What are the 7 Types of Drugs?

It is a fact that drug use afflicts millions of people annually, with drugs varying in type, prescription drugs, and street drugs. The initial step towards realizing the effects of the various types of drugs on the brain and body, as well as when to seek assistance, is to understand the various classes in which the drugs can be categorized.

Be it a worried relative or friend or a substance user himself, one should get to know more about the kinds of drugs on the market, their addictive effects, and the best solution to drug addiction.

Overview: Why Knowing the Types of Drugs Matters

Drugs are substances that change the mind, the body, or behavior. Some are legal (such as alcohol or prescription drugs) and others are illegal (such as heroin or methamphetamine). A range of pharmaceuticals are valid and used to treat sick people, but drugs may be abused, and that abuse may produce physical dependence as well as psychological addiction and severely affect their lives.

DeLand Treatment Solutions is a drug addiction treatment facility that can provide people with an opportunity to take their lives back to normal. The table of drug classes informed people and families about the symptoms of abuse promptly and engaged them in a drug addiction treatment facility.

The 7 Types of Drugs

Drugs are classified into seven major categories, each of which impacts the brain and body differently. Now, let us analyze each of them, their effects, their typical examples, and risks.

1. Stimulants

The stimulants are medicines that raise the activity in the central nervous system, and hence the user develops a feeling that he or she is alert, focused, and energetic. These are abused drugs that are used because of their performance-enhancing and euphoria effects.

Examples:

• Cocaine
• Methamphetamine (meth)
• Prescription drugs like Adderall or Ritalin

Risks:

• Heart problems
• Paranoia and anxiety
• The addiction potential is high

Treatment Tip: The addiction to stimulants might need management of withdrawals and behavioral changes. We have the convenience of short-term withdrawal as well as long-term recovery in our drug addiction treatment center.

2. Depressants

The depressants retard the functioning of the brain, and they are normally used to curb anxiety, induce sleep, and stop seizures. But in excess, the same can make one feel excessively drowsy and confused and even fail to breathe.

Examples:

• Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium)
• Barbiturates
• Alcohol

Risks:

• Dependence and withdrawal symptoms
• Overdose, especially when mixed with alcohol
• Memory problems

Treatment of prescription drug addiction is very important in the case of benzodiazepines and other sleeping medications because patients who take these medications are prone to seizures when they remove them.

3. Opioids

Some of the most abused drugs in the U.S. include opioids which have been overprescribed. The drugs prevent transmission of pain and may lead to euphoria hence making the drugs very addictive.

Examples:

• Heroin
• Fentanyl
• Prescription painkillers (Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Morphine)

Risks:

• Respiratory depression
• Overdose
• Severe withdrawal symptoms

Drug addiction involving opioid substances is usually treated using medication help (MAT), therapy and support groups.

4. Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens may change perception, thought and emotion. The users might have a distorted reality or sense of time, and visual or auditory hallucinations.

Examples:

• LSD
• Psilocybin (magic mushrooms)
• DMT

Risks:

• Psychosis
• Flashbacks
• Dangerous behavior due to altered perception

Although not every hallucinogen can be defined as physically addictive, it might prompt psychological dependency and permanent mental disorders.

5. Dissociatives

The dissociatives represent a special type of drug that makes a person feel that he/she is not in touch with the world. They act by interfering with the functioning of the brain element glutamate.

Examples:

• Ketamine
• PCP (Phencyclidine)
• DXM (found in cough suppressants)

What Type of Drug is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic utilised in medical circles, but it is being increasingly abused as a hallucinogen and sedative agent. It is able to produce out-of-body reactions and states of emotional numbness.

Risks:

• Cognitive impairment
• Bladder damage
• Hallucinations and mood swings

Dissociative abuse is managed by intensive treatment to respond to the emotional disconnection and co-occurring mental problems.

6. Cannabis

Cannabis is commonly used, yet it has debated. Although some states have legalized it either to be used recreationally or to relieve illnesses, it can still be abused and lead to dependence, mostly among young people.

Examples:

• Marijuana
• THC concentrates (edibles, oils, waxes)

Risks:

• Cognitive delays in young adults
• Anxiety and depression
• Dependency in long-term use

Cannabis use disorder is a fact, though it is not as physically addictive as opioids or stimulants; it can still be treated, in particular, when a person uses cannabis as a means of self-medicating a primary emotional or psychological problem.

7. Inhalants

Inhalants include chemical products whose vapor is inhaled to produce a psychoactive feeling. They are some of the deadliest drugs due to their availability and the way they directly affect the brain.

Examples:

• Glue
• Paint thinner
• Aerosol sprays

Risks:

• Sudden sniffing death
• Brain damage
• Organ failure

Early intervention is also vital since a majority of the people who use inhalants will be younger. The kinds of services that our program provides are family-oriented and age-specific types of drug addiction treatments.

Why Drug Addiction Happens

Drug addiction may be caused by many reasons, such as genetics, mental health conditions, trauma, peers, and environment. No person, when beginning to use drugs, expects to become an addict, but with repetition of using it, brain chemistry tends to adapt, leading to addiction, which, without an external source of assistance, may be hard to overcome.

The great news? Addiction is curable. One can find ways to heal and recreate lives with proper assistance.

Drug Addiction Treatment at DeLand Treatment Solutions

Whether you or someone you care about is fighting an addiction, DeLand Treatment Solutions is your one-stop shop to the best individual and evidence-based programs to promote healing of the soul and the body. Our caring staff makes care customized to individual needs, and not only does it aim at preventing further drug use, but it also tries to learn the reasons why the drug use occurs in the first place.

Our treatment options include:

• I’d medically controlled detox
• Individual and group therapy
• Treatment concerning the dual diagnosis
• Family counseling
• Mindfulness, yoga, and nutrition are holistic solutions to the problem.
• Methods of long-term relapse prevention

It can be prescription drug addiction therapy, opioid withdrawal, or treatment of stimulant abuse; we are there to assist.

Know the Types, Recognize the Risks, and Get Help

Each person has their or her path, and the treatment procedure as well. At DeLand Treatment Solutions, we give you the resources, treatment, and support that you require to free yourself of your drug abuse habit and regain control of your life. And when you or your loved ones are in need, there is no use in waiting. You can call us now at (386) 866-8689 and have a conversation with our admissions team and start the path to recovery.