Changing Your Perspective: The Science of Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior

By: Tom Borowski

Narrated by: Tom Borowski

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

How do psychoactive drugs actually work?

From Bud Lite and Ritalin to LSD and barbiturates, chemical substances alter our brains and behaviors in surprising ways. In 15 masterful lectures, this audio course takes you on a fascinating tour of the major categories of psychoactive drugs.

As you explore the neuroscience and psychology behind these drugs, you’ll discover their benefits and risks. Like most thoughtful persons, you know how prevalent psychoactive drugs such as alcohol, antidepressants, cannabis, and opioids are in our society. Now is your opportunity to become a more informed friend, parent, or patient.

Modern science has illuminated our understanding of the chemistry and physiology of the nervous system. An expert in psychopharmacology, Prof. Thomas Borowski helps you survey the surprising physiological, molecular, and behavioral/cognitive effects of common psychoactive drugs. What are their therapeutic effects, side effects, and long-term effects on the brain?

By the end of the series, you will have a strong foundation of knowledge about the way drugs react with the nervous system, the main categories of drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders, and what these drugs have taught us about treating mental disorders.

Join Prof. Borowski and gain practical information about a hot topic in our culture.

This course is part of the Learn25 collection and includes a free PDF study guide.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Now You Know Media (P)2019 Now You Know Media

Informed Lectures from an Expert

I was looking for a science-based approach to better understand what drugs, alcohol, and common medications actually do to our brains, since there is so much conjecture and half-truths about these topics in our popular culture. This program answered my questions and then some. I appreciated that the author - Thomas Borowski - is a real lab scientist. You can tell he's immersed in the science of this stuff, and understands drugs and behavior from an objective standpoint.

Fascinating and comprehensive

Prof. Borowski provides a clear, balanced and comprehensive discussion on the science of each class of psychoactive drugs. If you really want to understand how drugs effect the brain, this course is for you. Borowski clearly understands the science and I like that he doesn't have a political agenda. You'll understand both the harms and the benefits of drugs and explore open questions.

Neuroscience that's easy to understand

I love reading about the brain and neuroscience, but as a layperson I often find books on this topic a bit hard to chew on. I enjoyed this title not just because it was really interesting and informative, but also because it's divided up into a series of different lectures, so you get to have a bit of a pause if you want. I also found that I enjoyed listening to this topic even more than I do reading it, and it was fascinating to learn of the use of what we see as hardcore drugs even in ancient times. Highly recommend.

What do drugs do to you?

Let's be honest, the main reason you're here is to see how those drugs you took in college have effected your brain long term.

Tom Borowski went into psychopharmacology for the same reason. This is a fascinating look into your brain. It can be a bit dry at times, but I feel that Tom does a great job of grounding the technical details with some relatable stories.

Explore The Nature of Psychoactive Drugs

I am a senior medical student and yet, this course changed the way I look at pharmacology, neuroscience, and even my own behaviors.
The first thing attracted me after purchasing this course is the PDF. It is written in a very easy-to-understand way that made me wonder why I did not like neuroscience when I was studying internal medicine.

The course starts with an introduction to the science of pharmacology. Dr. Thomas Borowski has an interesting way of making neuro topics easy. He starts discussing topics that are more complicated and makes them simpler and easier to understand for everyone. I even found it better than what I took in my medical school.
For the public, It can be considered a comprehensive guide about neuroscience and psychoactive drugs. Unfortunately, we live in a world full of psychological problems. Understanding the nature of psychoactive drugs becomes essential to comprehend what they are doing to the person taking them. This person can be you, a family member, or a friend.

Dr. Thomas took a boring topic that is full of scientific and medical information and turned it into a simple yet informative topic.
This course is recommended for everyone. It is necessary to understand the nature of psychological problems, psychoactive drugs, and all the other aspects associated with them.