Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse Psychopharmacology in the 21st Century

Bringing a new approach to covering the basic principles and major topics found in a typical psychopharmacology course, Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse also adds the newest exciting and controversial findings in the study of drug use and abuse. At the core, the text has a strong emphasis on developing scientific literacy and critical thinking in the student.

Drug Use, Misuse and Abuse includes the major drugs typically covered in an undergraduate psychopharmacology course (caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines including methamphetamine, alcohol, opiates, marijuana, the hallucinogens, antipsychotics, antidepressants, and antianxiety medications) and, moreover, the content emphasizes the latest scientific findings in the field, including advances in imaging the living brain. Included is a chapter on careers related to psychopharmacology, as well as a variety of pedagogical features that help students learn, making it appropriate for an instructor of a lecture-based, online or hybrid course. 

PREFACE xxi

FOR THE STUDENT xxiii

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR xxv

ABOUT THE AUTHOR xxix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxxi

THANK YOU TO THE REVIEWERS xxxiii

1 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 1

2 DRUGS AND THE BRAIN 31

3 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PHARMACOLOGY 58

4 CAFFEINE 84

5 NICOTINE 114

6 COCAINE 146

7 AMPHETAMINES 173

8 ALCOHOL 203

9 OPIATES 242

10 MARIJUANA 272

11 HALLUCINOGENS 300

12 ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS 327

13 ANTIDEPRESSANT, ANTIANXIETY, AND MOOD-STABILIZING DRUGS 351

14 STEROIDS AND SMART DRUGS 382

GLOSSARY 407

REFERENCES 415

INDEX 441

Cecile Marczinski, Assistant Professor at Northern Kentucky University, earned her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from McMaster University (Canada) in 2001.? Her research interests address questions about how failures of behavioral control lead to risky and addictive behaviors. She investigates the determinants and the consequences of drug and alcohol use by measuring the cognitive, behavioral and subjective effects of acute doses of commonly used drugs, such as alcohol and caffeine, in human volunteers.
Her recent published work has focused on issues such as binge drinking in college students and the effects of mixing energy drinks with alcohol.? Her teaching portfolio includes courses in cognitive psychology, research methods and psychopharmacology.? She mentors undergraduate students who are interested in conducting research in the areas of cognition, self-control and addiction.