Chapter Twelve: Substance Use and Addictive Disorders

Drug

Any substance other than food that affects our bodies or minds

Substance Intoxication

When substances cause temporary changes in behavior, emotion, or thought

Alcohol Intoxication

A temporary state of poor judgment, mood changes, irritability, slurred speech, and poor coordination

Hallucinogen Intoxication / Hallucinosis

Perceptual distortions and hallucinations

Substance Use Disorders

Patterns of maladaptive behaviors and reactions brought about by the repeated use of substances

Tolerance

A person needs increasing doses of the substance to produce the desired effect

Withdrawal

Unpleasant and sometimes dangerous symptoms that occur when the person suddenly stops taking or cuts back on the substance

Depressants

Substances that slow the activity of the central nervous system

Binge Drinking Episode

When people consume five or more drinks on a single occasion

Heavy drinkers

People who binge drink at least five times a month

Ethyl Alcohol

A chemical that is quickly absorbed into the blood through the lining of the stomach and the intestine

Cirrhosis

Liver becomes scarred and dysfunctional

Korsakoffs syndrome

An alcohol related disorder caused by a deficiency of vitamin B

Confabulating

Reciting made-up events to fill in the gaps

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A pattern of abnormalities that can include intellectual disability disorder, hyperactivity, head and face deformities, heart defects, and slow growth

Sedative-hypnotic Use Disorder

A pattern marked by craving for the drugs, tolerance effects, and withdrawal reactions

Opioid

Opium, drugs derived from opium, and other synthetic drugs

Opium

A highly addictive substance made from the sap of the opium poppy

Morphine

A highly addictive substance derived from opium that is particularly effective in relieving pain

Heroin

One of the most addictive substances derived from opium

1917

US Congress concluded that all drugs derived from opium were addictive and passed a law making opioids illegal except for medical purposes

Overdose

Closes down the respiratory center in the brain, almost paralyzing breathing and in many cases causing death

Stimulants

Substances that increase the activity of the central nervous system, resulting in increased blood pressure and heart rate, more alertness, and sped-up behavior and thinking

Cocaine

An addictive stimulant obtained from the coco plant and the most powerful natural stimulant known

Cocaine Intoxication

Symptoms are poor muscle coordination, grandiosity, bad judgment, anger, aggression, compulsive behavior, anxiety, and confusion

Cocaine-induced Psychosis

Some people have hallucinations, delusions, or both

Crashing

As the stimulant effects of cocaine subside, the user goes through a depression-like letdown, causing a pattern that may also include headaches, dizziness, and fainting

Freebasing

A technique in which the pure cocaine basic alkaloid is chemically separated (freed) from processed cocaine, vaporized by heat from a flame, and inhaled through a pipe

Crack

A powerful, ready-to-smoke freebase cocaine

Amphetamines

Stimulant drugs that are manufactured in the laboratory

Methamphetamine

A kind of amphetamine that has surged in popularity in recent years, posing major health and law enforcement problems

High doses

Increases gastric acid secretions in the stomach and the rate of breathing

Hallucinogens

Substances that cause powerful changes in sensory perception

Flashbacks

A recurrence of the sensory and emotional changes after the LSD has left the body

Polysubstance Use

People often take more than one drug at a time

Cross-tolerance

Tolerance for a substance one has not taken before as a result of using another substance similar to it

Synergistic Effect

In pharmacology, an increase of effects that occurs when more than one substance is acting on the body at the same time

Genetic Predisposition

People may inherit a predisposition to misuse substances

Reward Circuit

A dopamine-rich circuit in the brain that produces feelings of pleasure when activated

Incentive-sensitization Theory of Addiction

As substances repeatedly stimulate this reward circuit, the circuit develops a hypersensitivity to the substances, contributing to future desires for them

Reward Deficiency Syndrome

People who chronically use drugs have a reward circuit that is not readily activated by the usual events in their lives, so they turn to drugs to stimulate the pleasure pathway, particularly in times of stress

Equifinality

The principle that different developmental pathways can lead to the same psychological disorder

Motivational Interviewing

Therapists help motivate the clients to make constructive choices and behavioral changes

Aversion Therapy

Clients are repeatedly presented with an unpleasant stimulus at the very moment that they are taking a drug

Contingency Management

Offers clients incentives that are contingent on the submission of drug-free urine specimens

Detoxification

Systematic and medically supervised withdrawal from a drug

Antagonist Drugs

Drugs that block or change the effects of the addictive drug as an aid to resisting temptation

Disulfiram

increases negative effects of alcohol

Partial Antagonists

Opioid antagonists that produce less severe withdrawal symptoms

Buprenorphine

An opioid substitute drug being used as a form of maintenance therapy

Alcoholics Anonymous

A self-help organization that provides support and guidance for people with alcohol use disorder

Residential Treatment Centers / Therapeutic Communities

A place where people formerly addicted to drugs live, work, and socialize in a drug-free environment while undergoing therapy and making a transition back to community life

Gamblers Anonymous

A self-help group problem for gamblers modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous