaral@mls.com.br

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