Substance-Related & Addictive Disorders – Vocabulary Review

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, drugs, disorders, treatments, and nursing concepts from the Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders lecture notes.

Physiological Dependence

Physical adaptation to a substance marked by tolerance and withdrawal on cessation.

Psychological Dependence

Compulsive craving to use a drug for pleasure or to avoid discomfort despite negative consequences.

Tolerance

Need for increasingly larger doses to achieve the desired effect.

Withdrawal

Substance-specific syndrome that appears after abrupt reduction or cessation of prolonged use.

Substance Intoxication

Reversible, substance-specific syndrome causing maladaptive behavioral or psychological changes during or shortly after use.

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

Severe alcohol withdrawal state (48-72 h post-drink) with delirium, hallucinations, seizures, and autonomic instability.

CIWA Protocol

Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment scale guiding benzodiazepine dosing for alcohol detox.

Alcohol Intoxication Level

Typically occurs at blood alcohol 100–200 mg/dl (0.1–0.2 g/dl); legal limit 0.08 g/dl.

Caffeine Intoxication

Restlessness, insomnia, tachycardia, GI upset, muscle twitching from excess caffeine.

Amphetamine Intoxication

Agitation, aggression, dilated pupils, sweating, tachycardia, weight loss, skin-picking.

Cocaine Intoxication

Severe vasoconstriction leading to chest pain, MI, stroke, VFib; euphoria and hypervigilance.

Bath Salts Intoxication

Agitation, extreme paranoia, hallucinations, hypertension, tachycardia, violent behavior.

Hallucinogen Intoxication

Distorted time/space, depersonalization, hallucinations, tachycardia; may be a "good" or "bad" trip.

Phencyclidine (PCP)

Dissociative drug causing belligerence, superhuman strength, decreased pain response; high violence risk.

Cocoon Restraint

Total-body wrap used instead of four-point restraints for highly aggressive PCP patients.

Dextromethorphan (DXM)

OTC antitussive abused for dissociative effects; high doses cause ataxia, hallucinations, seizures.

Inhalant Intoxication

Dizziness, nystagmus, slurred speech, euphoria; rapid tolerance; common in adolescents.

Opioid Intoxication

Euphoria, pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression, constipation, drowsiness, impaired judgment.

Opioid Withdrawal

Yawning, lacrimation, piloerection, cramps, diarrhea, tachycardia; uncomfortable but rarely fatal.

Cannabis Withdrawal

Irritability, restlessness, insomnia, decreased appetite, depressed mood for several days.

Nicotine Withdrawal

Dysphoria, irritability, anxiety, weight gain, insomnia, decreased heart rate.

Caffeine Withdrawal

Headache, fatigue, drowsiness after abrupt caffeine cessation.

Stimulant Crash

Post-use fatigue, hypersomnia, depression, psychomotor changes following amphetamines or cocaine.

Codependency

Maladaptive pattern where individuals derive self-worth from meeting needs of substance abuser.

Enabling

Behaviors that protect the substance user from consequences, thus perpetuating use.

CAGE Questionnaire

Four-item alcohol screening: Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)

Aversion drug inhibiting acetaldehyde metabolism; alcohol intake causes flushing, nausea, hypotension.

Acamprosate (Campral)

GABA agonist/glutamate antagonist that reduces alcohol craving; renally excreted.

Naltrexone (ReVia/Vivitrol)

Opioid receptor antagonist that decreases alcohol and opioid craving; monitor liver function.

Methadone

Long-acting opioid agonist used daily to prevent withdrawal and reduce illicit opioid use.

Buprenorphine (Buprenex)

Partial opioid agonist for mild-moderate dependence; ceiling effect lowers overdose risk.

Suboxone

Combination of buprenorphine and naloxone for outpatient opioid maintenance; deters IV abuse.

Naloxone (Narcan)

Short-acting opioid antagonist reversing respiratory depression in overdose.

LAAM

Levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol; every-other-day opioid agonist for maintenance therapy.

Clonidine

Alpha-2 agonist that reduces autonomic symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

Cocaine Vaccine

Experimental immunotherapy producing antibodies that prevent cocaine from crossing the blood-brain barrier.

Meth Mouth

Severe dental decay and gum disease from chronic methamphetamine use.

Amotivational Syndrome

Apathy, lack of motivation, and diminished goal-directed behavior associated with heavy cannabis use.

Flashbacks

Re-experiencing perceptual symptoms of a prior hallucinogen trip long after use.

Ego Defense – Denial

Refusal to acknowledge reality of substance problem: “I can quit anytime.”

Ego Defense – Rationalization

Offering socially acceptable reasons for use: “Everybody drinks at parties.”

Ego Defense – Minimization

Downplaying amount or consequences of use: “It was only a couple beers.”

Dual Diagnosis

Co-occurrence of a substance use disorder with another mental illness.

Disease Model (Addiction)

View of substance use disorders as chronic, progressive, potentially fatal illnesses with genetic predisposition.

Wernicke’s Encephalopathy

Acute thiamine-deficiency brain disorder with ataxia, ocular palsy; reversible with thiamine.

Korsakoff’s Psychosis

Chronic memory disorder with confabulation due to untreated Wernicke’s; often irreversible.

Peripheral Neuropathy (Alcohol)

Burning, tingling extremity pain from B-vitamin deficiency in alcoholics.

Alcoholic Cirrhosis

Irreversible liver scarring leading to portal hypertension and impaired metabolism.

Ascites

Fluid accumulation in peritoneal cavity secondary to portal hypertension in cirrhosis.

Esophageal Varices

Dilated esophageal veins prone to rupture due to portal hypertension.

Hepatic Encephalopathy

Neuropsychiatric decline from elevated ammonia in end-stage liver disease.

Thrombocytopenia (Alcohol)

Low platelet count increasing bleeding risk in chronic alcohol use.

Alcoholic Hepatitis

Inflammation and enlargement of the liver with RUQ pain from heavy drinking.

Pancreatitis (Alcohol)

Severe epigastric pain and vomiting 1–2 days post binge or chronic alcohol abuse.

Prealcoholic Phase

Stage I: uses alcohol to relieve everyday stress; tolerance begins.

Early Alcoholic Phase

Stage II: blackouts, guilt, alcohol becomes required.

Crucial Phase

Stage III: loss of control, physiological dependence evident, life losses occur.

Chronic Phase

Stage IV: emotional/physical disintegration, mostly intoxicated, risk of suicide.

Pathological Gambling

Persistent maladaptive gambling behavior meeting ≥5 DSM criteria (preoccupation, chasing losses, etc.).

Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Recurrent aggressive outbursts causing injury or property destruction; followed by remorse.

Kleptomania

Impulse control disorder with recurrent theft of items not needed for use or value.

Pyromania

Deliberate and purposeful fire-setting on more than one occasion.

Reactive Attachment Disorder

Disturbed social relatedness in children due to grossly inadequate caregiving before age 5.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Neurodevelopmental disorder with deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Structured behavioral therapy reducing problem behaviors and teaching skills in autism.

Macrocephaly (ASD)

Increased head circumference frequently observed in children with autism.

Rett Disorder

Genetic neurodevelopmental disorder (girls) with regression, stereotyped hand movements, seizures.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Rare condition with late sudden regression after ≥2 years normal development.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that impairs functioning.

Conduct Disorder

Pattern of violating rights of others with aggression, theft, property destruction.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Angry/irritable mood, argumentative defiant behavior toward authority figures.

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Childhood disorder of chronic irritability with severe temper outbursts ≥3/week for ≥12 months.

Frontotemporal NCD (Pick’s Disease)

Dementia from frontal/temporal lobe atrophy; early personality and behavior changes.

Lewy Body Dementia

Rapidly progressive NCD with visual hallucinations and Parkinsonism; sensitive to antipsychotics.

Vascular NCD

Cognitive decline due to cerebrovascular disease; stepwise progression with focal deficits.

Prion Disease NCD

Rapidly fatal dementia (e.g., Creutzfeldt-Jakob) caused by abnormal prion proteins.

Huntington’s Disease NCD

Autosomal-dominant disorder with chorea and progressive cognitive decline.

Delirium

Acute fluctuating disturbance in attention and cognition due to medical condition or substance.

Sundowning

Worsening confusion and agitation in dementia patients in late afternoon/evening.

Confabulation

Fabrication of stories to fill memory gaps, often in Korsakoff’s or Alzheimer’s.

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

30-point cognitive screening tool; scores <24 suggest impairment.

Beta-Amyloid Plaques

Extracellular protein clumps characteristic of Alzheimer’s pathology.

Neurofibrillary Tangles

Intracellular twisted tau protein fibers disrupting neuronal function in AD.

Tau Protein

Microtubule-stabilizing protein that becomes hyper-phosphorylated in Alzheimer’s disease.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

Drugs (donepezil, rivastigmine) that increase acetylcholine to slow cognitive decline.

NMDA Receptor Antagonist

Memantine; blocks pathological glutamate activity to moderate AD symptoms.

Alz-50 Protein

Fetal neuronal antigen abnormally expressed in Alzheimer’s-affected brains.

Roid Rage

Extreme irritability and aggression linked to anabolic steroid abuse.

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids

Synthetic testosterone derivatives abused for muscle growth; cause endocrine and cardiac risks.

Breathalyzer

Calibrated device measuring exhaled alcohol concentration for legal/clinical assessment.

Urine Drug Screen

Non-invasive test (usually 37 °C observed) detecting recent substance use; may be adulterated.

Hypervigilance

Excessive sensory alertness; common with stimulant intoxication or PTSD.

Goosebumps (Piloerection)

Autonomic sign seen in opioid withdrawal along with yawning and lacrimation.

Inderal (Propranolol)

Beta-blocker used to manage stimulant-induced tachycardia and anxiety.

Wellbutrin (Bupropion)

NDRI antidepressant used for nicotine withdrawal (Zyban) and adult ADHD.

Chantix (Varenicline)

Partial nicotine receptor agonist aiding smoking cessation; monitor mood changes.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Gum, patch, spray, or inhaler delivering nicotine to ease withdrawal.

Cocoon Restraint Reminder

Alternative full-body immobilization technique safer than 4-point restraints for violent PCP users.

Self-Mutilation (ASD/ID)

Repetitive self-injury behaviors; may require antipsychotics and behavioral interventions.

Comorbidity (Dual Diagnosis)

Presence of two or more disorders in the same individual, e.g., SUD plus PTSD.