Screening, Assessment & Engagement Flashcards
Drug use
Using a drug in a socially acceptable or ritualistic manner (having wine with dinner or taking a prescription from your doctor)
Drug misuse
Inappropriate use of a drug resulting in physical, cognitive, emotional, or social impairment (drinking alcohol while taking medications, saving unfinished prescriptions)
Dopamine
Body movement, pleasure, reward
Serotonin
Emotion, mood, sleep, temperature regulation
Acetylcholine
Muscle movement
Norepinephrine
Arousal, moods, memory formation
GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid)
Motor behavior (deficits may result in convulsions)
Glycine
Spinal reflexes, motor behavior
Enkephalins and Endorphins
Pain reduction, pleasure
_____ depresses the function of the medulla (lowest part of the brain) and can cause death
Opiates and barbiturates
_____ decreases the normal activity of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS, controls sleeping and waking).
Alcohol and other depressants
_____ increases the normal activity of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS, controls sleeping and waking).
Amphetamines
_____ can result from both stimulation and depression of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS, controls sleeping and waking).
Hallucinations
Hypothalamus
Maintains homeostasis (balance), controls heart rate, blood pressure, hunger, and sexual behavior; psychoactive drugs affect this site
Cerebellum
Coordinates voluntary movements, involved in motor learning, attention, and processing language/movement; Psychoactive drugs acting on the cerebellum causes loss of muscle coordination and balance
Physical dependency
When a person has physical distress upon discontinuing drug use
Users are not concerned with health effects and do not generally have feelings of euphoria with drug use but continue to use drugs to _____
Feel normal or to prevent withdrawal symptoms
The time span from first drug use to dependency may be 5-10 years depending on _____
The individual’s psychological make-up, the amount of drug being used, and the drug’s properties
Stages of substance abuse: Experimentation
Occasional use, substances may be provided by friends in a social setting or taken in response to stressful situations (loss of job, divorce); The person may continue using, stop using, or progress to the next stage
Stages of substance abuse: Regular use
A regular pattern of use forms (every weekend, every day, in response to specific stressors)
Stages of substance abuse: Problem use
The person begins to have problems as a result of substance use (loss of job, social exclusion, physical impairments, depression, motor vehicle accidents, failing grades)
Stages of substance abuse: Dependence
The person continues chronic use despite problems and risks, builds up a tolerance, requires more substance to reach the same state, has withdrawals if they try to decrease use
Stages of substance abuse: Addiction
The person feels a physical and psychological need for the substance despite problems its causing, they have cravings, participate in addictive behavior such as lying and stealing
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Subclinical
BAC of 0.01 to 0.05, generally shows no impairment
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Euphoria
BAC of 0.03 to 0.12, shows signs of drinking such as talkative and decreased inhibitions, may have difficulty walking or short term memory impairment
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Excitement
BAC of 0.09 to 0.25, shows obvious signs of intoxication with impaired memory and judgement, difficulty maintaining balance, impaired vision, sleepiness
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Confusion
BAC of 0.18 to 0.30, confused, unstable, blackouts
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Stupor
BAC of 0.25 to 0.4, needs emergent care, unable to stand or walk, may have vomited or urinated; High risk for aspiration
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Coma
BAC of 0.35 to 0.45, may be hypothermic with impaired circulation and respirations; at great risk for death
Stages of Alcohol Intoxication: Death
BAC of 0.45 or greater, the person has respiratory failure
Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal: Beginning
Usually within 8 hours of no longer drinking; tremors, stomach cramping, anorexia, weakness, nausea, vomiting, sweating, irritability, mood swings, depression (similar to a severe hangover)
Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal: Withdrawal
Usually within 24 hours of no longer drinking; In addition to stage 1 symptoms, increased anxiety and mood swings, increased blood pressure and heart rate, incontinence, muscle rigidity, clenching of teeth, bite the tongue
Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal: Severe withdrawal
Up to 1/3 of people in withdrawal will have this stage; Usually between 3-14 days of no longer drinking but may also occur within 12 hours; extremely confused, hallucinations, severe agitation, seizures, delirium tremens, circulatory collapse, death
Misuse/abuse of prescribed medications: Altering dose/administration
The person takes a higher dose of medication or taking it in an unintended way (smoke a fentanyl patch or dissolve and inject medications intended for oral use)
Misuse/abuse of prescribed medications: Utilizing drugs for different purposes
Drugs intended for one purpose may be used to get high because of opioid properties (dextromethorphan and loperamide)
Misuse/abuse of prescribed medications: Combining drugs to create a new product
OTC medications may be mixed with other drugs such as cocaine in order to increase the effect
One drink of alcohol is _____
12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of liquor
In most states, the legal BAC is ____
0.08
Two factors separate alcohol use from abuse
Tolerance, loss of control (inability to predict when intake will stop at any time)
The most widely abused drug and the most accepted
Alcohol
What affects the rate of absorption of alcohol?
Concentration of alcohol in drink, rate of consumption, amount of food in the stomach, emotional state of drinker
_____ occurs when the blood alcohol concentration increases faster than the body can remove the alcohol from the system
Intoxication
A condition known as sludge
Is when alcohol kills red blood cells and can block circulation to the heart which may cause damage
Ingestion of _____ causes an increase in insulin release which depletes the blood sugar and may cause hypoglycemia. As a result of low blood sugar, the body increases production of _____, which can lead to high blood sugar or hyperglycemia.
Alcohol; glycogen
After _____, motor function impairment occurs and reaction time is slowed. After _____, vision and hearing are affected. After _____, mental confusion occurs, mobility is affected. The ability to tolerate alcohol at this stage is an indicator of alcoholism as this stage is not usually passed unless alcohol is consumed very quickly. After _____ ingested quickly, loss of consciousness occurs and death by respiratory failure is possible.
3 drinks; 5 drinks; 8 drinks; 15 drinks
Hangovers result from
Accumulation of acetaldehyde in the body, dehydration, poisoning, and depletion of important enzymes
_____ are drugs that can induce drowsiness and a state similar to normal sleep.
Sedative-hypnotic drugs
The three types of barbiturates: _____ are used as surgical anesthetics with rapid onset and short duration, rarely abused; _____ used as anxiolytics and are used to aid in sleep, with an onset effect of 15-40 minutes and effects lasting up to 6 hours, very frequently abused; and _____ used as sedatives, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants with an onset of up to one hour and effects lasting up to 16 hours. These are less likely to be abused because of their slow onset.
Ultra short-acting barbiturates; Short-intermediate acting barbiturates; Long-acting barbiturates
Barbiturates are _____ and the physical effects include _____
Anxiolytic; relaxation, increase in reaction time, loss of coordination.
Withdrawal symptoms from barbiturates
Includes anxiety, tremors, insomnia, nausea, convulsions, nightmares; can be life threatening. Barbiturates should not be stopped suddenly and should gradually decrease usage under doctor supervision. Those who abuse barbiturates have a high chance of overdose.
_____ are well known drugs to treat anxiety.
Minor tranquilizers/benzodiazepines
Minor tranquilizers/benzodiazepines can produce fatal results when used with _____
Alcohol