Addiction Glossary

Addictiveness The measure of a substance's ability to produce changes in the brain that cause addiction.

Analgesic A drug used to relieve pain.

Axon A projection from a nerve cell that allows communication with another cell.

Cell body The main portion of a cell (for example, a nerve cell).

Cell membrane A complex sac surrounding a cell that is composed of various proteins and fats.

Chronotropic A drug effect that speeds up heart rate.

Codependency A coping strategy that involves abnormal investment in another person's problems; often seen in addicts' family members.

Concordance The degree to which genetically similar people, such as twins, share inherited characteristics.

Conditioning An unconscious learning process in which a stimulus gets paired with a physical response; important in drug cravings.

Crack A processed form of cocaine that is highly addictive.

Delirium tremens A state of altered consciousness and physical arousal that can occur during severe alcohol withdrawal.

Delusions Beliefs that are not based in reality (a person's culture must be taken into account on the question of whether or not a belief is delusional).

Dementia Loss of intellectual functioning.

Denial An unconscious defense mechanism in which an obvious reality is not believed; commonly seen in addiction.

Designer drugs Synthetically manufactured mood-altering drugs, often created to avoid legal regulation.

Disinhibition The loss of normal behavioral controls caused by the effects of mood-altering drugs.

Dry drunk A person who is abstaining from alcohol but who continues to be resentful and is not growing psychologically.

Enabling The (often unwitting) protection of an addict from the consequences of the addiction.

Endorphin A naturally produced substance found in the brain that resembles morphine and is involved in pain modulation and regulation of moods.

Enzyme A chemical whose purpose is to break down another chemical.

Family history A survey of diseases and disorders in the immediate or extended family of a patient, done to determine whether a person is at risk for an inherited disorder.

Flashbacks (1) The intrusive and involuntary reliving of a psychologically traumatic experience; (2) distortions in perception similar to those caused by hallucinogens that occur in former hallucinogen users from time to time long after use has stopped.

Genetics The study of the process of inheritance, including the structure of chromosomes and DNA.

Half-life The time it takes for half of the total amount of a drug to be broken down and eliminated from the system.

Hallucinations False perceptions in any sensory modality.

Homeostasis The tendency of a biological system to remain the same and to return to its previous state if disturbed.

Intoxication The effects on the body when a mood-altering drug is ingested.

Intranasal A way of taking a drug by sniffing it through the nose; the drug is absorbed through the tissue lining the inside of the nose.

Intravenous A way of taking a drug by injecting it into a blood vessel.

Metabolism The manner in which the body breaks down foods or drugs into smaller chemicals that are absorbed into the bloodstream and eliminated through the liver or kidney.

Neurotransmitter A specialized chemical that is secreted by a nerve cell for the purpose of attaching to a nearby nerve cell, thereby transmitting an electrical signal along the cell membrane.

Paranoid A term describing a person who believes that he or she is in danger when in reality no danger is present.

Pharmacologic Having to do with the chemical structure and metabolism of a drug.

Physiological Having to do with the function of body symptoms; physiological dependence is present when the body is physically dependent on a drug for normal functioning.

Prognosis The outlook for recovery from a disease or condition.

Psychedelic A term created in the 1960s to describe the experiences a person has when using hallucinogens such as LSD.

Psychosis A brain condition in which the person is out of touch with reality.

Receptor A component of a cell membrane that is designed to recognize and bind to a specific neurotransmitter.

Reinforcement A learning process (conscious or unconscious) that occurs when there is a pleasurable response to a given stimulus.

Sedative A drug that depresses brain functioning.

Seizures Unregulated electrical activity of brain cells.

Skin conductance The ability of the skin to modify a mild electrical charge; changes in proportion to how aroused or anxious a person is.

Synapse The gap between two nerve cells which contains neurotransmitters and receptors and is responsible for moving an electrical signal from cell to cell.

Tolerance A process in which the body develops an increased capacity to combat specific effects of a drug.

Tranquilizer A sedative drug that is designed to reduce anxiety levels; also known as an anxiolytic drug.

White knuckling The effort to avoid practicing an addiction simply by exerting will power.