Substance use and addiction Flashcards
What is positive reinforcement?
Gain positive state
What is negative reinforcement?
Overcome adverse state
What is the spiral of addiction?
- Recreational use
- Increasingly regular use
- Dependence
How is addiction different to dependence?
Addiction is where an individual cannot stop taking harmful substances/ taking part in a harmful activity however dependance refers to a physical; adaptations to a substance
What does alcohol do?
-Releases GABA= relaxes
-Blocks NMDA receptos= impaired memory
How does the alcohol withdrawal work?
Unregulated excitatory system
Inhibits inhibitory system
What are the 3 main reasons for drug use?
-Reward deficiency (low dopamine)
-Impulsive/compulsive
-Overcoming adverse state
What is reward deficiency?
Loss of enjoyment and pleasure of things you used to and eventually only the drug brings pleasure
What are examinations for alcohol assessment?
-Jaundice
-Bruising
-Clubbing
-Oedema
-Ascites
-Spider naevi
What are neurological signs of alcohol assessment?
-Wernicke’s encephalopathy
-Korsakoff’s syndrome
What is Wernicke’s encephalopathy?
-Ataxia= affect coordination and speech
-Confusion
-Ophthalmoplegia= paralysis of eye muscles
What is Korsakoff’s syndrome?
Memory impairment
What are the imaging investigations used for alcohol assessment?
-Liver fibro scan
-Liver ultrasound
What are blood tests for alcohol assessment?
-LFTs
-FBC
-GGT
-Lipids
-Clotting
-Amylase
What other investigations are used for alcohol assessment?
-Breathalyser
-Urine drug screen
