Substance Abuse Disorder Flashcards
substance abuse trends in the western cape
- patients under 20 yrs, drug of choice are cannabis, tik and alcohol
- > 20% of admissions are for persons under the age of 20 (has gone up from 5% in 1996)
- black africans proportionally underrepresented in treatment facilities across the country
Cannabis/marijuana
-dagga, green, hash, joint, dope, weed, herb, pot
appearance:
- dried plants or resinous dark brown blocks
-smoked in a joint when rolled in tobacco
-smoked in water pipes
-usually sold in a ‘stop’, 1g rolled in newspaper or in a plastic bank packet (‘bankie’)
-often smoked with mandrax as a ‘white pipe’
-can be eaten or drunk
-known as gateway drug
Mandrax street name
-Street names
Titanic, buttons, mandrakes, mandies, mz, whites, germans,
Mandrax appearance
Tablets ranging in size from a usual small tablet to the size of a dog pellet, and ranging in colour from white to pink, blue, speckled etc.
Mandrax withdrawal
Headaches, stomach cramps, anxiety, insomnia, irritability
Cannabis withdrawal
Irritability, sleep difficulty, anxiety, depressed mood
Heroin street names
H, smack, china white, brown, brown sugar, junk, gear, skag
Heroin appearance
Powder ranging in colour from white to brown
Heroin withdrawals
Sweating, nausea, vomiting, tremors, yawning, stomach cramps, diarrhoea
LSD streetnames
acid, A, candy, trips, papers, liquid, sugar cubes, star tab, smarties, strawberries, sunshine
LSD appearance
- White powder, liquid, tablet.
- Liquid sometimes injected into blotting paper
LSD withdrawal
- few, if any
- users can experience flashbacks days, months or years later
Ecstasy streetnames
E, pills, ickies, love drug etc.
Ecstasy withdrawal
Aches and pains, depression,
paranoia, anxiety, insomnia
Ecstasy active ingredient
MDMA
Ecstasy effect
Feeling of tranquility, increased confidence, feeling ‘at one’ with the world and other people. Dance and rave parties.
Cocaine/crack streetnames
powder: coke, charlie, snow, schnaff
crack: rocks, klippe
Cocaine/crack appearance
- Cocaine usually comes as a white powder.
- Rocks (crack) vary in size but are a soapy like substance usually about half the size of a pinkie fingernail.
Cocaine/crack withdrawal
Fatigue, depressed mood, paranoia, irritability, nausea and vomiting spells, insomnia, cravings
Tik streetnames
-speed, ice, choef, straws, lolly
Tik appearance
oudourless, crystal like substance
Tik withdrawal
Nausea, depressed mood, aggression, fatigue, anxiety, cravings, stomach cramps, back pain, drowsiness, increased appetite
Inhalants/solvents appearance
Glue, petrol, cleaning fluids, nail polish remover, paint thinners, aerosols.
inhalants/solvents withdrawal
Insomnia, headaches,
irritability, anxiety,
hallucinations
What is a drug?
any substance (other than food) that alters mood, behaviour, cognition, perception of consciousness
4 cultural categories of substances
- celebrated (alcohol/caffeine)
- tolerated (nicotine)
- instrumental (over the counter, prescription)
- prohibited
5 physiological categories
- CNS depressants
- CNS stimulants
- Opioids
- Hallucinogens and phencyclidine (PCP)
- cannabis
CNS depressant examples
alcohol
benzodiazepines
inhalents
CNS stimulants examples
cocaine
tik
nicotine
caffeine
Opioids examples
heroin
codeine
morphine
methadone
Substance-induced disorders
- intoxication
- withdrawal
Substance use disorder
‘substance use’ is preferred due to imprecise nature and negative connotation of ‘addiction’
Addiction definition
the user’s body require a drug to feel ‘normal’
psychological dependence definiton
the user has altered their lifestyle in order to secure continuous access to the drug
craving definition
the strong subjective sense of an addict to use a drug
DSM IV definition of substance abuse
‘A maladaptive pattern of substance use manifested by recurrent and significant adverse consequences related to repeated use of the substance’