(The following material has been adapted from a course outline by J. Kris Leppien-Christensen, http://jkrislc.freeservers.com/)

Definitions

Addiction: Compulsion and a craving to use alcohol or other drugs regardless of negative or adverse consequences. Addiction is characterized by psychological dependence and often physical dependence. Loss of control is also a characteristic of addiction.

Chemical Dependency: A term used to describe addiction to alcohol and/or other drugs and to differentiate this type of addiction from non-chemical addiction (e.g., gambling).

Dependence: A recurrent or ongoing need to use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. Psychological dependence is the need to use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs to think, feel, or function normally. Physical dependence exists when tissues of the body require the presence of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs to function normally.

Intoxication: State of being under the influence of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs so that thinking, feeling, and/or behavior are affected. "High" is a slang word for intoxication.

Substance Abuse: The continued use of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs in spite of adverse consequences in one or more areas of an individual's life.

Tolerance: Requirement for increasing doses or quantities of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs in order to create the same effects as was obtained from the original dose. Tolerance results from physical or psychological adaptation of the individual. Cross tolerance refers to accompanying tolerance to other drugs from the same pharmacological groups. Reverse tolerance refers to a condition in which smaller quantities of a drug produce the same effects as did previous large doses.

Withdrawal: Physical and psychological effects that occur when drug-dependent individuals discontinue using alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

Routes of Administration

Inhalation: Takes 7-10 seconds for the drug to reach the brain and begin to have its effects. Drugs that are usually inhaled include cigarettes, marijuana, and freebase cocaine.

Injection: The drug enters the bloodstream intravenously, which will take the drug about 15-30 seconds to be absorbed. When injected intramuscularly, the drug takes about three to five minutes to be absorbed. If injected subcutaneously, the drug takes about three to five minutes to be absorbed. Most likely method to lead to an overdose because drug users often do not know the purity of the drugs they are using. Drugs that can be injected include cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines.

Mucosal Absorption: Done by snorting the drug, placing it under the tongue, chewing it, or placing it in the rectum or vagina. Bypasses the body's digestive system and therefore the effects are more intense and occur more rapidly than oral ingestion. Drugs that are usually absorbed include chewing tobacco, cocaine, and heroin.

Oral Ingestion: The effects usually take between 20 and 30 minutes to have an effect. Alcohol, pills, and tablets are usually taken orally.

Contact & Transdermal Absorption: Done through the use of skin creams, ointments, eye drops, and adhesive patches. The method may take two days for the drug to have its effect. LSD is one example as is nicotine.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants (AKA "downers")

Alcohol: The oldest and most widely used psychoactive substance (any substance that directly alters the normal functioning of the central nervous system).

Sedative Hypnotics: Sedatives calm and relax. Hypnotics induce sleep. Types
Include benzodiazepines (e.g., Valium, Rohypnol, and Xanax) as well as GHP and GBL.

Opiates: Developed for the treatment of acute pain, cough, diarrhea, and other illnesses. Examples include heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin) and methadone. Heroin is the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Methadone is a synthetic opioid used to treat heroin addiction.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Stimulants (AKA "uppers")

Nicotine: One of the most used CNS stimulants, which has the highest potential for addiction, tolerance, and dependence. It is both a sedative and a stimulant of the CNS.

Cocaine: A powerfully addictive substance that directly affects the brain. Crack cocaine
is the street name given to the freebase form of cocaine that has been processed from the powdered from into a smokeable substance. The term "crack" was derived from the "crackling" sound heard when the mixture is smoked.

Amphetamines: The effects are similar to cocaine, but the "high" onset is slower and the duration of the drug's effect is longer. Methedrine (methamphetamine) is a highly addictive drug.

Nonamphetamine Stimulants: These include ritalin, ephedra/ephedrine, and, of course, caffeine, the most common stimulant in the world.

Hallucinogens: Also referred to as psychedelics because they can distort perception, thought, and mood by inducing illusions and hallucinations. Examples include PCP, LSD, peyote, MDMA, ketamine (Special K).

Cannabinols: These include marijuana and charas.

Steroids: Often used medically for testosterone replacement, treatment of muscle loss, blood anemia, and endometriosis.

Inhalants: Inhalants are volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled to induce a psychoactive, or mind-altering, effect. They are usually chemicals that can be purchased legally and are normally used for practical purposes.

Gateway Drugs: Drugs whose use typically precedes the use of illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD. Gateway drugs serve to initiate the beginner into the culture of drug use. Children who begin using alcohol in late elementary and junior high school are more likely to use illicit drugs. Examples include, tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and inhalants.

Special Note on Alcohol and Tobacco: Alcohol and tobacco cause more health and related problems than do other drugs and more people die from related problems with these substances than from all illicit drug use combined.