Alcohol & Marijuana: Similarities & Differences in Effects - Research Paper

Introduction

Alcohol and Marijuana exhibit differences as well as similarities based on the effects these substances present to its users. Distorted vision and hearing, impaired judgment, altered perception, and sleepiness offer a series of short-term effects of Alcohol and Marijuana, respectively. In the case of the effect on the central nervous system, alcohol is marked as one of the active central nervous system depressants, which affects depending upon the rate of consumption and amount taken by the user in the region. The effect of the substance extends to causing death, which is one of the immense impacts of alcohol. On the other end of Marijuana, the substance is also broadly associated with the central nervous system. The acute administration of the drug primarily revolves around the central nervous system, which results in the cognitive disabilities of individuals in the region, among other sets of effects caused. The research paper analyses alcohol and Marijuana by focusing on the impact these substances present to users right from the central nervous system, short-term effects, and chronic or long-term effects of drugs.

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Methodology

The information gathered in this research paper has been sourced from primary sources as well as secondary sources, and all of them are listed in the reference section of the research. References used are sourced from various websites including, academic journals as well as news articles hence comprehensively providing reliable data for this research regarding alcohol versus Marijuana, which extends to effects both substances cause to individual users.

Findings

Short-Term Consequences of Alcohol and Marijuana

The effects of alcohol and Marijuana are both marked by short and long-term consequences. Still, this assignment in this section broadly expounds on the short-term impact of alcohol and Marijuana in the region. In the case of alcohol, apart from injuries and violence reported among most of its users, excessive consumption of alcohol can be fatal, cause the death of its users (Briscoe & Casarett 2018). The cause of the drink or effects is pronounced mainly between the first 30 to forty minutes right after consumption among individual users. Despite the fatal consequences of alcohol users in the region, the result again is broadly expressed in the individual level of central nervous system coordination. The idea is depended on the increased level of alcohol in the central nervous system, among other essential marked effects of alcohol among its users.

In the case of Marijuana, the effects are felt at a cognitive level, among other essential sections of the body. Marijuana has never been reported to cause death among its users, something that forms differences between two substances on individual users. The effect is majorly in the case of Marijuana overdoes, something compared to the effect shown by alcohol. The onset of Marijuana is faster compared to alcohol, wherein the case of alcohol onset is about the first 30 to 40 minutes after use (Caulley, Caplan & Ross 2019). In the case of excessive use of Marijuana, too much substance causes a panic attack and psychotic reactions in the region. As a result of psychotic responses, the effect of substance abuse extends to others where the user goes further and injure people around their surroundings or people operating from their surroundings.

Distorted Visions and Impaired or Reduced Short-Term Memory

Distorted vision and impaired short-term memory broadly cover a series of effects of alcohol and Marijuana, respectively. The results of these substances, alcohol and Marijuana, broadly defines the short-term effects of the substance. In the case of alcohol effects in reduced vision, it is incredibly involved in slower pupil reactions in the region (Crews & Vetreno 2018). The more delayed reaction that involves pupil, alcohol cause, or can influence the human iris to constrict producing earlier mentioned effect, reduced vision.

Additionally, alcohol effects lead to dilation of the iris, which is causing iris to enlarge in human eyes. Dilation occurs at a slower rate, which eventually produces an impact that defines vision impairment as an effect caused by alcohol consumption in the region. This is evident from a new study from Canada, which shows the ability of alcohol to reduce the strength of the eye from adjusting, marking one of the essential short-term effects of alcohol.

In the case of Marijuana, the short-term effect of the substance involves a problem with working memory, which is short-term impaired memory in the region. The mechanism beyond the memory function of an individual using the substance, Marijuana, is by the ability of the main psychoactive chemical THC. The THC mostly function by inhibiting receptors of the brain; this works by chemical attaching on the brain receptors, which broadly define mechanism behind impaired brain function as a result of the effect of the substance under discussion, Marijuana. These receptors inhibited forms a vital section for memory formation, explaining memory effect as a short-term effect of substance mention, Marijuana. The main area includes the hippocampus and cerebral cortex that forms significant brain sections formation influenced by Marijuana and marked as a short-term effect of the substance. Every set of function or concept focused on broadly defines the short-term impact of Marijuana to individual users in the region.

Impaired Judgement and Reduced Ability to Perform Tasks

Still, in the case of the short-term effect of alcohol and Marijuana, impaired judgment, and reduced ability to perform tasks present a series of the impact of alcohol and Marijuana in the region. In the case of impaired judgment, which is one of the effects of alcohol, alcohol inhibits the ability of self-judgment in the area. Impairment again mainly focuses on brain activity, such as the coordination function of the brain, among other essential brain functions. Under the influence of the brain, an individual under the influence of alcohol broadly define less coordination of the person's mind; this makes this section less inactive, explaining the concept behind impaired judgment. Expounding on impaired judgment by alcohol in the region, individual behavior, in this case, is hugely associated with alcohol consumption in the area, which slow brain function. The section of the brain with more significant influence, in this case, revolves around the part that keeps in check with self-judgment, thus influence the user's ability to judge. The idea explained broadly defines impaired judgment of individual users of the substance.

In the case of Marijuana, the reduced ability to perform function marks one of the essential influences of the effect of Marijuana among its users in the region. An excellent example of an explanation behind the impact of Marijuana on reduced ability to perform tasks focuses on school-work. Research has exponentially indicated that Marijuana has adverse effects on individuals' brains, which include reduced attention and memory effect among students. The extension upon which a person or user of the substance experience the effect largely depends on habit developed. In the case of acute, after the experiences that primarily reduce the ability to perform a function, the effects wear off. The idea is marked in the context of severe cases. The impact of a substance that explains reduced brain ability to perform function occur when individual users subjects themselves to smoking daily that eventually leads to brain inability to perform the function in the region.

Bad Breath, Hangover and Dry Mouth and Throat

Bad breath, which relates to a hangover and dry mouth and throat, presents two essential short-term effects of alcohol and Marijuana, respectively. The effects shown in this section primarily focuses on the short-term effects of the substances, alcohol, and Marijuana. In the context of bad breath as a result of short-term alcohol effects, alcohol has been reported to alter bacteria among individuals who take alcohol in the region. The concentration of harmful bacteria in the mouth results in the production of bad breath and is mostly linked to gum disease. The concept behind gum disease and bacterial remarkably define and explain lousy breath, the hangover of alcohol in the region among other essential section to cover that revolves around alcohol and bad breath. Still, in the case of bad breath, alcohol, in most cases, triggers acid reflux in the region, which again explains the concept behind bad breath among alcohol users. Acid described in this case usually has an odor showing the short-term effect of alcohol on its users.

Marijuana, on the other end, results in the case of dry mouth and throat as the mainly marked short-time effect of the initially mentioned substance, Marijuana. Dry mouth and throat characterize a collective impact of Marijuana among a good percentage of its users. Nature of mouth largely depends upon a time an individual is subjected to the smoke of Marijuana in the region. Dry mouth is mainly known to occur as saliva response to cannabis generated from Marijuana in the case of frequent smoking or subjection to habitual smoking among individual users in the region. The response spark from cannabis components in the bloodstream largely explains the concept behind dry mouth and throat of individuals who are active users of Marijuana.

Altered Perceptions and Decreased Social Inhibition

Still focusing on short-term effects of alcohol and Marijuana, altered perception and decreased social inhibition again cover the effects of alcohol and Marijuana, respectively. Altered perception by alcohol mainly focuses on affective prosody, which is a nonlinguistic aspect of language that plays an essential role in conveying information and attitude during discourse in the region. This section in a human being is the dominant function of the right hemisphere and linked to the consumption of alcohol that broadly defines altered perception (Curtis et al., 2018). The association of skills with this side of the brain and associated with impairment of brain function, which broadly defines the role and effect of alcohol on perception and emotion among individuals its active users. Altered perception is, however, the short-term effect of the substance mentioned in this case.

Decreased social inhibition present one of the effects described in this section of the assignment as the short-term effect of Marijuana. Research in the field recently conducted indicates cannabis smoking significantly reduces levels of stress and anxiety as well as reported cases of depression in the region. Effect of substance, Marijuana, mentioned here, sounds positive on individuals with decreased or with issues of anxiety and depression. Despite the positive move, on the same note, the effect has been associated with negative impacts, which include high feeling smokers experience after smoking Marijuana. Decreased social inhibition marks an essential section of one of the effects of Marijuana in the area and among a good number of people who are active smokers of initially mentioned substance, marijuana.

Long-Term Effects of Alcohol and Marijuana

After extensively focusing on several short-term effects of alcohol and Marijuana, this second section broadly and remarkably covers the long-term impact of alcohol versus Marijuana among its users in the region (Griswold et al., 2018). Loss of appetite, vitamin deficiencies, which include stomach ailments and liver damage, only include two sections of the long-term effect of alcohol, among other effects. In the case of Marijuana, the assignment focuses on psychological dependence and enhanced cancer risk as some of the main long-term effects of Marijuana, among other effects, covered or discussed.