Uppers and Downers are slangs to represent two different kinds of drugs based on how they affect your nervous system.
Uppers:
Are stimulants that increase cardiovascular and respiratory functions to overwhelming levels. It causes the brain to produce dopamine and norepinephrine, giving an elusion of euphoria. The high formed by this feels like an invigorating adrenaline rush and leaves behind shakiness after it’s gone, causing the body to crave even more. Side effects of uppers consist –
- Insomnia
- Heart palpitations
- Sweatiness
- Dizziness
- Chest pains
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
Uppers increase alertness and energy, and they can heighten self-confidence and lift your mood. Examples of uppers are –
- Coffee
- ADHD medications
- Cocaine
- Nicotine
- Adderall
- Ecstasy
- Concerta
They are highly dangerous, and even taking two different stimulants can cause overdose, resulting in death.
Downers:
Are the drugs that are Central Nervous System ( CNS ) depressants. These cause the exact opposite effects of the uppers. It gives a sedative effect by slowing down the conducting of messages sent and received between the central nervous system and brain. These drugs slow down respiratory functions, causing the oxygen levels in the body to fall dangerously, resulting in a coma. Downers are of three types –
- Opiates (commonly known as painkillers)
- Sedatives/hypnotics
- Alcohol
There are various physical side effects, most of them contrasting those of uppers –
- Drowsiness
- Amnesia
- Lethargy
- Disinhibited emotions
- Coordination issues
Downers are generally prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and epilepsy but are fatal if overdosed or consumed addictively. It decreases alertness and focus and produces this effect of sleepiness.
Examples of downers are –
- Alcohol
- Benzodiazepines
- Barbiturates
- Fentanyl
- Heroin
They are notoriously addictive and effects very quickly.
Uppers and Downers are natural opposites of each other. Often, people make the mistake of thinking that, like hot and cold water, mixing uppers and downers can cancel the effect of each other, but it is presumptuously wrong. It is even more dangerous to combine these two –
- Stimulants cover up the effects of the depressants in the system resulting in consuming more and increasing the risk of overdosing.
- It stays in the system longer as both of them slow down metabolism.
- Taking uppers and downers together can cause a tug of war in your body and especially cause damage to your heart, causing irregular heartbeats and cardiac arrests. It disrupts the homeostasis of the body.
Although recreational drug abusers frequently use uppers and downers together, it causes hazardous effects to both psychological and neurological effects. People often use them contradictorily, which increases the addiction to both at the same time.
Drugs have claimed many lives, and thousands of others have thrown away everything dear to them in life and their aspirations after getting addicted to drugs. We must join hands to create awareness against this and help form a drug-free society.
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