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Psychoactive Substances
N/A
148
Psychology
Graduate
05/05/2014

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Cards

Term
Although presidential attitudes toward drugs and alcohol vary widely, the laws and the attitudes regarding these substances have as much to do with __________ as they do with the effects of the drugs on the individual and society.
Definition
The political climate at the time they were formulated.
Term

Human beings have a basic need to ____ with their environment and to _____ their existance.

A. Understand; improve

B. Explore; define

C. Cope; enhance

Definition
C. Cope; Enhance
Term
Human brain chemistry can be affected by what to produce an altered state of consciousness?
Definition
Psychoactive drugs, behavioral addictions, and mental illness.
Term
These four factions of people have been involved in growing, manufactoring, distributing, taxing, and prohibiting drugs.
Definition
The ruling classes, governments, industry, and criminal organizations.
Term
The struggle for control of the supply of psychoactive substances is matched by what?
Definition
The intensity of the demand for substances that relieve pain and induce pleasure.
Term
This has led to an increase in the potency of psychoactive substances.
Definition
Technological advances in refining, synthesizing, and manufacturing.
Term
What is the relationship between drug potency and addiction development?
Definition
The more potent the psychoactive drug, the more rapid the development of addiction.
Term
Although it is estimated that 4,000 plants yield psychoactive substances, about how many are commonly used?
Definition
Only about 60 are commonly used.
Term
Throughout history, what has been the most popular psychoactive substance?
Definition
Alcohol
Term
Other than alcohol, what other psychoactive substance appears early in history?
Definition
Opium- used for both its medicinal properties of pain, relief, cough suppression, and diarrhea control as well as for its mental properties of sedation and euphoria.
Term
Ergot is found where?
Definition
In the fungus that grows on infected rye and wheat plants.
Term
Alcohol itself has not always been shunned, what has been shunned in regards too it?
Definition
Overdrinking- what alcohol made a drinker do has pretty much always been looked down on.
Term
What is hard to separate when looking at psychoactive substances and their role in medicine?
Definition
It is hard to separate the actual medicinal benefits of many psychoactive drugs from the desirable feelings engendered by the substances.
Term
Even though injection and infusion were used starting in 1600, what changed that allowed people to begin injecting psychoactive drugs into the bloodstream in 1855?
Definition
The invention of the reusable hypodermic needle in 1855 meant that drugs could easily be delivered directly into the bloodstream, causing more-intense effects and overloading the brain.
Term
Injection with a hypodermic needly bypasses which of the body's natural barriers?
Definition
  • Skin
  • Mucous membranes
  • Lung tissues
  • Stomach acids
  • Intestinal walls
Term
What basic function do the body's natural barriers serve?
Definition
To protect it from infection.
Term
What were the "Opium Wars" also known as the "Wars for Free Trade" over?
Definition
The British's right to sell opium to Chinese traders.
Term
Who were the primary supporters of the first temperance movement in the U.S. (1826)?
Definition
It was supported by businessmen who needed sober and industrius workers.
Term
What impact did the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 have on tonics?
Definition
It was the first act that required manufacturers of these tonics to list  their ingredients and back up their claims.
Term
Iatrogenic Addiction
Definition
Addiction caused by medical treatment (e.g. prescribed by a physician which leads to addiction).
Term
As governments and businesses exploited and taxed psychoactive substances, what happened to them?
Definition
They became more readily available to the public at large, especially tea, coffee, alcohol, and tobacco.
Term
AA (____ _____) is a ____ program that teaches___ steps to _______ and was founded in 1934.
Definition
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is a spiritual program that teaches 12 steps to recovery and was founded in 1934.
Term
By the 2000's, what addiction had spread to every level of society?
Definition
Prescription drug abuse has spread to every level of society.
Term
90% of the world's opium production comes from where?
Definition
Afghanistan
Term
_____ is the most widely used and abused prescription opiate.
Definition
Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab, Norco, Anexsia, Hycodan, and Tylox).
Term
What is the most popular stimulant?
Definition
Caffeine.
Term
SAMHSA
Definition
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Term
SAMHSA supports what treatment policy?
Definition
They support the- "any door is the right door" treatment access policy so that those with co-occurring disorders can find help for both of their conditions regardless of where they enter the system.
Term

True or False: "More drugs are under development for drug addictions than for mental health issues."

 

Definition
True.
Term
The drive to alter states of consciousness is as essential to human nature as...
Definition
The drive to survive and procreate, even if the means to used alter consciousness is damaging to the human being.
Term
Psychoactive Drug
Definition

Any substance that directly alters the normal functioning of the central nervous system.

As the understanding of addictive brain processes increases, this definition might be expanded to include compulsive behaviors (e.g., gabling) that do the same. 

Term
Downers (CNS depressants) are divided into 4 categories which are:
Definition
  1. Opiates and Opioids: e.g., opium, heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone.
  2. Sedative-hypnotics: benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam and clonazepam), barbituates (e.g., butalbital), Z-hypnotics (e.g., zolpidem), and others
  3. Alcohol: beer, wine, liquors
  4. Others: Antihistamines, skeletal muscle relaxants, look-alike sedatives, and bromides.
Term
How many schedules are there?
Definition
Five
Term
Schedule 1
Definition

Drugs with a high abuse potential and supposedly no accepted medical use. 

Includes: Heroin, LSD, Marijuana, Peyote, Psilocybin, Mescaline, & MDMA.

Term
Schedule II
Definition

Substances with a high abuse potential with severe psychic or physical dependence liability even though they have medical uses

Includes: Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Opium, Morphine, Hydromorphone, Codeine, Meperidine, Oxycodone, and Methylphenidate (Ritalin).

Term
Schedule III
Definition

Substances with less abuse potential. This class includes Schedule II drugs when used in compounds with other drugs.  

Includes:  Tylenol with codeine, Some barbiturate compounds, and Paregoric.

Term
Schedule IV
Definition

Drugs that have even less abuse potential.

Include: Chloral hydrate, Meprobamate, Fendluramine, Diazepam (Valium), and the other benzodiazepines, and phenobarbital.

Term
Schedule V
Definition

Substances with very low abuse potential because they contain very limited quantities of narcotic and stimulant drugs; some are sold OTC. 

Include: Robitussin AC (DXM) and Lomotil (these are two examples).

Term
What is the relationship between the speed a drug reaches the brain and its effect on the brain?
Definition
The more rapidly a psychoactive drug reaches its target in the central nervous system, the greater its reinforcing effect.
Term
What are the five most common ways drugs enter the body?
Definition
  1. Inhalation
  2. Injection
  3. Mucous membrane absorption
  4. Oral ingestion
  5. Contact absorption
Term
Regardless of the original method of entry, how does the drug make its way to the brain?
Definition
Through the bloodstream.
Term
Why is injection the most dangerous method of drug use?
Definition
It bypasses the body's natural defenses, exposing the user to a variety of health problems (e.g., Hep B and C, HIV, etc.).
Term
Pharmokinetics
Definition
The process by which a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, eliminated, and excreted by the body.
Term
What are the key factors in a drug's pharmacokinetics?
Definition
  • Route of administration
  • Speec of transit to the brain
  • Rates of metabolism
  • Process of elimination
  • Affinity for nerve cells and neurotransmitters
Term
What is the fastest method of use? How long does it take?
Definition
Inhalation: 7-10sec.
Term

How long does it take for a drug to reach the brain if it is injected?

How many ways can you inject a drug? What are they?

Definition

10-15sec.

Three:

  1. Intravenously- (IV) directly into the bloodstream via vein
  2. Intramuscularly- (IM) into a muscle mass.
  3. Subcutaneously- under the skin.
Term
Insufflation
Definition
Snorted into the nose
Term
How long does it take for substances to be absorbed sublingually (under the tongue) or buccally (between the gums and cheek) by the mucous membranes located there?
Definition
3-5 minutes
Term
Approximately how long does it take for a drug to take effect when ingested orally?
Definition
20-30 minutes
Term
Bioavailability
Definition
The degree to which the active ingredients of a drug become available to the target tissues after administration.
Term
What determine's a person's blood volume (and therefore their dilution ability)?
Definition
A person's size determine's their blood volume and therefore their ability to dilute substances.
Term
Blood-brain Barrier
Definition
Tightly sealed epithelial cells that allow only certain substances to penetrate; prevents most toxins, bacteria, and pathogens from reaching the brain.  Psychoactive drugs breach this barrier.
Term
What is a key reason psychoactive substances, including nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana, are able to pass the blood-brain barrier?
Definition
They are fat-soluble (lipophilic) and the brain is essentially fatty, it readily absorbs fat-soluble substances.
Term
Passive Transport
Definition
Movement of a drig from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
Term
Active Transport
Definition
Occurs when water-soluble drugs such as cocaine hydrochloride cross the blood-brain barrier by hitching a ride on protein molecules.
Term
Is alcohol lipophilic or hydrophilic?
Definition
Both; therefore, it enters the brain easily.
Term
How does the body get rid of a drug when it is done with it?
Definition
Metabolism and Excretion
Term
Metabolism
Definition

The body's mechism for processing, using, and inactivating a foreign substance that has entered the body.

 

Term
Excretion
Definition
The process of eliminating the foreign substance and its metabolites from the body.
Term
What organ plays a key role in breaking down drugs? What does it do?
Definition
The liver is the key metabolic organ- it breaks down or alters the chemical structure of drugs, making them less active or completely inert.
Term
The CNS is what part of the body?
Definition
The brain and the spinal cord.
Term
When an individual uses a psychoactive drug, what part of the brain remembers?
Definition
When an individual uses a psychoactive drug, most often it is the old brain that remembers the experience and how it felt.
Term
Why do most memories last a lifetime?
Definition
They are actually solid bits of protein imprinted on the brain as microscopic bumps called dendritic spines.  It takes 1,000 or more spines working together to form a single memory and each memory has a number of connections to other memories.
Term
What is the crucial importance of emotionally charged memories?
Definition
Emotionally charged memories are more deeply imprinted than everyday memories because more dendritic spines are created and they are much larger than those created from average sensory input.
Term
What is the relation between the strength of a psychoactive drug and memory imprints?
Definition
The stronger the psychoactive drug, the more rapid the growth and prliferation of memory bumps and therefore the more deeply imprinted the memory.
Term
Euphoric Recall
Definition
The rememberance of positive experiences with drugs or compulsive behaviors rather than the negative experiences.
Term
Reward/Control Pathway
Definition

The area of the brain that encourages a human (or any mammal) to perform or repeat an action that promotes survival.

 

Term
What part of the brain is most affected by psychoactive drugs?
Definition
The reward/control pathway.
Term
What causes most drug-overdose emergencies and deaths?
Definition
The effect of depressants on respirations.
Term
Nerve cells are called:
Definition
Neurons
Term
Morphine, heroin and other opium derivatives or synthetics are called...
Definition
Exogenous opioids
Term
Psychoactive drugs can create sensations or feelings that don't have a natural counterpart in the body, true or false?
Definition
False.  They cannot.
Term
What are the eight different kinds of tolerance?
Definition
  1. Dispositional Tolerance
  2. Pharmacodynamic Tolerance
  3. Behavioral Tolerance
  4. Reverse Tolerance
  5. Acute Tolerance (tachyphylaxis)
  6. Select Tolerance
  7. Inverse Tolerance (kindling)
  8. Cross-Tolerance
Term
Dispositional Tolerance
Definition
The body speeds up the breakdown (metabolism) of the drug to eliminate it, particularly alcohol and barbituates.
Term
Pharmacodynamic Tolerance
Definition
Nerve cells become less sensitive to the effects of the drug and produce an antidote or antagonist to it.
Term
Behavioral Tolerance
Definition
The brain learns to compensate for the effects of the drug by using parts of the brain not affected.
Term
Reverse Tolerance
Definition
The user becomes more sensitive and therefore less able to handle even moderate amounts.  This is particularly true with alcoholics.
Term

Acute Tolerance

(Tachyphylaxis)

Definition
The brain and the body begin to adapt almost instantly.
Term
Select Tolerance
Definition
The body develops tolerance to mental and physical effects at different rates.  The doses necessary to reach an emotional high from opiates and depressants can come close to the lethal physical does of the drug.
Term

Inverse Tolerance

(Kindling)

Definition
A person becomes more sensitive to the effects of a drug as the brain chemistry and neuron pathways adapt to the drug's effects.
Term
Cross-Tolerance
Definition
As a person develops tolerance to one drug, he or she develops tolerance to other drugs as well.
Term
What does tissue dependence result from?
Definition
The biological adaptation of the body due to prolonged use of drugs.
Term

Certain drugs change the body so much that tissues and organs become dependent on the drug simply to stay functional.

True or False?

Definition
True
Term
Cross-Dependence
Definition
A tissue dependence on one drug creates dependence on other drugs.
Term
Drug Automatism
Definition
Substances such as sedatives and opiates can induce an aimless, unconscious, repetitive drug-taking behavior
Term
Withdrawal is defined by...
Definition
The body's attempt to rebalance itself after cessation of prolonged use of a psychoactive drug or compulsive behavior.
Term
Nonpursive Withdrawal
Definition
Characterized by objective physical signs that are a direct result of the tissue dependence and are directly observable once an addict ceases using.
Term
Purposive Withdrawal
Definition

"With Purpose"

A false portrayal of severe withdrawal symptoms by an addict to manipulate a physician or pharmacist into providing drugs to manage the symptoms.

Can also occur from a psychic conversion (emotional expectation of physical effects) reaction from the expectation of the withdrawal process.

Term

Protracted Withdrawal

(Environmental Triggers & Cues)

Definition

A flashback or recurrence of the addiction withdrawal symptoms and a triggering of heaving craving for the drug after an addiction has be detoxified.

Often causes addicts to slip, or renew their drug use, ultimately leading to a full relapse.

Term

Post-Acute Withdrawal Symptoms

(PAWS)

Definition

The persistence of subtle yet significant emotional and psychological problems that can last for three to six months into recovery and can trigger relapse. 

 

Term
How is PAWS different from protracted withdrawal?
Definition
The symptoms come and go and there are not as many strictly physical withdrawal effects in Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms.
Term
Drug abuse and the practice of compulsive behaviors can sometimes be considered the ______ of underlying problems rather than the _____.
Definition

a. Symptoms

b. Cause 

Term
Cycling
Definition
Intense use of a drug over a period of time, abstaining or using another drug to rest the body or to lower tolerance, and then using the original drug again.
Term
Stacking
Definition
Taking two or more similar drugs at one time to enhance a specific desired effect.
Term
Mixing
Definition
Combining drugs to induce different effects.
Term
Sequentialing
Definition
Using one drug in an abusive or addictive manner and then switching to another drug addiction.
Term
Morphing
Definition
Using one drug to counteract the unwanted effects of another drug.
Term
What is needed in order to determine the level at which a person uses?
Definition
It is necessary to know the amount, frequency, and duration of use as well as the impact the drug use has on the individual's life.
Term
What categories are used to judge a person's use?
Definition
  1. Abstinence
  2. Experimentation
  3. Social/Recreational Use
  4. Habituation
  5. Abuse
  6. Addiction
Term
Abstinence
Definition
A person uses a psychoactive substance only by accident.
Term
What is the distinction between experimentation and abstinence?
Definition
The curiosity about drug use and the willingness to act on that curiosity.  Experimentation is usually limited to a few exposures to a drug.
Term
How is Social/Recreational Use distinguished from Experimental Use?
Definition
By the establishment of drug-seeking behavior.
Term
Abuse
Definition
The continued use of a drug despite negative consequences.
Term
What is the difference between abuse and addiction?
Definition
The step has to do with compusion.  Such users have lost control of their drug use.
Term
The 4 C's of Addiction
Definition
  1. Loss of Control
  2. Compulsive Drug Use
  3. Cravings for Drugs
  4. Continued Use (despite increasing negative consequences)
Term
How does the "medical model" (addictive disease model) look at addiction?
Definition
It maintains that the disease of addiction is a chronic, progressive, relapsing, incurable, and potentially fatal condition that is generally a consequence of genetic irregularities in brain chemistry and anatomy that can be activated by particular drugs that are abused.
Term

An equivalent amount of dopamine is released in the reward/control circuitry of the brain of a compulsive video game player as is released by an injection of methamphetamine or Ritalin. 

True or False?

Definition
True
Term
Worldwide, which countries do not typically drink alcoholic beverages?
Definition
Islamic countries
Term

What country consumes alcohol at the highest rate?

Bonus: Who follows them?

Definition

Russia

Followed by European countries

Term
What is the oldest and currently the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world?
Definition
Alcohol
Term
In the 1920's and 1930's, the Oxford Group led to Alcoholics Anonymous, what did they believe in?
Definition
Abstinence brought about by the concept of recovery from alcohol abuse and addictions through personal spiritual change.
Term
What brought an end to prohibition in the U.S.?
Definition
Pressure brought by those who wanted to drink including the Wet Party, and the criminalization of the manufacturing and distributing of alcohol.
Term
What is the primary psychoactive component is all alcoholic beverages?
Definition
Ethyl alcohol (ethanol, or grain alcohol).
Term
Congeners
Definition
Other components produced during fermentation that contribute to the distinctive tastes, aromas, and colors of the various alcoholic beverages.
Term

1. Beer is produced from fermented _____

2. Wine is produced from fermented_____

3. Distilled spirits are made from  _______

Definition
  1. Grain
  2. Fruit
  3. Distilled spirits have varying concentrations of alcohol and are made from: fermented grains, tubers (e.g., potatoes), vegetables, and other plants. They can also be distilled from wine or other fermented beverages.
Term
At a low to moderate dose, alcohol is used therapeutically for...
Definition
A topical disinfectant, as a body rub to reduce fever, and as a pain reliever for certain nerve related pain; it is occasionally used to prevent premature labor.
Term
How does alcohol affect people psychologically?
Definition

By lowering inhibitions, increasing self-confidence, and promoting sociability.  It calms, relaxes, sedates, and reduces tension.

The depressant and disinhibiting effects of alcohol can deepen negative emotions.

Term
What is the most important chemical affected by alcohol?
Definition
GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter)- alcohol enhances GABA which turns off emotional inhibitions and eventually slows down all brain processes.
Term

What results in intoxication?

A. Mood/Expectations

B. Consumption of alcohol

C. Mental/Physical Tolerance

D. Past Experiences with Drinking

E. All of the above

Definition

E. All of the above

 

Term

Binge Drinking

(Define)

Definition
Consuming five or more drinks at one sitting for males and four or more for females at least once durnig the previous two weeks.
Term

Heavy Drinking

(Define)

Definition
Drinking five or more drinks in one sitting at least five times in a month.
Term
Initial relaxation and lowered inhibitions at low doses of alcohol consumption become what at higher levels?
Definition

Mental confusion, mood swings, loss of judgment, and emotional turbulence at higher doses. 

Experienced drinkers may not show effects; however, inexperienced drinkers may show slurred speech, progressive mental confusion, and loss of emotional control.

Heavy alcohol consumption may also interfere with REM or dreaming sleep.

Past a certain point, physical depressant effects take over and muscular coordination, walking, breathing, heart rate, and consciousness become difficult.

Term
What is the difference between a "blackout" and a "brownout"?
Definition

During a black out a person seems to be acting normally and is awake and conscious but cannot recall anything said or done afterwards.

During a brownout a person seems to be acting normall and is awake and conscious but can only partially recall events afterwards. 

Term
What causes a hangover?
Definition
It is not known; however, additives (congeners), dehydration, B12 deficiency, low blood sugar, etc. are all thought to play a part.
Term
___ % of drinkers consume ___ % of all alcohol.
Definition
20%      80%
Term
Much of the current research in the treatment of alcoholism is based on___________
Definition
The disease concept.
Term
What are the most powerful environmental factors in raising a person's susceptibility to alcohol/drug abuse?
Definition

Sexual, physical, and emotional abuses at a young age.

However, other environmental factors include: child abuse; alcohol or other drug-abusing parents, friends, and/or relatives; chaotic family relationships; peer pressure; and extreem stress.

Term
Tolerance
Definition
A process through which the brain defends itself against the effects of alcohol.
Term

Most users of illict drugs also drink alcohol, and most alcohol abusers use other drugs.

True or False?

Definition
True. Poly drug use has become so common that clinics often have to treat simultaneous addictions.
Term
Among ____, suicide rates are twice as high as in ______.
Definition
Adult alcoholics; the general population.
Term
Regardless of age or culture, who drinks more per drinking episdode, men or women?
Definition
Men
Term
More than 4,000 plants have psychedelic (hallucinogenic) or psychoactive properties, but only ____ have continued to be used over the ages.
Definition
A few hundred.
Term
What are the five main chemical classifications of psychedelics?
Definition
  1. Indoles (e.g., LSD, psilocybin mushrooms)
  2. Phenylalklamines (e.g., peyote, MDMA)
  3. Anticholinergics (e.g., belladonna, datura)
  4. Individually classified (e.g., ketamine, PCP, Salvia divinorum, DXM)
  5. Cannabinoids found in marijuana.
Term
What do most hallucinogenics do physically?
Definition
Stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, raising the pulse, breathing, and blood pressure.
Term
Illusion
Definition
Mistaken perception of an external stimuli.
Term
Synesthesia
Definition
The crossover or mixing of the senses.
Term
Delusion
Definition
A mistaken idea or belief that is not swayed by reason or other contradictory evidence.
Term
Hallucination
Definition
A sensory experience that doesn't come from external stimuli.
Term
Besides affecting mood, sleep, and anxiety, serotonin influences what else in the brain?
Definition
The areas of the brain that are most likely to generate hallucinations and illusions.
Term
____ was considered as a therapy for mental illnesses and alcoholism and as a key to investigating thought processes.
Definition
LSD
Term
Withdrawal from LSD is usually more _____ and _____ than ____; a psychadelic hangover.
Definition
Mental; Emotional; Physical.
Term
One of the greatest dangers of taking LSD is impaired ____ and loss of _____.
Definition
reasoning; judgment
Term
What link can there be between experiences of taking LSD and PTSD?
Definition

Flashbacks.

Some experience mental or sensory experiences of a trip they experienced.

Term
Does taking LSD produce dependence?
Definition

LSD does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior; therefore it is not considered addictive.  

The excessively high number of trips reportedly taken by a number of users likely initiated by a psychological dependence rather than a physical dependence even though tolerance does not develop rapidly.

Term
Do Schedule 1 psychedelics cause physical dependence?
Definition
The DEA has determined that DMT, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline (peyote), harmaline (ayahuasca), and a few other Schedule 1 psychedelics do not cause physical dependence.
Term
What is the active ingredient in peyote?
Definition
Mescaline
Term
What did the Supreme Court decide in 1996 in regards to peyote?
Definition
The use of peyote during religious ceremonies by American Indians is protected by the Constitution and that individual states cannot ban its use.
Term
Are hallucinations more common with LSD or mescaline?
Definition
Mescaline
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