psychoactive substance

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Word: Psychoactive Substance

Definition: A psychoactive substance is a type of drug that can change how you feel, think, or perceive things. These substances can affect your mood (how you feel) and may alter your senses (how you see, hear, or feel things).

Usage Instructions:

• Part of Speech: Noun
• How to use: You can use "psychoactive substance" when talking about drugs that affect the brain and mental state. It is often used in discussions about health, psychology, or law.

Example:

• "Many people are unaware that alcohol is a psychoactive substance that can affect their judgment and mood."

Advanced Usage:

• In more technical or academic discussions, you might encounter terms like "neuropharmacology" when talking about how psychoactive substances work in the brain.

Word Variants:

• Psychoactivity (noun): The quality of affecting mental processes.
• Psychoactive (adjective): Describing a substance that affects the mind.

Different Meaning:

While "psychoactive substance" generally refers to drugs, in a broader sense, it can also be used to describe any substance that has a significant impact on mental processes, whether legal or illegal.

Synonyms:

• Mind-altering drug
• Mood-altering substance
• Psychotropic substance

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "High as a kite": This idiom describes someone who is under the influence of a psychoactive substance and feels very euphoric or out of touch with reality.
• "Trip out": A phrasal verb that means to experience altered perceptions or feelings, often used in the context of using hallucinogenic drugs.

Note:

It's important to remember that while some psychoactive substances are legal (like caffeine and alcohol), others are illegal and can be harmful.

Academic

Noun

1. a drug that can produce mood changes and distorted perceptions

Synonyms

• psychoactive drug
• mind-altering drug
• consciousness-altering drug