IT'S A DOWNER is a phrase used to describe a situation that is depressing or disheartening. The two crossword solutions for this term are OPIATE and quaalude. An OPIATE is a drug derived from the opium poppy plant, which is used to relieve pain and induce sleep. Quaalude is a brand name for methaqualone, a sedative-hypnotic drug that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Both of these drugs can be abused and have serious side effects, making them a downer in more ways than one.