Discussions of substance abuse often involve terminology that is unfamiliar to the average person. In some cases, the terms used are scientific or medical expressions used most commonly by professionals in the field. In other cases, the terms may be part of the so-called street slang that users themselves employ in talking about the drugs they consume, the paraphernalia associated with drugs, or the kind of experiences that accompany drug use. This glossary lists and defines some of the most common terms from each group.
addiction A long-lasting and typically recurring psychological and/or physiological need for one or more substances, such as alcohol or tobacco, that generally results in permanent or long-lasting changes in the neurochemistry of the brain.
alcohol In discussions of substance abuse, a term that refers to the chemical’s correct chemical name, ethanol or ethyl alcohol. In chemistry, the term has a different and more general meaning, referring to a class of organic compounds that contains the hydroxyl functional group, —OH.
alcoholism Physical dependence on alcohol such that discontinuing the use of alcohol results in withdrawal symptoms. Alcoholism is typically accompanied by the development of social and/or health problems serious enough to require professional help.
analgesic A drug capable of relieving pain.
analog (also analogue) A chemical compound similar in structure to some other chemical compound.
antidepressant A drug that reduces or moderates depression, resulting in an elevation in one’s mood.
ataxia Loss of control of muscular movement, manifested in an unsteady gait, unsteady movements, and clumsiness; a common symptom of mild drug overdose.
BAC Acronym for blood alcohol content or blood alcohol concentration, a measure of the amount of alcohol present in a person’s body, usually represented as percent content or percent concentration, as 0.08 (i.e., 0.08%).
barbiturate A substance derived from the chemical barbituric acid (C4H4N2O3). Some examples of barbiturates are barbital (Veronal), phenobarbital (Luminal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), and sodium pentothal.
bhang A concoction or infusion made with leaves and flowers from the hemp plant, widely used on the Indian subcontinent as a recreational drug and as a drug for religious and ceremonial purposes.
binge drinking Excessive consumption of alcohol over a relatively brief period of time, which typically results in nausea, vomiting, loss of control over one’s bodily functions and, in extreme cases, more serious symptoms, such as coma and death.
blackout Loss of memory about a particular event, such as the taking of a drug or overconsumption of alcohol.
bronchodilator A drug that relaxes and dilates the bronchial passages, allowing for easier breathing.
caffeine A mildly addictive alkaloid stimulant found in coffee, tea, kola nuts, and many synthetic beverages, such as soda drinks.
cannabinoid Any one of the substances found in the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa, or, more generally, that has a chemical structure similar to that of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or that binds to cannabinoid receptors in the body.
cannabis The botanical name for the plant from which marijuana comes. Its correct botanical name is Cannabis sativa.
chemical dependence A condition that develops when one’s body undergoes changes that result in a continual physiological need for a particular drug or other substance.
club drug See designer drug.
cocaine A powerful stimulant extracted from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylon coca).
codeine An addictive alkaloid narcotic derived from opium, used as an antitussive and analgesic, and also abused as a recreational drug.
controlled substance analog See designer drug.
crack A highly addictive form of cocaine, made by mixing cocaine with baking soda and water.
cross-addiction Addiction to two substances belonging to different classes, such as alcohol and cocaine.
dependence A condition in which an individual develops a fixation on or craving for a drug that is not necessarily so severe as to be classified as an addiction but that may, nonetheless, require professional help to overcome.
designer drug (1) A synthetic chemical compound developed for the treatment of a specific disease or group of diseases; (2) A psychoactive chemical deliberately synthesized to avoid antidrug laws that mimics the effects of a banned drug. Also known as a controlled substance analog, club drug, or rave drug.
dissociative drug A substance that produces feelings of analgesia, disconnection, and alienation.
drug A chemical used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to bring about an alternation in one’s mental or emotional state.
dysphoria A condition of unusually severe depression and/or anxiety, mental and/or physical discomfort, and general malaise.
ecstasy A street name for 3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
empathogen A drug capable of producing strong emotional responses, such as emotional closeness, love, and affection. The term entactogen has been suggested as a synonym for the word.
enabling The act of supporting or contributing to the destructive behavior of a substance abuser, sometimes based on the enabler’s best intentions of helping that person.
endogenous Produced naturally within the body.
entactogen See empathogen.
flashback Recurring emotional or sensory experiences that take place independently, and often at much later times, than an initial experience that, in the case of drugs, was the occasion of having consumed those drugs.
freebasing A method of consuming cocaine by mixing it with ether so that it can be smoked.
hallucinogen A substance that causes profound distortions in a person’s perceptions of reality, causing an individual to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist.
inhalant A substance of low volatility, such that it can be easily absorbed through the respiratory system.
laudanum A tincture of opium, that is, opium powder dissolved in alcohol.
LSD See lysergic acid diethylamide.
lysergic acid diethylamide A semisynthetic chemical compound with very strong hallucinogenic effects, often known by its common names of LSD or acid.
mainlining Taking a drug by injection into a vein.
methamphetamine A highly addictive psychoactive drug belonging to the family of phenylethylamines, easily made by amateur chemists, and known by a variety of common names, depending in part on the form in which it is consumed, as ‘‘chalk,’’ ‘‘crank,’’ ‘‘crystal,’’ ‘‘ice,’’ glass,’’ ‘‘meth,’’ and ‘‘speed.’’
narcotic Any drug that, in small doses, produces insensitivity to pain, dulls the senses, and induces deep sleep, but in larger doses may result in numbness, convulsions, and coma.
neuron A nerve cell.
neurotransmitter A chemical that carries a nerve impulse between two neurons.
nicotine A very addictive alkaloid compound that occurs naturally in plants belonging to the genus Solanaceae, which includes the tobacco plant, of which it constitutes about 0.6–3.0 percent by dry weight.
opiate Any drug or other substance derived from or chemically related to opium.
opiate receptor A specialized receptor cell in neurons that bind to natural analgesic molecules present in the body.
opium An addictive narcotic extracted from the seeds of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum.
OTC drug See over-the-counter drug.
overdose (verb) To take an excessive, risky, and potentially fatal quantity of a harmful substance.
over-the-counter drug A drug that can be purchased without a prescription.
paranoia A psychological disorder characterized by delusions of persecution or grandeur.
pharmacopoeia A catalog of drugs, chemicals, and medicinal preparations.
phenylethylamines A class of drugs whose members contain three functional groups—the phenyl group (—C6H5), ethyl group (—C2H5), and amine group (—NH2)—that form the basis of a large number of natural and synthetic compounds with a variety of psychotropic effects. Drugs in this class may act as anorectics, antidepressants, bronchodilators, entactogens, hallucinogens, or stimulants.
precursor chemical A chemical used to make some other substance, for example, the raw materials used to make illicit drugs.
prescription drug A drug that can be purchased only with a medical prescription provided by a registered medical provider, such as a physician or a physician’s assistant.
psychedelic A substance capable of producing perceptual changes, such as vivid colors and weird shapes, as well as altered awareness of one’s mind and body.
psychoactive See psychotropic.
psychotropic Having an effect on the mind.
rave drug See designer drug.
relapse The return of a condition, such as addiction to or dependency on a drug, which had formerly been successfully overcome.
schedule (drug) A category into which the federal government classifies certain drugs based on their potential medical use and their possibility of illicit recreational applications.
secondhand smoke Cigarette smoke inhaled involuntarily by nonsmoking individuals in a closed environment.
serotonin A neurotransmitter associated with a number of mental and emotional functions, including appetite, learning, memory, mood, muscular contraction, and sleep. A number of drugs reduce or increase the amount of serotonin available in the brain, thereby moderating one or more of these actions.
smokeless tobacco Tobacco that is consumed by some method other than smoking, for example, chewing tobacco or snuff.
snuff Finely ground tobacco that is inhaled rather than smoked.
stimulant When used in connection with drugs, a substance that temporarily increases physiological activity in the body, with a number of associated effects, such as increased awareness, interest, physical activity, wakefulness, endurance, and productivity. Physiological changes include increased heart rate and blood pressure.
synaptic gap The space between two neurons.
tetrahydrocannabinol A primary component of the cannabis plant, often represented simply as THC.
THC See tetrahydrocannabinol.
tolerance Immunity to the effects caused by a substance such that one requires a larger amount of the substance over time to achieve the same results obtained from smaller amounts earlier on in its use.
twelve-step program A program for recovery from alcoholism, drug addiction, and other behavioral problems originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous in its 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism.
withdrawal symptoms The physical, mental, and emotional effects that an individual experiences when he or she discontinues use of a substance to which he or she has become addicted or dependent.