addiction

substance dependence

amphetamines

A group of stimulating drugs that produce heightened levels of energy and, in large doses, nervousness, sleeplessness, and paranoid delusions.

Antabuse

(trade name for disulfiram). A drug that makes the drinking of alcohol produce nausea and other unpleasant effects.

aversion therapy

A behavior therapy procedure that pairs a noxious stimulus, such as a shock, with situations that are undesirably attractive to make the situations less appealing.

barbiturates

A class of addictive synthetic sedatives; in large doses, can cause death by almost completely relaxing the diaphragm.

caffeine

Perhaps the world’s most popular drug; a generalized stimulant of body systems, including the sympathetic nervous system. Though seldom viewed as a drug, caffeine is addictive, produces tolerance, and subjects habitual users to withdrawal.

cocaine

A pain-reducing, stimulating, and addictive alkaloid obtained from coca leaves that increases mental powers, produces euphoria, heightens sexual desire, and in large doses causes paranoia and hallucinations.

controlled drinking

A pattern of alcohol consumption that is moderate, avoiding the extremes of total abstinence and of inebriation.

crack

A rock-crystal form of cocaine that is heated, melted, and smoked; more often used in poorer urban areas than conventional cocaine.

cross-dependent

Acting on the same receptors, as methadone does with heroin.

delirium tremens (DTs)

One of the withdrawal symptoms that sometimes occurs when a period of heavy alcohol consumption is terminated; marked by fever, sweating, trembling, cognitive impairment, and hallucinations.

detoxification

The initial stage in weaning an addicted person from a drug; involves medical supervision of the sometimes painful withdrawal.

Ecstasy

A relatively new hallucinogen, chemically similar to mescaline and the amphetamines.

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Retarded growth of the developing fetus and infant; cranial, facial, and limb anomalies; and mental retardation caused by heavy consumption of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy.

flashback

An unpredictable recurrence of experiences from an earlier drug trip.

hallucinogen

A drug or chemical, such as LSD, psilocybin, or mescaline, whose effects include hallucinations; often called psychedelic.

hashish

The dried resin of the cannabis plant, stronger in its effects than the dried leaves and stems that constitute marijuana.

heroin

An extremely addictive narcotic drug derived from morphine.

hydrocodone

An opiate combined with other drugs such as acetaminophen to produce prescription pain medications, including the commonly abused drug Vicodin. See also oxycodone.

LSD

d-lysergic acid diethylamide, a drug synthesized in 1938 and discovered by accident to be a hallucinogen in 1943.

marijuana

A drug derived from the dried and ground leaves and stems of the female hemp plant, Cannabis sativa.

MDA

(methylenedioxyamphetamine). A chemical component of Ecstasy, first synthesized in 1910 but not broadly known as a psychedelic until the 1960s.

MDMA

(methylenedioxymethamphetamine). A chemical component of Ecstasy, initially used as an appetite suppressant for World War I soldiers and derived from precursors found in nutmeg, dill, saffron, and sassafras.

mescaline

A hallucinogen and alkaloid that is the active ingredient of peyote.

methadone

A synthetic addictive heroin substitute for treating those addicted to heroin that eliminates its effects and the cravings.

methamphetamine

An amphetamine derivative whose abuse skyrocketed in the 1990s.

morphine

An addictive narcotic alkaloid extracted from opium, used primarily as an analgesic and as a sedative.

nicotine

The principal alkaloid of tobacco (an addicting agent).

nitrous oxide

A gas that, when inhaled, produces euphoria and sometimes giddiness.

opiates

A group of addictive sedatives that in moderate doses relieve pain and induce sleep.

opium

One of the opiates, the dried, milky juice obtained from the immature fruit of the opium poppy; an addictive narcotic that produces euphoria and drowsiness while reducing pain.

oxycodone

An opiate combined with other drugs to produce prescription pain medications, including the commonly abused drug OxyContin. See also hydrocodone.

PCP

phencyclidine

polydrug abuse

The misuse of more than one drug at a time, such as drinking heavily and taking cocaine.

psilocybin

A psychedelic drug extracted from the mushroom Psilocybe mexicana.

secondhand smoke

Also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette; contains higher concentrations of ammonia, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar than the smoke inhaled

by the smoker.

stimulant

A drug, such as cocaine, that increases alertness and motor activity and at the same time reduces fatigue, allowing an individual to remain awake for an extended period of time.

substance abuse

The use of a drug to such an extent that the person is often intoxicated throughout the day and fails in important obligations and in attempts to abstain, but there is no physiological dependence.

substance dependence

The abuse of a drug sometimes accompanied by a physiological dependence on it, made evident by tolerance and withdrawal symptoms; also called addiction.

substance-related disorders

Disorders in which drugs such as alcohol and cocaine are abused to such an extent that behavior becomes maladaptive; social and occupational functioning are impaired, and control or abstinence becomes impossible. Reliance on the drug may be either psychological, as in substance abuse, or physiological, as in substance dependence, or addiction.

tolerance

A physiological process in which greater and greater amounts of an addictive drug are required to produce the same effect. See also substance dependence.

withdrawal

Negative physiological and psychological reactions evidenced when a person suddenly stops taking an addictive drug; cramps, restlessness, and even death are examples. See substance dependence.