Chapter 9: Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction

Question 1

drug abuse

Answer 1

the use of a drug to the extent that it impairs the user’s biopsychosocial health

Question 2

alcoholism is…

Answer 2

a preventable health condition that causes more deaths, illnesses, and disabilities than any other

Question 3

How are drugs administered?

Answer 3

orally, rectally, by injection, by inhalation, and by absorption through the skin or mucous membranes. The manner in which drugs are absorbed can alter the physiological effects of the drug.

Question 4

drug absorption process

Answer 4

after a drug is absorbed, it is distributed by the bloodstream to its site of action (receptors)

How quickly a drug reaches its target receptors depends on the rate of blood flow and how easily the drug passes through cell membranes and other protective barriers.

Question 5

the brain and drugs

Answer 5

blood flow to the brain is greater than any other part of the body. Therefore, drugs that are able to pass through the network of cells that separates the blood and the brain (blood-brain barrier) move quickly into the central nervous system.

Question 6

blood-brain barrier

Answer 6

the network of tightly packed capillary cells that separates the blood and the brain

unlike the porous blood capillaries in most other parts of the body, those in the brain are tightly packed, forming a fatty glial sheath that provides a protective environment for the brain. To reach the brain, a drug must first be absorbed through the capillary wall and then through the fatty sheath

Question 7

teratogens

Answer 7

drugs, chemicals, and environmental agents that can damage the developing person

Question 8

agonist

Answer 8

a drug that attaches to a receptor and produces neural actions that mimic or enhance those of a naturally occurring neurotransmitter

Question 9

antagonist

Answer 9

a drug that blocks the action of a naturally occurring neurotransmitter or agonist

Question 10

fat-soluble drugs

Answer 10

can cross the blood-brain barrier and are usually able to permeate the placental barrier, which separates the blood of a pregnant woman from that of her developing child

For this reason, alcohol, food, and cosmetics absorbed by a mother can affect her unborn child

Question 11

drugs affect on the brain

Answer 11

once in the brain, drugs affect behavior by influencing the activity of neurons at their synapse. drugs can achieve their effects in one of three ways: by mimicking or enhancing the action of a naturally occurring neurotransmitter (agonist), by blocking its action (antagonist), or by affecting its reuptake

Question 12

substance use disorder

Answer 12

a pattern of behavior characterized by impaired control, social impairment, and risky use of a drug

Question 13

dependence

Answer 13

state in which the body and mind have adjusted to the repeated use of a drug and require its presence in order to maintain “normal” functioning

Question 14

withdrawal

Answer 14

refers to the unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms that occur when a person abruptly ceases using a drug. Symptoms are generally the direct opposite of a drug’s primary effects

Question 15

psychoactive drugs (mood, behavior, and thought processes)

Answer 15

drugs that affect mood, behavior, and thought processes by altering the functioning of neurons in the brain; they include stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens

Question 16

what are some signs of dependence?

Answer 16

tolerance, a state of progressively decreasing behavioral and/or physiological responsiveness to a frequently used drug.

Question 17

psychedelic drugs (hallucinogens)

Answer 17

pot and LSD, alter sensory perception, induce visual and auditory hallucinations as they separate the user from reality, and disrupt thought processes

Question 18

stimulants

Answer 18

include nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, and amphetamines, make people feel more alert and energetic by boosting activity in the central nervous system.

Question 19

depressants

Answer 19

bariturates, opiates, alcohol, general anesthetics, and antiepileptic drugs, damped activity in the central nervous system. Low doses reduce responsiveness to sensory stimulation, slow thought processes, and lower physical activity. Higher doses result in drowsiness, lethargy, and amnesia

Question 20

barbiturates

Answer 20

used to block pain during surgery and to regulate high blood pressure. They are also popular street drugs because they provide long lasting euphoria

Question 21

drug potentiation

Answer 21

the effect of one drug to increase the effects of another

Question 22

opiates

Answer 22

derive from the opium poppy, produce their effects by mimicking the body’s natural opiates, the endorphins, which help regulate our normal experience of pain and pleasure.

when the brain is flooded with arificial opiates such as heroin, molecules of these synthetic drugs bind to the receptor sites for the endorphins, and the brain stops of producing its own naturally

Question 23

concordance rate

Answer 23

the rate of agreement between a pair of twins for a given trait; a pair of twins is concordant for the trait if both of them have it or if neither has it

Question 24

biomedical model: disease as addiction

Answer 24

the simplest model maintains that addicts inherit a biological vulnerability to physical dependence (point to concordnace rate in twins as evidence)

another biomedical model points to neurochemistry as the basis for both physical and psychological depndence. the withdrawal-relief hypothesis says that drug use serves to restore abnormally low levels of dopamine, serotonin, and other key neurotransmitters.

Question 25

gateway drug

Answer 25

a drug that serves as a stepping-stone to the use of other, usually more dangerous drugs

Question 26

reward systems

Answer 26

addiction may best be understood as being motivated by pleasure seeking

Question 27

common liability to addiction

Answer 27

a model of addiction proposing that the likelihood of a person will begin using illegal drugs is determined not by the preceding use of other speccific legal drugs, but instead by the particulat tendencies and environmental circumstances of the drug user

Question 28

wanting-and-liking theory

Answer 28

a two-stage theory of drug addiction. In the first stage, the original good feelings from drug use prevail; in the second stage. drug use becomes an automated behavior

Question 29

social learning models: addiction as a behavior

Answer 29

exposure to pro-smoking media increases smoking in adolescents. smokers also “learn” to smoke in a variety of different scenarios, such as socializing with friends or after eating a meal.

the more adolescents feel that smoking is a defining aspect of who they are, the more likely they are to smoke. young people, especially, may be protected by family/friends/ religion (greater attachment to these institutions, the less likely someone is to smoke).

Question 30

social control theory

Answer 30

the stronger a person’s attachments to positive institutions, the less likely they are to smoke

Question 31

blood alcohol level

Answer 31

the amount of alcohol in the blood, measured in grams per 100 milliliters

Question 32

at-risk drinking

Answer 32

two or more episodes of beinge drinking in the past month, or consuming an average of two or more alcoholic drinks per day in the past month

Question 33

korsakoff’s syndrome

Answer 33

an alcohol-induced neurological disorder characterized by the inability to store new memories

Question 34

fetal alcohol syndrome

Answer 34

a cluster of birth defects that include facial abnormalities, low intelligence, and delayed body growth caused by the mother’s use of alcohol during pregnancy

Question 35

behavioral disinhibition

Answer 35

the false sense of confidence and freedom from social restraints that results from alcohol consumption

Question 36

alcohol myopia

Answer 36

the tendency of alcohol to increase a person’s concentration on immediate events and to reduce awareness of distant events

Question 37

alcohol use disorder

Answer 37

a maladaptive drinking pattern in which drinking inerferes with role obligations

Question 38

genes and alcoholism

Answer 38

when either the mother or father of a male child is alcohol-dependent, the child is significantly more likely to later abuse alcohol himself

identical twins have twice the concordance rate of fraternal twins for AUD

the peronsalities of those most likely to abuse alcohol have several common traits, each of which is, at least in part, genetically determined: a quick temper, impulsiveness, intolerance of frustration, and vulnerability to depression

Question 39

behavioral undercontrol

Answer 39

a general personality sundrome linked to alcohol dependence and characterized by aggressiveness, unconventionality, and impulsiveness

Question 40

negative emotionality

Answer 40

a state of alcohol abuse characterized by depression and anxiety

Question 41

alcohol expectancy effects

Answer 41

the effects of an individual’s beleifs about how alcohol affects behavior

Question 42

drug treatment for AUD

Answer 42

prozac, an antidepressant that increases serotonin levels, is used to treat alcoholism in early stages of abstinence

Question 43

aversion therapy

Answer 43

a behavioral therapy that pairs an unpleasant stimulus (such as a nauseating drug) with an undesirable behavior (such as drinking or smoking), causing the patient to avoid the behavior

Question 44

controlled drinking

Answer 44

highly controvesial way of curing alcoholism - may be a more realisitc goal for a very small portion of drinkers

Question 45

self-help groups

Answer 45

AA is popular

Question 46

preventing alcohol problems

Answer 46

aim to change attitudes about drinking, strengthen coping skills, and restructure environments to reduce the risk of alcohol-related problems

Question 47

social support

Answer 47

self-help group meetings with various types of help in overcoming drug dependence and abuse

Question 48

nicotine titration model

Answer 48

the theory that smokers who are physically dependent on nicotine regulate their smoking to maintain as steady level of drug in their bodies

Question 49

satiation

Answer 49

a form of aversion therapy in which a smoker is forced to increase his or her smoking until an unpleasant state of “fullness” is reached

Question 50

behavioral activation

Answer 50

a counseling treatment that focuses on increasing engagement in valued life activities through guided goal setting

Question 51

neurotransmitter

Answer 51

a molecule that has a molecular structure that precisely fits the receptor site on the receiving cell

Question 52

agonist molecule

Answer 52

it excites. it is similar enough in structure to the neurotransmitter molecule that it mimics its effects on the receiving neuron

Question 53

partial antagonist

Answer 53

a molecule that also excites, but it elicits a weaker response than does a true or full agonist

Question 54

antagonist molecule

Answer 54

it inhibits. it has a structure similar enough to the neurotransmitter to occupy its receptor site and block its action, but not similar enough to stimulate the receptor