Glossary

Street Terms for Drugs

Amp-head: LSD user
Are you anywhere? Do you use marijuana
Author: Doctor who writes illegal prescriptions

Carpet patrol: Crack smokers searching the floor for crack
Closet baser: User of cocaine that prefers anonymity

Half of a football field: 50 rocks of crack
High beams: Wide eyes associated with taking crack
Honey-moon: Early stages of drug use before addiction
Hype stick: Hypodermic needle

Miss, slam: To inject a drug

Paper bag: Container for drugs
Piggybacking: Simultaneous injecting of two different drugs

Sacrament: LSD
Sam: Federal narcotics agent

Tex-Mex: Marijuana
Toke: To inhale cocaine or smoke marijuana
Tweak mission: On a mission to find crack

Wake-ups: Amphetamines

Mental Health Terms

Adjustment disorders
A type of condition with emotional or behavioral symptoms that occur in response to identifiable stress in a person’s life.


Affective disorder (also called mood disorder)
A category of mental health problems that includes a disturbance in mood, usually profound sadness or apathy, euphoria or irritability, such as the disorder depression.


Anger
The experience of intense annoyance that inspires hostile and aggressive thoughts and actions.


Anorexia nervosa (also called anorexia)
An eating disorder characterized by low body weight, a distorted body image, an extreme aversion to food and an intense fear of gaining weight.


Antidepressants
Medications that treat depression, as well as other psychiatric disorders. Children, teens and adults being treated with antidepressants, particularly anyone being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior. Close watching may be especially important early in treatment or when the dose is changed – either increased or decreased. Bring up your concerns immediately with a doctor.


Anxiety
A feeling of unease and fear of impending danger characterized by physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling and feelings of stress. In contrast to fear, the danger or threat in anxiety is imagined, not real.


Anxiety disorders
Conditions characterized by high levels of anxiety. Currently five different anxiety disorders are recognized: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and social phobia.


Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
A behavior disorder, usually first diagnosed in childhood, that is characterized by inattention, impulsivity and, in some cases, hyperactivity.


Behavioral therapy
A form of psychotherapy that focuses on modifying observable problematic behaviors by manipulating the individual’s environment.


Binge eating disorder
A disorder that resembles bulimia nervosa and is characterized by episodes of excessive overeating (or bingeing). It differs from bulimia, because sufferers do not purge their bodies of the excess food, via vomiting, laxative abuse or diuretic abuse.


Bingeing
A destructive pattern of excessive overeating.


Bipolar disorder
A mood disorder (formerly called manic-depressive disorder) that is characterized by episodes of major depression and mania.


Bulimia nervosa (also called bulimia)
A condition characterized by binge eating followed by extreme measures to undo the binge (often vomiting).


Chronic
A term used to describe long-term persistence. In some mental health disorders, chronic is specified as persisting for six months or longer.


Cognitive-behavioral therapy
A method of treating psychiatric disorders based on the idea that the way we think about the world and ourselves (our cognitions) affects our emotions and behavior.


Cognitive disorders
The class of disorders consisting of significant impairment of cognition or memory that represents a marked deterioration from a previous level of functioning.


Cognitive therapy
A method of treating psychiatric disorders that focuses on revising a person’s thinking, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs.


Compartmentalization
A process of separating parts of the self from awareness of other parts and behaving as if one had separate sets of values. This is considered a defense mechanism.


Compulsion
An uncontrollable, repetitive and unwanted urge to perform an act. A compulsive act is a defense against unacceptable ideas and desires, and failure to perform the act leads to anxiety.


Compulsive overeating
A tendency toward binging on large amounts of food, followed by extreme guilt.


Cyclothymia
A mood disorder of at least two years’ duration viewed as a mild variant of bipolar disorder. Cyclothymia is characterized by numerous periods of mild depressive symptoms not sufficient in duration or severity to meet the criteria for major depression interspersed with periods of hypomania.


Delirium
A condition in which changes in cognition, including a disturbance in consciousness, occur over a relatively short period of time.


Delusions
Beliefs such as delusions of grandeur that are thought to be true by the person having them, but these beliefs are wrong. People with delusions cannot be convinced that their beliefs are incorrect.


Denial
The refusal to accept reality and to act as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not exist.


Depression
A mood disturbance characterized by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, worthlessness, withdrawal from social interaction, and sleep and eating disturbances.


Diagnosis
The determination by a health care professional of the cause of a person’s problems, usually by identifying both the disease process and the agent responsible.


Displacement
The redirecting of thoughts, feelings and impulses from a source that causes anxiety to a safer, more acceptable one.


Dyslexia
A reading disorder. A child with dyslexia reads below the expected level given his/her age, school grade and intelligence.


Dysthymia (also known as dysthymic disorder)
A mood disorder characterized by chronic mildly depressed or irritable mood often accompanied by a loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities that is present most of the time for at least two years. Many people with dysthymia experience major depressive episodes at times.


Eating disorders
Disorders characterized by abnormal eating behaviors and a distorted body image.


Endorphins
Chemicals in the brain that influence moods and the experience of pain.


Euphoria
A feeling of elation that is not based on reality and is commonly exaggerated.


Hallucinations
A strong perception of an event or object when no such situation is present; may occur in any of the senses (i.e., visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory or tactile).


Hostility
The disposition to inflict harm on another person and/or the actual infliction of harm, either physically or emotionally.


Hyperventilation
Abnormally deep or rapid breathing, often seen when someone is anxious.


Hypomania
An episode of illness that resembles mania, but is less intense and less disabling. Hypomania is characterized by a euphoric mood, unrealistic optimism, increased speech and activity, and a decreased need for sleep.


Identity
Self-knowledge about one’s characteristics or personality. A sense of self.


Illusions
A false perception; the mistaking of something for what is not.


Impulse-control disorders
Disorders characterized by the inability to inhibit impulses that might be harmful to oneself or others.


Insomnia
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep when one has the opportunity to be sleeping.


Interpersonal therapy
A form of psychotherapy that focuses on a patient’s interpersonal relationships; it may be used to treat depression.


Kleptomania
A pathological compulsion or impulse to steal.


Learning disorder
When a child’s academic ability is below what is expected for the child’s age, schooling and level of intelligence. A learning difficulty is usually identified in reading, math or writing.


Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression)
A major mood disorder characterized by one or more (recurrent) episodes of major depression, with or without full recovery between episodes.


Mania
An episode usually seen in the course of bipolar disorder characterized by a marked increase in energy, extreme elation, impulsivity, irritability, rapid speech, nervousness, distractibility and/or poor judgment. During manic episodes, some people also experience hallucinations or delusions.


Manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder)
Classified as a type of affective disorder (or mood disorder) that goes beyond the day’s ordinary ups and downs. Manic depression is characterized by periodic episodes of extreme elation, elevated mood, or irritability (also called mania) countered by periodic, classic depressive symptoms.


Melancholy
Symptoms usually found in severe major depressive episodes, including loss of pleasure, lethargy, weight loss and insomnia.


Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)
Drugs used in the treatment of clinical depression. These substances decrease depressive symptoms by stopping an enzyme that breaks down the mood stimulating chemicals in the brain.


Mood disorder (also known as affective disorder)
A category of mental health problems including a disturbance in mood, usually profound sadness or apathy, euphoria or irritability, such as the disorder major depression.


Neurotransmitters
In the brain, these chemicals transfer messages from one nerve cell to another and affect mood.


Norepinephrine
A hormone that regulates blood pressure by causing blood vessels to narrow and the heart to beat faster. It also has a role in regulating mood.


Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
An anxiety disorder in which a person has an unreasonable thought, fear or worry that he/she may try to manage through ritualized activity. Frequently occurring disturbing thoughts or images are called obsessions, and the rituals performed to try to prevent or dispel them are called compulsions. People with OCD often become uncomfortable in situations that are beyond their control and have difficulty maintaining positive, healthy interpersonal relationships as a result.


Panic disorder (also called panic attacks)
An anxiety disorder characterized by chronic, repeated and unexpected intense periods of fear when there is no specific cause for the fear. In between panic attacks, people with panic disorder worry excessively about when and where the next attack may occur. Panic disorder may be accompanied by agoraphobia.


Phobia
An uncontrollable, irrational and persistent fear of a specific object, situation or activity.


Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
A debilitating condition that is related to a past terrifying physical or emotional experience causing the person who survived the event to have persistent, frightening thoughts and memories or flashbacks, of the ordeal. People with PTSD often feel chronically emotionally numb.


Psychiatrist
A medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of mental, emotional or behavioral problems.


Psychologist
A specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional problems. Because psychologists are not physicians, they cannot prescribe drugs. Their role with patients usually involves testing, counseling and psychotherapy.


Psychosocial
Involving both psychological and social aspects or relating social conditions to mental health.


Psychotherapy
The treatment of mental and emotional disorders using psychological methods, such as talk therapy.


Purging
People with bulimia engage in a destructive pattern of ridding their bodies of the excess calories (to control their weight) by vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, taking enemas and/or exercising obsessively — a process called purging.


Rage
A state of intense emotional experience associated with uncontrolled destructive behavior.


Regression
The reversion to an earlier stage of development in the face of unacceptable impulses. This is considered a defense mechanism.


Relapse
The recurrence of a disease after apparent recovery, or the return of symptoms after remission.


Remission
A return to the asymptomatic state, usually accompanied by a return to the usual level of functioning.


Repression
The blocking of unacceptable impulses from consciousness. This is considered a defense mechanism.


Schizophrenia
A complex mental health disorder involving a severe, chronic and disabling disturbance of the brain. The symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thinking.


Sedatives
A group of drugs used to produce sedation (calmness). Sedatives include sleeping pills and anti-anxiety drugs.


Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
A commonly prescribed class of drugs for treating depression. SSRIs work by stopping the reuptake of serotonin, an action that allows more serotonin to be available to be taken up by other nerves.

The SSRI Paxil may increase the risk for birth defects, particularly heart defects, when women take it during the first three months of pregnancy, according to a 2005 advisory from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is waiting for the results of recent studies to better understand the higher risk. Discuss with your doctor about the health risks of Paxil if you plan to become pregnant or are in the first three months of pregnancy. You may want to consider taking a different antidepressant. Do not stop taking the drug without first talking to your doctor.


Serotonin
A chemical that transmits nerve impulses in the brain (neurotransmitter), causes blood vessels to narrow at sites of bleeding and stimulates smooth muscle movement in the intestines. It is thought to be involved in controlling states of consciousness and mood.


Serotonin and norenpinephrine reuptake inhibitors
A commonly prescribed class of drugs for treating depression, which work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, an action that allows serotonin and norepinephrine to be available to be taken up by other nerves.


Self-esteem
Feelings about one’s self.


Social phobia
An anxiety disorder in which a person has significant anxiety and discomfort related to a fear of being embarrassed, humiliated, or scorned by others in social or performance situations.


Suicidal behavior
Actions taken by one who is considering or preparing to cause their own death.


Suicidal ideation
Thoughts of suicide or wanting to take one’s life.


Tricyclic antidepressants
Drugs used in the treatment of clinical depression. Tricyclic refers to the presence of three rings in the chemical structure of these drugs.

Alcohol and Drug Terms

Abstinence:
Discontinuance and avoidance of further use of a drug.

Addictive Personality:
An addictive personality is a trait, or set of traits, that develops in response to habit-forming drugs/alcohol or compulsive behavior (gambling, overeating/undereating, sex). It is not present prior to an addiction. One cannot predict an individual’s predisposition to develop an addiction by looking for an addictive personality.

Adverse Reaction:
Reaction of an organism to a drug that is different from the desired reaction and is determined to be detrimental to the organism.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA):
A voluntary fellowship founded in 1935 and concerned with the recovery and continued sobriety of the alcoholic who turns to the organization for help. The AA program consists basically of Twelve Suggested Steps designed for the personal recovery from alcoholism, and AA is the major proponent of the disease model of alcoholism. Alcoholism: Alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial. and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestation. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. Each of these symptoms may be continuous or periodic.

Ambivalence:
The condition of holding opposite feelings (such as love and hate) for the same person or object.

Amphetamine:
Behavioral Stimulant.

AOD:
Alcohol and Other Drugs.

AODA:
Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse.

Assessment:
Interviewing a client to obtain the sociological background, psychological makeup, educational and work history, family and marriage difficulties and medical issues to better assess a client’s need for treatment. Information is gathered and weighed carefully against specific criteria that determine the prevalence of a chemical dependency problem.

Barbiturate:
Class of chemically related sedative-hypnotic compounds, all of which share a characteristic six-membered ring structure.

Blood Alcohol Level or Concentration:
The concentration of alcohol in the blood, usually expressed in percent by weight.

CAADE:
California Association for Alcohol and Drug Educators. This non-profit association consists of substance abuse educators in higher education. Has developed a model drug alcohol studies curriculum widely used by agencies throughout the state.

CAADPE:
California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives. This non-profit association consists mainly of representatives from substance abuse providers in the field. Primarily based in Southern California.

CAARR:
California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources. This group represents residential alcohol recovery programs utilizing the social model and certifies specialists to its own standards.

CADCEP:
California Alcoholism and Drug Counselors Education Program. The education arm of CAADAC, which is responsible for certifying all education programs that meet CAADAC’s requirements

CAADAC:
California Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. This non-profit association represents a group of drug and alcohol counselors in the field. Has developed its own certification standards.

CADDTP:
California Association of Drinking Driving Treatment Program. This is an association of treatment programs that represents DUI purposes in California and certifies counselors to its own standards.

CADPAP:
California Association of Drug Programs and Professionals, also known as the Alliance. A statewide group of providers, including substance abuse programs and professional counselors based in .

CANSA:
The Consolidated Association of Nurses in Substance Abuse, is a membership organization of nurses certified in substance abuse treatment and recovery.

CADPAAC:
County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators Association of California consists of the alcohol program administrators from each county in California.

Carcinogen: An agent or factor that causes cancer.

Causal Factors:
The antecedent conditions or cues that influence the outcome of a chemical dependency problem in an individual. Many schools of thought have theorized what these are, and while none agree wholeheartedly, most agree that environment, conditioning and genetics play a role.

CCDC:
Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor. (see also NBAE)

Chemical Dependence:
Synonymous with Substance Abuse. The DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed.) describes substance abuse as:
A maladaptive pattern of substance abuse leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one or more of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

• Recurrent substance use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home
• Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous
• Recurrent substance-related legal problems
• Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance

Central Nervous System (CNS):
The brain and spinal cord. Chemical: Substance capable of altering body function.

Cirrhosis:
Chronic liver disease marked by scarring of liver tissue and eventually liver failure.

Co-Dependence:
A mechanism whereby a person takes responsibility for actions of others and helps one avoid facing problems directly in order to preserve stability in a family relationship.

Codeine:
Sedative and pain-relieving agent found in opium. Structurally related to morphine but less potent, and constituting approximately 0.5% of the opium extract.

Competencies:
Skills that are essential to perform certain functions, for example, social workers must have competencies in a number of areas to be effective professionals and to be licensed.

Crisis Intervention:
Intervention provided when a crisis exists to the extent that on&s usual coping resources threaten individual or family functioning.

Cross Dependence:
Condition in which one drug can prevent the withdrawal symptoms associated with physical dependence on a different drug.

Cross Tolerance:
Condition in which tolerance of one drug results in a lessened response to another drug.

CTC:
California Therapeutic Communities. This is a statewide group, mostly consisting of substance abuse treatment providers which practice therapeutic community principles.

DADP (or ADP):
State of California Department of Alcohol and Drugs. Their mission is to provide leadership, policy direction and administration of a statewide system to eliminate alcohol and drug problems.

Denial:
The refusal to admit to one’s self the truth or reality, i.e. a person who refuses to admit that they have a problem with alcohol or drugs.

DEA:
Drug Enforcement Administration. Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Depressant:
Any of several drugs that sedate by acting on the central nervous system: medical uses include the treatment of anxiety, tension, and high blood pressure.

Detoxification:
Removal of a toxic substance such as a drug or alcohol from the body.

Disease Model:
A theory of alcoholism endorsed by the AMA, APA, The World Health Organization, NCADD and AA, in which alcoholism is seen as a disease rather than a psychological or social problem.

Disorganization:
A state of impaired and inefficient emotional organization resulting from a person’s inability to cope with internal conflicts and external reality.

Downers:
Barbiturates, tranquilizers, alcohol and depressants.

Drug Misuse:
Use of any drug (legal or illegal) for a medical or recreational purpose when other alternatives are available, practical or warranted, or when drug use endangers either the user or others with whom he or she may interact.

Drug Tolerance:
A state of progressively decreased responsiveness to a drug.

Dual-Diagnosis (co-occurring conditions):
Generally used to describe the condition of mental patients who are also addicted to a mind altering drug.

DUI:
Driving Under the Influence of alcohol or an illicit substance – any substance, licit or illicit, if it impairs the driving function

DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated.

High Risk Work Environment:
Any facility which houses inmates: residential facility for HIV infected persons, residential facility for elderly, shelter for the homeless, drug treatment clinic, hospital, clinical research or production facility that works with TB bacilli, or medical facility which utilizes procedures resulting in aerosolization of respiratory secretions from patients or which provides medical treatment primarily to populations at increased risk for TB.

Intoxication:
Literally, a state of being poisoned or drugged; a condition produced by use (abuse) of toxic drugs, alcohol, barbiturates, and so forth.

Medical Model:
A theory of drug abuse or addiction in which the addiction is seen as a medical, rather than as a social problem.

Metabolism (of drugs):
All the chemical and physical reactions that the body carries out to prepare a drug for excretion.

Morphine:
Major sedative and pain-relieving drug found in opium, being approximately 10% of the crude opium exudate.

Narcotic:
A drug having the power to produce a state of sleep or drowsiness and to relieve pain with the potential of being dependence producing.

NCADD:
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

Neurotransmitter:
A natural chemical released by one neuron to influence or communicate with another. Acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, GABA, etc.

Nicotine:
The main active ingredient of tobacco. Extremely toxic and causing irritation of lung tissues, constriction of blood vessels, increased blood pressure and heart rate, and, in general, central nervous system stimulation.

NBAE:
National Board of Addiction Examiners. A not for profit national organization belonging to the National Association of Forensic Counselors. NBAE provides certification to those in the addiction field, including the CCDC certification, which is currently recognized by California, Oregon, and Washington for equivalance to State certification in Addiction Counseling.

Opiate:
Any substance, natural or synthetic, that is related in action to morphine and binds to the same, or some of the same, receptors. Some writers use it just to mean opium, morphine, codeine, and heroin – the natural ingredients of the poppy and their derivatives, excluding the synthetic narcotic analgesics.

Opioids:
Synthetic opiates.

Over-the-Counter Drugs:
Drugs legally sold without a prescription.

Pep pills:
Amphetamines.

Pharmacology:
The branch of science that deals with the study of drugs and their action on living systems.

Placebo:
A pharmacologically inert substance that may elicit a significant reaction entirely because of the mental set of the patient or the physical setting in which the drug is taken.

Precursor:
In a metabolic sequence of reactions, a compound that gives rise to the next compound: for example, choline is the precursor for the neurotransmitter acetyicholine

Prescription Drugs:
A controlled drug available only by the order of a licensed physician, P.A. or nurse Practitioners’ prescription.

Prevention:
Primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary prevention is an active assertive process of creating conditions and or personal attributes that promotes the well being of people. Secondary prevention is early detection and intervention to keep beginning problems from becoming more severe. Tertiary prevention is the effort to rehabilitate those affected with severe disorders and return them to the community.

Psychedelic:
Mind-manifesting group of drugs producing a mental state of great calm and intensely pleasurable perception.

Psychoactive Drug:
Any chemical substance that alters mood or behavior as a result of alterations in the functioning of the brain.

Psychotherapy:
The treatment of emotional or behavioral problems by psychological means, often in one-to-one interviews or small groups. Modern psychoanalysis and cognitive therapies concentrate on the patient’s beliefs. Other therapies, such as those within humanistic psychology, attend to the patient’s emotional state or sensitivity. The distinction, however, is not clear-cut, as all these therapies involve intense exploration of the patient’s conflicts, and most rely on the emotion generated in therapy as a force in the patient’s recovery. In contrast, behavior therapies derive from the view that neurosis is a matter of maladaptive conditioning and concentrate on modifying patients’ behavior.

Psychotropic Drug:
Drug that acts on psychic mood behavior or experience.

Psychological Dependence:
A compulsion to use a drug for its pleasurable effects. Such dependence may lead to a compulsion to misuse a drug. A craving and compulsion to use a drug that is psychologically rather than physiologically based, e.g., compulsive gambling is a purely psychological dependence: a similar effect may come from drug use.

Psychopharmacology:
The study of the effects of drugs on mood, sensation, consciousness, or other psychological or behavioral functions.

Receptor:
Special protein on the membrane or in the cytoplasm of a target cell with which a drug, a neurotransmitter, or a hormone interacts.

Recidivism:
Return or relapse to a type of behavior, such as drug taking.

Rehabilitate:
To restore to effectiveness or normal life by training etc., esp. after imprisonment or illness; to restore to former privileges or reputation or a proper condition. Derivative (rehabilitative adj.; rehabilitation n.[medieval Latin: rehabilitare (as re-, habilitate)])

Relapse:
Referring to alcoholism, a recurrence of symptoms of the disease after a period of sobriety.

Relapse Prevention:
A therapeutic process for interrupting behaviors, beliefs and self talk that lead to life style dysfunction.

Reversed Tolerance:
State produced by a particular drug, process, or individual, such that lower dosages of the same drug produce the same amount and quality of the desired or observed effect that previously was observed only with higher dosages.

Self-help Group:
Group of individuals with similar problems that meets for the purpose of providing support and information to each other and for mutual problem solving; Parents Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous are examples of self-help groups.

Self Reporting Screening Inventory:
These devices are usually substantially less time-consuming than conventional testing, and they can be used as a precursor test to determine if a full screen or assessment should be administered for the potential AODA client.

Side Effects:
Secondary effects, usually undesirable, of a drug or therapy or behavior.

Social Model:
A modality of treatment known as the recovery process characterized by lifelong commitment to life style changes to enable an individual to develop a constructive, productive and meaningful sober way of life that fulfills their potential; generally accomplished in a community based program.

Steroids:
Any of a group of compounds (e.g., sex hormones) having the carbon atom ring structure of the steroids. A steroid is any of a group of solid, cyclic unsaturated alcohols, such as cholesterol, found in plant and animal tissue.

Stimulant:
Any of several drugs that act on the central nervous system to produce excitation, alertness and wakefulness. Medical uses include the treatment of hyperkinesis and narcolepsy.

Straight:
Not using drugs; not intoxicated with drugs or under their influence.

Substance Abuse:
Refers to overeating, cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, or drug abuse.

Syndrome:
All the signs and symptoms associated with a disease.

Synergism:
Effect of a combination of drugs taken simultaneously, which is greater than the sum of the effects of the same drugs when taken separately.

TB:
means the disease of tuberculosis

Therapeutic Community:
Setting in which persons with similar problems meet and provide mutual support to help overcome those problems, with fairly structured rules, guidelines, etc.

Tolerance:
Condition in which a person must keep increasing the dosage of a drug to maintain the same effect. Tolerance develops with the barbiturates, amphetamines and related compounds, and opiates.

Toxicity:
Degree of poisonousness: any substance in excessive amounts can act as a poison or toxin. With drugs, the margin between the dosage that produces beneficial effects and the dosage that produces toxic or poisonous effects varies with the drug and the person receiving it.

Tranquilizers:
Drugs used to relieve symptoms of severe psychosis (for example, Thorazine); Psychoactive drugs with sedative and anti-anxiety effect; also used as anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants (an example is Valium).

Ups or Uppers:
Stimulants; amphetamines.

Values:
Assumptions, convictions, or beliefs about the manner in which people should behave and the principles that should govern behavior.

Withdrawal Syndrome:
The group of reactions or behavior that follows abrupt cessation of the use of a drug upon which the body has become dependent. May include anxiety, insomnia, DTs, perspiration, hot flashes, nausea, dehydration, tremors, weakness, dizziness, convulsions, and psychotic behavior. If untreated in some individuals can be cause of death.