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STIMULANTS

Stimulants are drugs that speed up body functions including thinking, blood pressure, heart rate and others. Mild stimulants such as caffeine actually may help intellectual performance and may help people such as pilots and night workers stay awake. Others such as cocaine have legitimate medical uses—cocaine is a local anesthetic—but can be dangerous. Some people become addicted and develop behavioral and medical problems. Amphetamines also have some legitimate uses but variations like methamphetamine have none and are a growing social and health problem. Lastly, nicotine, perhaps the most addictive of all substances, is part stimulant and part relaxant. It is an enormous health problem.