DEPRESSANTS: THEIR EFFECTS, THEIR HISTORY, AND WHAT THEY ARE TODAY
A Report by Kevin Brennan

Depressants are drugs that slow down the nervous system to relax you, commonly referred to as anti-anxiety and hypnotic drugs. There are 4 types of major depressants: benzodiazepine, alcohol, tranquilizers, and sedatives.  Benzodiazepines are often described as both sedatives and tranquilizers.
Benzodiazepines are drugs that are prescribed to relieve anxiety.  They can also treat insomnia, muscle spasms, and phobias.  Before they were used in the 1960s, these things were treated with barbiturates, a type of sedative; but they are more likely to cause addiction, so they are used less often.  Usually, they are prescribed for less than 6 months, but depending on what they are treating, can be used for longer.
As with many drugs, benzodiazepines have side effects.  These can include memory loss, coordination trouble, and drowziness.  Perhaps the most serious side effect, as with all other drugs of this family, is addiction.  Addiction is common in those who use the drugs for more than six months and those with a previous history of drug abuse.
            Alcohol is a kind of chemical compound, always consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.  According to Wikipedia, alcohol has been consumed since prehistoric times around the world as part of a regular diet, medical and hygienic care, and many other reasons.  Alcohol’s wanted side effect is relaxation; it does, however, have many unwanted side effects.  These side effects might include memory loss, headache, addiction, and eventually physical need.  All alcohol molecules contain at least one hydroxyl group, a specific arrangement of atoms in which a hydrogen atom is bonded with an oxygen atom.  There are four main types of alcohol: methanol, ethanol, propanol, and ethanediol.
Ethanol is the only alcohol that I will go into detail on, as it’s the only one that’s found in alcoholic beverages.   It can be produced by fermenting fruits, grains, and vegetables or for commercial use heating ethylene and water under pressure in presence of a phosphoric acid catalyst.  Another interesting thing about ethanol is that the US government charges taxes on the ethanol used in alcoholic beverages; companies that use the alcohol for other purposes denature it (adding a poison) to avoid the tax.
Tranquilizers calm a person by acting on the nervous system.  There are two types of tranquilizers: antipsychotic drugs and anti-anxiety drugs.  Antipsychotic, as the name suggests, is used for treatment on someone with a severe mental disease; anti-anxiety is used to treat emotional problems, like anxiety.
Antipsychotic drugs include chlorpromazine, fluphenazine, and trifluoperazine.  These drugs are used to treat schizophrenia, which is characterized by illogical and unpredictable thinking.  What they do is reduce confusion and excitement, thereby calming the one they are used on.
There are a couple of anti-anxiety tranquilizers, but I won’t go into specifics.  They are used to treat anxiety, and to calm those who might be undergoing surgery.  They can also be used to negate withdrawal symptoms of alcohol.
Some tranquilizers have side effects.  These may include muscle weakness and general fatigue, addiction, and drowsiness.  One thing you do NOT want to do after taking a tranquilizer is drive on the road; the side effects would make it difficult, and it would be classified as DUI.
Sedatives decrease the activity of the nervous system.  They are primarily prescribed to, much like all the other drugs in this class, ease anxiety or to help you sleep.  When taken in a small amount, they calm the one using them; in larger doses, they can cause sleep.  When taken in larger doses, they are usually referred to as hypnotics.
Groups of drugs like barbiturates and peperidinediones are considered sedatives.  These drugs have the same effects as benzodiazepines, but have more chances of side effects so benzodiazepines are more often prescribed.  These drugs can ONLY BE OBTAINED THROUGH PRESCRIPTION.  You should not drive a car or any other machinery after taking one.   DO NOT OVERDOSE; THESE DRUGS HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF KILLING YOU.  Otherwise, these drugs have the same side effects as benzodiazepines.
Drugs can hurt you, as well as those around you.  If you already have a bad relationship with your family, then you will drift further away from them if you take drugs.  If you take drugs, you may gain new friends and keep old ones – but your friends who don’t take drugs might stop hanging out with you.  If you get caught, than you lose your privacy right as well as the right to speak to your old friends.  Drug abuse will go on your permanent record – ouch!  There go your Harvard chances!  Even if you’ve been sober for quite some time, it could be hard to regain a good reputation.
There are many ways to help get over drug addiction.  The main one is going to a rehabilitation center, where you go through programs that should help you get over your addiction.  Other ways include taking benzodiazepines (unless you are addicted to those) or tranquilizers.
It is easier to avoid addiction than to overcome it.  One way would be to talk to someone who has overcome addiction; they could give you advice.  You could also avoid people you know who are taking drugs; if your close friends do however take these drugs, don’t let them talk you into trying some.