Introduction to drugs and behavior

The majority of people regularly use a psychoactive drug of one kind or another. From your morning coffee to a glass of wine with dinner, substance use is a large part of everyday life. Some drugs are quite harmless, some are quite dangerous, and others may appear safe at the moment but can have longer-term consequences.

This course is designed to provide you with an introduction to the psychology of psychoactive drugs. You will learn what drugs are, how they work in the brain, and the principles behind addiction. We will then take an in-depth look at individual substances including alcohol, nicotine and tobacco, cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines, opioids, and hallucinogens. After completing this course, you will have obtained a greater understanding of how and why psychoactive drugs influence our behavior.

   449 students completed this course

   97% recommend it to other students

   Teacher: Psychology Insights Online

Start Course

97% of students recommend

  “Absolutely compelling! This is one of Highbrow’s finest writers. I have taken all Dr McGrath’s courses and always appreciate how he explores new topics, in a well-organized fashion, relevant to his area of expertise. The mixture of historic and scientific treatment of street drugs made this extra fascinating. I can’t wait for another course from this teacher!”

  “Easy to understand. I learned a lot about addiction that I did not understand before. It is not simple black or white thinking (yes or no). Excellent course. I would take a psychology course from this professor any time.”

  “Didn’t know how drugs effects and influence human behaviour. Great Insight. Thank you.”

Course plan

Lesson 1. What Is a Drug?
Lesson 2. Drugs and The Brain
Lesson 3. Tolerance and Withdrawal
Lesson 4. Dependence and Addiction
Lesson 5. Alcohol
Lesson 6. Nicotine and Tobacco
Lesson 7. Cannabis
Lesson 8. Cocaine and the Amphetamines
Lesson 9. Opioids
Lesson 10. Hallucinogens
+ Quiz

Format

Starting tomorrow, you will receive a new lesson straight to your inbox every morning for 10 days. Lessons take just 5 minutes to read, and each course is followed by fun, knowledge-testing quiz.

Membership

Highbrow teaches you something new every day. As you sip your morning coffee and rub the sleep from your eyes, Highbrow delivers a short, 5-minute email lesson to help you learn anything from art and philosophy, to business and personal development.

Join Highbrow and get unlimited access to our entire catalog of 250+ courses created by world renowned experts. With Highbrow you’ll never run out of new things to learn.

First 30 days are free. Cancel anytime. → Learn more about membership