Overcoming Addiction – Key Vocabulary

A set of 50 vocabulary flashcards covering essential terms and definitions from the lecture on overcoming addiction.

Addiction

A chronic, relapsing brain disease in which a person cannot stop using a substance or behavior despite serious harm.

Substance Addiction

Dependence on drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or prescription medications that leads to compulsive use and impairment.

Behavioral (Process) Addiction

Compulsive engagement in non-substance activities such as gambling, gaming, shopping, or binge eating.

Brain Disease Model of Addiction

The medical view that addiction alters brain structure and function and can be treated like other chronic illnesses.

Craving

An intense urge or desire to use a substance or engage in an addictive behavior.

Loss of Control

Repeated failed attempts to cut down or stop use and an inability to regulate intake.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Physical or psychological distress that appears when a dependent person reduces or stops use.

Tolerance

Needing more of a substance or behavior to achieve the same effect due to brain adaptation.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter that creates feelings of pleasure; heavily released during addictive use.

Reward System Hijacking

The process by which addiction takes over brain reward circuits, prioritizing use over all else.

Genetic Risk Factors

Inherited biological traits that account for roughly 40–60% of a person’s vulnerability to addiction.

Environmental Risk Factors

External influences—peer pressure, availability, family dynamics, poverty, stress—that raise addiction risk.

Psychological Risk Factors

Personal traits like impulsivity, low self-esteem, or poor coping that increase susceptibility to addiction.

Trauma

Deeply distressing experiences (abuse, violence, disaster) that can precipitate or worsen addiction.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Early life traumas linked to a significantly higher likelihood of developing addiction in adulthood.

Self-Medication

Using substances or behaviors to numb emotional pain or relieve mental-health symptoms.

Dual Diagnosis

The simultaneous presence of a substance use disorder and a mental health condition.

Substance Use Disorder

Clinical term for problematic substance use that meets diagnostic criteria for addiction.

Co-occurring Mental Health Disorder

Any psychiatric condition (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD) that exists alongside addiction.

Physical Health Impacts

Bodily harms from addiction—organ damage, weakened immunity, overdose risk, sleep and appetite changes.

Liver Disease

Serious liver damage such as cirrhosis resulting from chronic alcohol consumption.

Overdose

Toxic ingestion leading to life-threatening reactions, coma, or death.

Weakened Immune System

Reduced ability to fight infections due to prolonged substance abuse.

Paranoia

Irrational mistrust or fear that can accompany stimulant or hallucinogen use.

Broken Trust

Erosion of reliability and honesty in relationships caused by addictive behaviors.

Financial Impact

Economic strain—including debt, bankruptcy, theft—created by funding an addiction.

Legal Consequences

Arrest, incarceration, fines, or custody loss stemming from drug possession or related crimes.

Cycle of Addiction

The repeating pattern from experimentation through relapse that sustains addictive behavior.

Experimentation Stage

Initial voluntary use driven by curiosity, peer influence, or coping motives.

Regular Use Stage

More frequent consumption with emerging tolerance; often situational or social.

Risky Use Stage

Escalated use despite negative outcomes, often accompanied by denial or minimization.

Dependence

Physical and psychological need for a substance; withdrawal appears if use stops.

Withdrawal & Negative Emotions Stage

Period of anxiety, irritability, or illness after quitting that can push a person back to use.

Relapse

Return to substance or behavior after a period of abstinence.

Triggers

Stressors, environmental cues, or emotions that spark cravings and can lead to relapse.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Evidence-based talk therapy that changes unhelpful thoughts and behaviors to prevent relapse.

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)

A CBT subtype that replaces irrational beliefs with rational ones to change feelings and actions.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Counseling style that resolves ambivalence and strengthens personal motivation to change.

Contingency Management (CM)

Treatment approach that uses tangible rewards to reinforce abstinence and treatment attendance.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions

Practices cultivating nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings to reduce cravings.

Pharmacotherapy

Use of medications to ease withdrawal, reduce cravings, and lower relapse risk.

Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Integrated use of FDA-approved drugs plus counseling to treat addiction effectively.

Family Therapy

Counseling that involves relatives to improve communication, reduce conflict, and support recovery.

Individual Therapy

One-on-one sessions focused on personal goals, coping skills, and emotional growth.

Group Therapy

Therapist-led meetings of peers that provide support, skill building, and reduced isolation.

Holistic Therapies

Alternative approaches (e.g., art, spirituality) addressing mind, body, and spirit in recovery.

Impulsivity

Acting without forethought; a personality trait linked to higher addiction risk.

High Sensation-Seeking

Desire for novel, intense experiences, often associated with substance initiation.

Maladaptive Coping

Unhealthy strategies—such as substance use—employed to manage stress or emotional pain.

Nicotine Addiction

Dependence on tobacco or vaping products containing nicotine, leading to cravings and withdrawal.