substance use

Question 1

Psychopharmacology

Answer 1

Study of how drugs affect humans cognitively, behaviourally, and emotionally

Question 2

Psychoactive drugs

Answer 2

Acts on CNS and produces changes in cognition, behav, and emotions

Question 3

Licit drugs

Answer 3

Psychoactive substance that is legal to process or use.
Ex. caffeine, nicotine, alc

Question 4

Illicit drugs:

Answer 4

Psychoactive substance that is illegal to possess or use
Ex. heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, club drugs

Question 5

Substance use

Answer 5

Drug use at a level that doesnt significantly impair functioning

Question 6

Physical dependence

Answer 6

Changes in normal bodily functions so that drug use is necessary for normal functioning

Question 7

Psychological dependence

Answer 7

Emotional need for a drug to relieve emotional distress

Question 8

Addict

Answer 8

A person who is extremely psychologically dependent on a substance

Question 9

Tolerance

Answer 9

During regular drug use, when a higher dose is required to feel the same effects as a lower dose

Question 10

Withdrawal

Answer 10

Physical symptoms that occur when a person who has developed tolerance to a drug abruptly ceased using (high physical/emotional arousal, fidgety, agitation)

Question 11

Substance use disorder

Answer 11

Compulsive pattern of drug use that is associated w/ both physical and psychological dependence

Develop tolerance → exp withdrawal → take risks because of substance → spend time thinking about the drug → withdraw from activities and others → take more of the substance than intended → crave the drug → struggle to quit

Question 12

Factors affecting drug effects (dopamine)

Answer 12

Drug related factors
-Type of drug
-Route of administration (injection, inhaled, snorted affecting rates of transmission)
-Size of dose (large dose = adverse effects)

Person-related factors
-Pharmacological characteristics (chemical impact of drug on body)
-Psychological characteristics (mood, prev exp w/drug and effects)

setting/psychosocial conditions (atmosphere where the drug is taken, people and their behav/expectations)

Drug interactions (taking multiple drugs, w/alc that make amplifying effects)

Question 13

Genetic x environment appr

Answer 13

Genetic factors 40-60% of risk factors for SUD
Exposure to high doses of an addictive drug can result in addiction, regardless of genetic risk
Environmental risk factors interact w/ genetic composition
Psychosocial stressors such as lack of parental supervision, poverty, peer substance use are implicated in addiction
Comorbid mental health disorder → ADHD, mood disorders, and PTSD, affective disorders

Question 14

Behavioral appr to addiction

Answer 14

Social learning theory suggests someone may be peer pressured into trying drugs
Operant conditioning could explain why someone seeks the rewards resulting from a drug (repeated behav for reward (high))
Classical conditioning might explain drug dependency or the association of behavs and drug use

Question 15

Expectancy theory

Answer 15

A cognitive appr that proposes an individ will behave or act in a certain way because they are motivated to select that behav based on what they expect the result to be

Motivation to exp euphoric states

Euphoric state motivates future use

Question 16

Model of impulsivity

Answer 16

Reward drive (RD)
-Incentive of addictive behav when reward cues detected
-High RD exp greater reinforcement and conditioned responses when using substances

Rash impulsiveness (RI)
-Ability to modify addictive behav due to negative consequences
-High RI exp greater difficulty resisting cravings

Question 17

Juvenile drug use

Answer 17

precursors to substance use include antisocial behav in childhood and influential peer groups
Incentive-rewards system mature before cog control centre → will likely act on impulse
Adolescents more likely to initiate and maintain drug use and are more resistant to treatment and more liable to relapse
Over 90% of addicts began using substances before age 18
Marijuanna/cannabis is the most commonly used among juveniles → benign and 70% also use alc
More dependent the earlier you start and develop an addiction

Question 18

Goldstein’s tripartite model

Answer 18

Psychopharmacological crime
Certain drugs cause some ppl to engage in violence or criminal behav
Systemic crime
Crime arises from drug trafficking and distribution
Economically compulsive crime
Criminal behav to support a drug addiction

Question 19

Hallucinogens (lcd, mushrooms…)

Answer 19

Change in consciousness and alteration of reality → can attend to reality simultaneously

Marijuana (mild)

Second most popular drug after alcohol
Second oldest drug after alcohol
THC is an active ingredient (tetrahydrocannabinol)
‘Crime’ is associated w/ possession
THC induced muscular weakness so violence unlikely
Diminished motor activity may put public at risk if high person drives
Ppl who were violent before using marijuana may be violent when high
Cannot really get addicted or gain a physical dependency for it → no withdrawal symptoms if stopped

PCP (tranquiliser)
Upper and downer effects while hallucinating
No longer permitted for human or vet use
Can cause psychosis and lead to violence
Possibly the most dangerous illicit drug due to its connection to violence, but not highly addictive
Highly unpredictable in psychosis (grandiosity delusions)
Not physically or psychologically addictive
UNPREDICTABLE VIOLENCE

Question 20

Stimulants

Answer 20

enhance activity of dopamine, norepinephrine, mdma, caffeine, nicotine)

Methamphetamines (synthetic compounds)
CNS stimulant arousing fight or flight response
Smoked esp in crystal form
Increase in alertness and decrease in appetite
In high doses causes anxiety,insomnia, paranoia → risky behav
Changes brain structure and function
Dont cause violence directly, but increase likelihood violent-prone person will behave violently
Chronic: emotion and memory changes, aggressive/violent behav (usually already predisposed to this behav before using)

Cocaine
Extracted from coca leaves
Originates in south america
Late 19th century used as an anesthetic, start of chronic abuse
CNS stimulant
Smaller doses improve concentration, elevate mood, cause euphoria (friendly, sociable, outgoing)
Larger doses can lead to irritability, delirium, hallucinations, psychosis
Some ppl may exhibit violent or paranoid behav
Ppl prone to aggression may act violently
Engenders systemic crime and possibly economically compulsive crime

Question 21

Narcotics

Answer 21

(narco = sleep) (oxycodone, morphine, codeine)
Derivatives of the opium or poppy plant
Sedative (sleep-inducing) and analgesic (pain-relieving) effects
Natural, semisynthetic, synthetic narcotics
Highly addictive → Relentless strong craving

Heroin (narcotic)
CNS depressant
Feelings of contentment, little inclination to physical activity
Violence and aggression rare
Possible connection to economically compulsive crime
Motionless and stuck in thought, sit still or sleep
Highly addictive, may be economically compulsive crime to fuel their addiction (could be predisposed so not causal relationship)

Question 22

Synthetic opiates

Answer 22

(fentanyl)
Fentanyl is 30-50x stronger than heroin but similar in psychological effects
Oxycontin and vicodin are 2 commonly abused prescription drugs (controlled prescription drugs)
Fueled the opioid epidemic

Opioid epidemic
Oxycontin and vicodin responsible for 75% of pharmaceutical overdose deaths
Abuse moves from prescription drugs to heroin
Heroin laced w/ fentanyl or benzodiazepines (depressant)
Large doses can stop the heart
Toxic drug overdose second leading cause of death in BC
Responsible for pharmacy robberies, fraudulent prescriptions, doctor shopping (improper prescriptions))
2nd leading cause of death
Economically compulsive crimes are linked to this

Question 23

drug classes

Answer 23

hallucinogens, stimulants, narcotics, synthetic opiates

Question 24

Sedative-hypnotic compounds

Answer 24

-used in sexual assaults

Ketamine
Dissociative anesthetic w/ analgesic and amnestic properties (amnesia)
Initially used in veterinary medicine
Considered a date rape drug
Appropriate use may alleviate symptoms of depression
Chemical structure similar to pcp
Odourless and tasteless

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate)
Psychoactive effects and pressure enhancer
Easily synthesized
Can induce deep sleep w/anterograde amnesia so is commonly used to facilitate date rape or robbery
Daybreak drugs → odorless and tasteless
Fast acting drug, antidepressant
Severe unpredictable side effects: nausea, amnesia, coma

Rohypnol (sleep aid)
‘Roofies’
When combined w/alc causes loss of muscle control and consciousness, anterograde amnesia
Used to facilitate date rape
Legally manufactured as sleep aid in many countries (short term sleep disorders)
Not legal in canada

Question 25

Alcohol

Answer 25

Strong psychological and physical dependence
Biphasic intoxication
Rising BC = euphoria and sociality, increased self-confidence
Declining BAC = CNS depressant, reduction in visual acuity and coordination, fatigue
Much higher rates of alc dependence in prison pops
About ⅓ of violent offenders were intoxicated at the time of the offense
Alc not direct cause of aggression instead, it facilitates aggressive tendencies in already violent ppl
Alc use and serious delinquency are strongly associated
Alc aggression relationship must also account for cultural and cog factors

Question 26

Deviance-disavowal

Answer 26

Learned expectation that intoxicated behav attributed to substance so deviation from social norms is a result of the substance

Question 27

Disinhibition theories

Answer 27

Alc effects inhibitory controls
Inhibitory controls prevent aggression
Ppl act on aggressive tendencies when alc has weakened their inhibitory controls

Question 28

Selective disinhibition

Answer 28

Alc disinhibits violence through weakening constraints
Violence may be used if it is seen as advantageous

Question 29

Consistent findings on illicit drug use

Answer 29

More individs incarcerated for drug offenses than all others
Arrestees frequently test positive for drugs
Arrestees are often under the influence of illicit drugs at the time of the offense
Drug trafficking engenders the most violent crime
Drug-crime relationship is complex
Aggression likely precedes substance abuse
Increased risk of violence in polydrug users