Ketamine: An Escape From Reality

Ketamine: An Escape From Reality

Ever since I was little, people have warned me about the horrible effects that illegal drugs have on your life. My generation has been taught to think of mind altering drugs in a very negative light yet many people still take these drugs. The general reason that people give to explain this is that the drugs feel good. This seems like a very vague response especially since we have been taught that the negative effects outweigh the bad. Why does it feel good and how good do they feel? It appears that there must be a deeper reason why people take drugs since it is such a risky thing to do. Many drug users, especially those who use psychedelic drugs, say that these drugs give them valuable insights that change their lives for the better. Is it possible that a drug can do this? If so, how do they work?

The reason why many drugs feel so good is due to the dopamine reward system. Whenever one experiences an intense feeling of elation due to something good such as a good grade on a test, a delicious dessert, or hearing your favorite song, she is experiencing the brain’s chemicals acting as a reward (1). In 1954, James Olds and Peter Milner discovered that rats would learn to press a lever if rewarded with a brief burst of electric stimulation. This discovery was significant because it suggested the existence of a pleasure center in the brain. The electrical self-stimulation was most effective when applied to the medial forebrain bundle, which goes from the midbrain to the hypothalamus and then triggers the activity of other cells that extend from the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens in the forebrain. This pathway relies on the neurotransmitter dopamine and possibly no...

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...ality and themselves can end up becoming more in touch with themselves. Of course not all people that use ketamine do so for a life changing experience. The people who use it in clubs or at raves are probably the ones who are using to feel good and have fun, but at the same time this could be an attempt to escape the self and forget about the aspects of the self that are stressful.

Reference

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