Recreational stimulants, herbal, and spice cannabis: The core psychobiological processes that underlie their damaging effects

Aims Recreational drugs are taken for their positive mood effects, yet their regular usage damages well‐being. The psychobiological mechanisms underlying these damaging effects will be debated. Methods The empirical literature on recreational cannabinoids and stimulant drugs is reviewed. A theoretical explanation for how they cause similar types of damage is outlined. Results All psychoactive drugs cause moods and psychological states to fluctuate. The acute mood gains underlie their recreational usage, while the mood deficits on withdrawal explain their addictiveness. Cyclical mood changes are found with every central nervous system stimulant and also occur with cannabis. These mood state changes provide a surface index for more profound psychobiological fluctuations. Homeostatic balance is altered, with repetitive disturbances of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and disrupted cortisol‐neurohormonal secretions. Hence, these drugs cause increased stress, disturbed sleep, neurocognitive impairments, altered brain activity, and psychiatric vulnerability. Equivalent deficits occur with novel psychoactive stimulants such as mephedrone and artificial “spice” cannabinoids. These psychobiological fluctuations underlie drug dependency and make cessation difficult. Psychobiological stability and homeostatic balance are optimally restored by quitting psychoactive drugs. Conclusions Recreational stimulants such as cocaine or MDMA (3.4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and sedative drugs such as cannabis damage human homeostasis and well‐being through similar core psychobiological mechanisms.