166 CHAPTER 4
Down in the Valley: Depressants
4.13 Identify the effects and dangers of using depressants.
Another class of psychoactive drugs is depressants, drugs that slow the central nervous
system.
MAJOR AND MINOR TRANQUILIZERS Commonly known as the major tranquilizers
(drugs that have a strong depressant effect) or sleeping pills, barbiturates are drugs
that have a sedative (sleep-inducing) effect. Overdoses can lead to death as breathing
and heart action are stopped.
The minor tranquilizers (drugs having a relatively mild depressant effect) include
the benzodiazepines. These drugs are used to lower anxiety and reduce stress. Some of
the most common are Valium, Xanax, Halcion, Ativan, and Librium.
Both major and minor tranquilizers can be addictive, and large doses can be dan-
gerous, as can an interaction with alcohol or other drugs (Breslow et al., 2015; Olin, 1993).
Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine tranquilizer that has become famous as the “date
rape” drug. Unsuspecting victims drink something that has been doctored with this
drug, which causes them to be unaware of their actions, although still able to respond to
directions or commands. Rape or some other form of sexual assault can then be carried
out without fear that the victim will remember it or be able to report it (Armstrong, 1997;
Gable, 2004).
ALCOHOL The most commonly used and abused depressant is alcohol, the chemical
resulting from fermentation or distillation of various kinds of vegetable matter. Any-
where from 10 to 20 million people in the United States suffer from alcoholism. In 2014,
nearly 25 percent of people aged 18 or older reported that they had participated in binge
drinking within the past month (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
[NIAAA], 2016). Aside from the obvious health risks to the liver, brain, and heart, alcohol
is associated with loss of work time, loss of a job, and loss of economic stability.
Many people are alcoholics but deny the fact. They believe that getting drunk,
especially in college, is a ritual of adulthood. Many college students and even older
adults engage in binge drinking (drinking four or five drinks within a limited amount
of time, such as at “happy hour”). Binge drinking quickly leads to being drunk, and
drunkenness is a major sign of alcoholism. Some other danger signs are feeling guilty
about drinking, drinking in the morning, drinking to recover from drinking, drinking
alone, being sensitive about how much one drinks when others mention it, drinking so
much that one does and says things one later regrets, drinking enough to have black-
outs or memory loss, drinking too fast, lying about drinking, and drinking enough to
pass out.
The dangers of abusing alcohol cannot be stressed enough. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2011, 2015a), the number of alcohol-related
deaths in the period from 2006 to 2010 was around 88,000 deaths. This figure does not
include deaths due to accidents and homicides that may be related to abuse of alcohol—
only those deaths that are caused by the body’s inability to handle the alcohol. The
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA, 2016) has statistics show-
ing that nearly 88,000 people per year die from alcohol-related causes, a figure that proba-
bly does include those accidents and homicides, making alcohol the fourth leading cause
of death in the United States.
Pregnant women should not drink at all, as alcohol can damage the growing
embryo, causing a condition of mental retardation and physical deformity known as fetal
alcohol syndrome (Truong et al., 2012; Williams & Smith, 2015). to Learning
Objective 8.5. Increased risk of loss of bone density (known as osteoporosis) and heart
disease has also been linked to alcoholism (Abbott et al., 1994). These are just a few of the
many health problems that alcohol can cause.barbiturates
depressant drugs that have a sedative
effect.
benzodiazepines
drugs that lower anxiety and reduce
stress.
alcohol
the chemical resulting from fermenta-
tion or distillation of various kinds of
vegetable matter.
Actor Cory Allan Michael Monteith was
known for his role as Finn Hudson on the
Fox television series Glee. On July 13, 2013,
after a long battle with addiction, he died
from a toxic drug interaction of heroin and
alcohol.
Although many young adults see drinking as
a rite of passage into adulthood, few may
understand the dangers of “binge” drinking,
or drinking four to five drinks within a limited
amount of time. Inhibitions are lowered
and poor decisions may be made, such as
driving while intoxicated. Binge drinking, a
popular activity on some college campuses,
can also lead to alcoholism.