There are a lot of different ways to classify drugs, such as their chemical structure or how they’re used (i.e. crushed and snorted, swallowed, or injected as a liquid). One of the most common classifications is based on the way the drug affects the body, whether it speeds your body up or slows it down. Drugs that perk you up are known stimulants or “uppers”; those that slow you down are depressants and aptly nicknamed “downers”.
Most drugs fall neatly into one category or the other. Alcohol, however, is a special case. It has the qualities of both stimulants and depressants which makes it difficult to classify, and an unpredictable drug in guessing how it might affect someone.
Where does alcohol, the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug, fall in these groupings? We dive in to answer once and for all if alcohol is a depressant or stimulant.
How Depressants vs. Stimulants Affect the Body
To accurately assign alcohol with the label of ‘depressant’ or ‘stimulant’, you’ll first need a better idea of what these two classifications mean. Both affect the central nervous system (CNS), but do so in opposite ways. By speeding up or slowing down the way the spinal cord communicates with the brain, related organs or brain functions that are controlled by the CNS will be similarly affected. It is this chain of events that results in the most widely-known symptoms of both uppers and downers.
What are depressants?
Depressants slow down the responsiveness of the spinal cord and brain function. They do so by increasing the activity of a neurotransmitter called GABA or gamma-aminobutyric acid. GABA is a neurochemical that specifically reduces central nervous system transmissions. Short-term symptoms of a depressant include:
- Confusion
- Difficulty concentrating
- Drowsiness
- Feelings of calmness or relaxation
- Low blood pressure
- Loss of coordination
- Slowed heart rate and breathing
Types of depressants include opioids like heroin and fentanyl, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines (also known as ‘benzos’ and include the like of common anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin).
What are stimulants?
Stimulants also affect the central nervous system, but do so in a completely opposite manner. They speed up the messages sent between the spinal cord and the brain, causing the organs to work overtime and the brain to become overstimulated. Stimulants affect different neurotransmitters than depressants do. Instead of GABA, stimulants increase levels of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline).
Dopamine is a part of the brain’s reward system and plays an important role in regulating feelings of pleasure (this is the neurochemical largely responsible for eliciting the euphoric “highs” that some drugs cause). However, dopamine also is a key player in controlling cognition, impulse control, coordination, and motivation.
Serotonin is in charge of mood regulation and is nicknamed, ‘the feel good’ hormone. The majority of the body’s serotonin is actually in your GI tract where it plays a big role in gut health and digestion. When serotonin levels are too high it causes nausea and vomiting.
Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is a part of the body’s fight-or-flight response. When activated, it increases blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar, while overall increasing stress on the body’s organs. But those are just the physiological side effects of norepinephrine, there are also key behavioral effects that occur as well. The primary one is increased aggression, unsurprising given the fight-or-flight’s role as an evolutionary defense tactic. Other disruptive behaviors include wandering, hostility, and uncooperativeness.
Together, the combined effect of increased levels of these neurotransmitters can cause:
- Alertness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Euphoria or sense of well-being
- Higher libidido
- Increased energy
- Increased blood pressure and heart rate
- Increased aggression
- Irritability
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
Is Alcohol a Depressant or a Stimulant?
It’s clear that several of alcohol’s key side effects have similarities to those in both the stimulant and stimulant categories. However, alcohol is technically categorized as a depressant. Here’s why:
The stimulating effects of alcohol occur first after consuming alcohol (increased blood pressure and heart rate, feelings of well-being, and increased energy). However, once a person’s BAC is over 0.08, the depressant effects such as a loss of coordination as well as other cognitive functions, and sleepiness, take place. The energizing effects you experience during the first stages of intoxication are temporary and the sedative effects are much longer lasting.
Although alcohol is legal to buy, it’s still a powerful drug that can cause significant long-term damage to one’s physical and mental health. It’s also one of the most addictive substances on the planet. If you have a loved one with a drinking problem, find an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting near you, today.
