Depressant: Any of a large group of drugs that depresses the central nervous system and at high doses induces sleep. This includes chloral hydrate, barbiturates, methaqualone, benzodiazepines, and the most popular, alcohol. While doing my research on depressants alcohol seemed to be the "depressant" that came up the most.
Alcohol is the most widely used and abused drug today. Over 100 billion dollars is spent on alcohol per year in America. 103 million people in the U.S are current drinkers and 11 million are heavy drinkers. It is especially widely used amongst high school and college aged students. Obviously we all know the legal drinking age is 21 years old, but it is amazing how often that law is broken. There are many reasons that people enjoy alcohol and ignore the dangerous side effects. Alcohol can make all the stress in the world go away, according to some people. After a long day of work, bills, or school alcohol is supposed to make it all better. It makes you forget about all the stuff that stressed you out before that you thought you just couldn't handle. It also makes you forget that the drink doesn't make your problem's go away. Sure, it makes you forget about them for a few hours, but they will still be waiting for you when you come back into a decent state of mind. Also, some people think alcohol is healthy for you. Well, it is true that a glass of wine a day isn't bad for your health, but most people abuse the "one glass a day." .
How come people don't realize that alcohol causes more problems then it does fix them? Alcohol affects your brain in a big way. It leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Alcohol also affects your body in a huge way. It can damage every organ in your body. It is absorbed directly into your bloodstream and can increase your risk for a variety of life threatening diseases, including cancer.
