Depressants
Depressants are also known as tranquilizers. These drugs calm nerves and relax the muscles
in the body through their effects on the central nervous system. Depressants are commonly
referred to has "downers", "goofballs", "barbs", "blue devils",
"yellow jackets", and "ludes", the most common name being "downers". Most of
these drugs are introduced into the body by swallowing.
The most commonly known depressant drug is alcohol. Alcohol is legal and socially acceptable
in the United States. However, alcohol kills five times more people in the USA than all
other drugs combined. Alcohol is commonly abused by our youth and seems to be more deadly
amongst the youth of our nation than any other age group.
Other forms of depressants are prescription drugs which are in use by our medical society today.
As previously mentioned above, GHB also falls into this category as a depressant. Another drug
is rohypnol, which is a commonly abused club drug. Both GHB and rohypnol are most commonly
associated with date rape. These drugs are known to have been responsible for causing victims
to fall into a state of sedation to the point to where they become victims of sexual assaults,
without the ability to refuse the attack.
Depressants can be swallowed as a pill or consumed as a liquid. Once introduced into the body,
their effects immediately suppress the central nervous system, causing anxious people to calm
anxiety and promote a state of sleep. Over time, users will develop a tolerance towards the
drug, and their body will require larger amounts of the drug to create the same affect. As a
result, when the amount of drug increases in the body, so does the threat of death. Large
amounts of depressant drugs can lead to coma and death. When one tries to withdraw from chronic
use of the drug, the symptoms can be quite uncomfortable. Chronic users trying to withdraw may
experience restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety, which could also lead up to convulsions and death.
It is strongly recommended that chronic users seek professional assistance in quitting these drugs.