Unit 3: Substance Use, Classification, and Health Effects Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering core pharmacology terms, classifications, routes of administration, adolescent addiction risk factors, and profiles of commonly abused substances.

Drug

Any chemical substance (other than food) that affects how the brain and body work, altering mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behavior, or used to prevent, diagnose, or treat a medical condition.

Medicine

A substance or preparation used to treat, cure, prevent, or relieve symptoms of disease or an abnormal health condition.

Flashbacks

A psychological phenomenon where a person re-experiences the effects (such as visual or perceptual distortions) of a hallucinogenic drug long after the drug has left their system.

Over-the-counter (OTC) Medicine

Medications that can be purchased directly by a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare provider.

Prescription Drugs

Medications that are legally available only with a written or electronic order from a licensed healthcare provider due to their potency or potential for misuse.

Depressant

A substance that slows down central nervous system and brain activity, reducing alertness and slowing bodily functions.

Stimulant

A substance that increases central nervous system activity, heart rate, alertness, and energy.

Hallucinogen

A class of drugs that alters a person's perception of reality, thoughts, and awareness of their surroundings (e.g., LSD, psilocybin).

Drug/Substance Abuse

A pattern of harmful or destructive use of legal or illegal substances that interferes with a person's health, safety, or ability to function.

Drug/Substance Misuse

Using a legal or prescription medication in a way, dose, or purpose other than what was directed or prescribed (e.g., taking someone else's prescription or taking more than the recommended dose).

Withdrawal

A group of physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a person suddenly reduces or stops taking a substance their body has adapted to.

Dependency

A state in which the body or brain physically or psychologically relies on a substance to function normally and experiences tolerance or withdrawal when it is absent.

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)

A metric representing the concentration of alcohol present in a person's bloodstream.

Normal (Appropriate) Drug Use

Taking a medication properly as prescribed by a healthcare provider or following the exact over-the-counter label directions to treat a medical condition.

Inhalation / Smoking / Vaping

A method of drug entry into the body that involves breathing the substance directly into the lungs.

Ingestion / Oral Administration

A method of drug entry into the body that involves swallowing a drug, pill, or liquid through the mouth.

Injection

A method of drug entry into the body that involves pushing a liquid substance directly into a vein, muscle, or under the skin using a needle.

Prefrontal Cortex

The region of the brain that controls judgment, impulse control, and decision-making, which continues developing through adolescence and contributes to heightened risk-taking.

Negative Peer Pressure

Social influence where peers urge an individual toward harmful choices, such as offering an unprescribed pill or vape and insisting that everyone else is doing it.

Positive Peer Pressure

Social influence where peers encourage healthy or protective choices, such as deciding collectively to leave an environment where substance use is occurring.

Protective Shield

A collection of protective factors—such as parental support, clear family rules, self-efficacy, positive school connections, and refusal skills—that lowers vulnerability to drug use and addiction.

Cocaine

A central nervous system stimulant (Schedule II) that causes increased energy, elevated heart rate, and paranoia short-term, and can lead to severe cardiovascular damage and nasal tissue damage long-term.

Methamphetamine

A potent CNS stimulant that leads to increased wakefulness and rapid heart rate short-term, and can cause severe dental decay ('meth mouth'), extreme weight loss, and hallucinations long-term.

Edibles

Cannabis or marijuana-infused food products that alter perception of time and space, impair memory, and carry potential for delayed-onset panic or cannabis use disorder.

Heroin

An opiate/opioid depressant that produces a rush of euphoria and slowed breathing short-term, and carries high risks of fatal overdose, collapsed veins, and severe physical dependence long-term.

Fentanyl

A potent synthetic opioid that provides extreme pain relief and sedation, but carries high risks of fatal respiratory depression, rapid tolerance, and brain hypoxia.

Alcohol

A depressant that lowers inhibitions, impairs judgment, and causes slurred speech short-term, and can lead to cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, and severe withdrawal symptoms (delirium tremens) long-term.

Ecstasy (MDMA / Molly)

A drug classified as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen that promotes emotional warmth and empathy short-term, and can cause sleep disturbances, depression, and serotonin neurotoxicity long-term.