Problems and solutions in the environment

Drugs are chemicals that cause changes in the body. They can be divided into legal and illegal drugs. Drugs can also be medical or recreational (drugs taken because they have pleasing effects). Some drugs can be addictive – more and more is needed to achieve the same effect. Drugs can be separated into categories – solvents, painkillers, depressants and stimulants.


They increase the transmission of signals from one nerve cell to the next, which then increases alertness, heart rate and breathing rate.


Depressants prescribed by a doctor to help people sleep or to relieve the symptoms of stress. They slow down the nervous system and reactions, but some are very effective to the body for example alcohol.


Painkillers include paracetamol, aspirin, heroin and morphine. They block nerve impulses from the painful part of the body, or block nerve impulses travelling to the part of the brain responsible for perceiving pain.


Hallucinogens change the way our brains work, distorting our senses. This changes our response to what we see, feel and hear