- addiction
- associated with compulsive or uncontrolled use of one or more substances
- alcohol intoxication
- refers to problematic behavioral or psychological changes that develop during or shortly after alcohol ingestion
- alcohol use disorder (AUD)
- chronic medical condition that is categorized by difficulty stopping or controlling alcohol use, and by using alcohol to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms, even when it is causing negative social, occupational, or health-related consequences
- Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- offers social fellowship and a twelve-step program of action that was formulated based on members’ experiences of recovery from severe alcohol use disorders
- binge drinking
- consuming several standard drinks on one occasion in the past thirty days
- dependence
- characterized by the lack of the substance causing physical symptoms
- detoxification
- period of time during which the body rids itself of the substances
- drug diversion
- when medication is redirected from its intended destination for personal use, sale, or distribution to others; includes drug theft, use, or tampering (adulteration or substitution)
- euphoric
- experiencing an intense feeling of happiness
- habituation
- getting used to doing something—such as using a substance—and then not wanting to stop
- harm reduction
- focuses on meeting the client where they are and helping to prevent overdose, reduce transmission of infectious diseases, and improve the overall health of the client
- heavy drinking
- consumption of eight or more drinks per week for women and fifteen or more drinks per week for men or binge drinking on five or more of the previous thirty days
- intoxication
- disturbance in behavior or mental function during or after the consumption of a substance
- MDMA
- synthetic psychoactive drug more commonly known by the names Molly or Ecstasy
- mutual aid (support) group
- recovery supports in which members share their substance use problem and value learning from each other’s experiences as they focus on personal-change goals
- Narcotics Anonymous
- provides behavior modification with the support of others with lived experience
- overdose
- biological response of the human body when it has ingested a lethal or toxic amount of a substance
- protective factors
- shield people from developing a substance use disorder or addiction
- stabilization
- assisting a client through a period of acute detoxification and withdrawal so that they are medically stable and substance-free
- stimulant
- type of drug that causes the release of dopamine in the brain and is highly addictive because the flood of dopamine in the brain’s reward circuit strongly reinforces drug-taking behaviors
- substance
- psychoactive compound with the potential to cause health and social problems, including substance use disorder
- substance use disorder (SUD)
- repeated use of alcohol and/or drugs that significantly impairs a person’s health and results in the inability for them to meet major responsibilities at work, school, or home
- tolerance
- as a person continues to use substances, the neurotransmitters adapt and the person demonstrates a reduced response to the substance and requires more of the substance to feel an effect
- withdrawal
- when the reward control center begins to take over and the person begins to feel physical or emotional upset when they are not using a substance