Teenagers who abuse depressants are in danger of becoming addicted not only physically but also psychologically. The inappropriate use of depressants can cause slurred speech, confusion, detachment from reality, lack of coordination, and slowed breathing. If not properly controlled, depressants can cause serious health problems and complications.

Tranquilizers, another type of depressant, help people calm down and eventually put them to sleep. The most common tranquilizers today are benzodiazepines, which include diazepam and alprazolam.

Tranquilizers such as benzodiazepine provide a calming effect by facilitating transmission at synapses using the GABA neurotransmitter. Similarly, alcohol facilitates transmission at the same synapses but through a different mechanism. If depressants and alcohol are taken together in excessive doses, it can be fatal because they increase the transmission of GABA which, in turn, has a suppressive effect on the areas of the brain that are responsible for controlling heartbeat and breathing.

Another dangerous benzodiazepine drug is flunitrazepam. This is popularly known as the “date rape drug” because guys can easily get their date high simply by dropping a flunitrazepam tablet in their date’s drink. It quickly dissolves in water and has absolutely no characteristic color, smell and taste. Flunitrazepam makes people drowsy, lose control of their muscles, and have little memory of events that happened while under the influence of the drug.

Many teens resort to using depressants and alcohol to distract themselves because they feel like they have nowhere else to go, no one else to talk to. Students who abuse alcohol and depressants can be observed to be drowsy and drowsy in class, unresponsive to class participation, and lacking in a sense of balance.

Teachers or parents must be sensitive enough to detect if a teenager is under the influence of depressants. Early detection is useful because it would mean that early intervention can also take place. Parents and teachers should not ignore sudden changes in a teenager’s mood and attitude. Deteriorating academic performance can also be taken as a warning.