s their subjective experience of consciousness. When a posthypnotic suggestion is made during hypnosis the subject will act on that for a short time after being hypnotized and sometimes up to a couple of days after the session. Ernest Hilgard suggested that while hypnotized a person experiences dissociation that splits consciousness into two or more streams of mental activity. Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that alter moods, perceptions, as well as a person’s conscious state. After abusing a psychoactive drug for a period of time your body will become physically adapted to it and create a tolerance for it and in return a person will increase their intake of that drug to feel the same effects. When an individual does decide to quit abusing, he will generally experience withdrawal symptoms. The four categories of basic psychoactive drugs are depressants, opiates, stimulants, and psychedelic drugs. Depressants tend to depress and slow down brain activity. Alcohol is considered a depressant drug, though unlike other drugs this one is legal. Other types of depressants would be the barbiturates, tranquilizers, and inhalants. Barbiturates and tranquilizers reduce anxiety and increase sleep. Inhalants are chemical substances that when inhaled alter a persons state of consciousness. The second category of drugs is the opiates that produce euphoria in individuals. Types of these drugs include heroin, morphine, and even a prescription painkiller called Demerol. The third category of the psychoactive drugs is the stimulants. Caffeine and nicotine are included in this category and tend to play a large role in today’s society. Individuals drink coffee, sodas, tea, and smoke cigarettes often. Out of the large variety of abused drugs, this is the most widely abused, for the fact that neither if them is illegal. Another form of stimulants is cocaine and amphetamines. Both of these drugs tend to have the same affects being that t...
