Final answer:
Opioids are depressant drugs that calm the brain, reduce anxiety, induce sleepiness, and reduce pain and coughing. They can be very potent and addictive, with analgesic properties that reduce pain either without loss of consciousness or with drowsiness and loss of consciousness.
Step-by-step explanation:
An opioid is a depressant type of psychoactive drug that calms the brain, reduces anxious feelings, and induces sleepiness. Opioids are very potent and addictive drugs that, in addition to causing a "high," can cause sleepiness and constipation while reducing pain and coughing. They are used as analgesics, which means they reduce pain without loss of consciousness, but in higher doses, they can act as narcotics and reduce pain with drowsiness and loss of consciousness.