e people from all classes and occupations began to use mood changing drugs both legally and illegally. These drugs were used to induce sleep and relaxation. Other drugs gave the user a feeling on exhilaration. Whether the drug was used to help the user sleep or the get the person high, they all affect the person's nervous system and cause an emotional change. People experimented with different drugs to gain the good, well-centered feeling that is associated with getting high. The problem presented with this effect is that when the drug wears off the person is left with the same problems concerning their life as when they took the drug. This causes many users to take more of the drug to further escape the harsh reality of their life. This taking and wearing off of the drug creates in the person a psychological dependency to the drug which causes that person to want to do anything in their ability to get the drug and make that drug a part of their life.
             Barbiturates, commonly called "downers" are medicinally prescribed for insomnia and tension. These drugs loosen muscles and relax the mind. Though having a highly respectable medicinal use if these drugs are abused they will lead to sever depression. In this depression is easy for the user to forget how much he or she has already taken of the drug therefore making the possibility of an overdose high. The withdrawal symptoms of these particular drugs are so sever that without medication the withdrawal causes convulsions, delirium, and even death (276). Stimulants, commonly called "uppers" or "speed" cause, in direct contrast to barbiturates, a highly sensitized sense of wakefulness and alertness. These drugs can be used medically to cope with sleeping disorders, to control a person's appetite, and to fight depression (276).
             Hallucinogens, LSD and PCP, are under the classification of mind-altering drugs. These drugs when abused cause a distorti...