front 1 Addiction | back 1 Definitions of addiction. noun. being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs) synonyms: dependence, dependence, dependency, habituation. |
front 2 Blood alcohol content | back 2 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) refers to the percent of alcohol (ethyl alcohol or ethanol) in a person's blood stream. A BAC of . 10% means that an individual's blood supply contains one part alcohol for every 1000 parts blood. |
front 3 Cannabis | back 3 Cannabis, which some people call marijuana, refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the Cannabis sativa L plant. The plant contains at least 125 different cannabinoids |
front 4 Dependence | back 4 Drug dependence refers to someone feeling like they cannot function normally without taking a substance. Dependence can be physical or psychological and can have many negative effects on someone's life. |
front 5 Depressant | back 5 A type of drug that slows down brain activity, which causes the muscles to relax and calms and soothes a person. |
front 6 Detoxification | back 6 Detoxification is a set of interventions aimed at managing acute intoxication and withdrawal. It denotes a clearing of toxins from the body of the patient who is acutely intoxicated and/or dependent on substances of abuse. |
front 7 Hallucinogen | back 7 ​Hallucinogens are psychedelic drugs that can potentially change the way people see, hear, taste, smell or feel, and also affect mood and thought. Mental Illness & Addiction Index. Hallucinogens. |
front 8 Inhalant | back 8 Inhalants are substances that people inhale (breathe in) to get high. There are other substances that people might inhale, such as alcohol. |
front 9 Intoxication | back 9 Intoxication is a temporary and reversible condition that affects the central nervous system after a person ingests certain substances, such as alcohol or drugs. Intoxication affects judgment, the ability to think clearly, and behaviour. |
front 10 Naloxone/Narcan | back 10 Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. Unfortunately, a great deal of stigma surrounds naloxone and those who use it. |
front 11 Nicotine | back 11 A toxic colorless or yellowish oily liquid that is the chief active constituent of tobacco. It acts as a stimulant in small doses, but in larger amounts blocks the action of autonomic nerve and skeletal muscle cells. Nicotine is also used in insecticides. |
front 12 Opiate | back 12 Opioids are a class of drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the opium poppy plant. Opioids work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief. As a class of substances, they act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. |
front 13 Overdose | back 13 A drug overdose is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Typically it is used for cases when a risk to health will potentially result. An overdose may result in a toxic state or death. |
front 14 Potency | back 14 Potency is the dose of drug/toxicant required to produce a specific effect of given intensity as compared to a standard reference. |
front 15 Prescription drug | back 15 A prescription medicine is a medicine that can only be made available to a patient on the written instruction of an authorised health professional. |
front 16 Psychedelic drug | back 16 Of, relating to, or being drugs (as LSD) capable of producing abnormal psychic effects (as hallucinations) and sometimes psychotic states. |
front 17 Recovery | back 17 Recovery is a process of change through which people improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential. |
front 18 Relapse | back 18 A relapse refers to a return of alcohol or other drug use, or gambling, which someone has previously managed to control or quit completely. In a relapse the use of alcohol or other drugs or gambling goes back to previous levels of use, or close to this. |
front 19 Stimulant | back 19 The term stimulants cover a broad class of drugs that increase the activity of the central nervous system. These drugs are used by a very high percentage of the general population for various reasons, including performance enhancement, medical benefits, and recreational purposes. |
front 20 Tobacco | back 20 Tobacco is a plant (Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica) that contains nicotine, an addictive drug with both stimulant and depressant effects. |
front 21 Tolerance | back 21 Is a person's diminished response to a drug, which occurs when the drug is used repeatedly and the body adapts to the continued presence of the drug. Resistance refers to the ability of microorganisms or cancer cells to withstand the effects of a drug usually effective against them. |
front 22 Withdrawal | back 22 A term used to describe the physical and mental symptoms that a person has when they suddenly stop or cut back the use of an addictive substance, such as opiates and opioids, nicotine products, or alcohol. |