Substance misuse
- Addiction to a substance that causes disruption in everyday life
- Use of a drug in a way that affects the individual’s mental and physical health
- Interferes with social and personal functioning
Synapse
- Tiny gap between axon terminal and dendrite
- In the brain
- Permits a neuron to pass an electrical/chemical signal to another cell
Tolerance
- Drug user becomes used to a particular level of a drug
- More is required to maintain the same effect
- Has a limit
- Drug is taken purely to avoid withdrawal
Physical dependence
- When the body (including brain) cannot function normally without a drug supplementing the neurotransmitter levels
Psychological dependence
- A perception that coping without a particular drug is impossible
- Leads to psychological symptoms such as cravings and irritability
- Linked to self-confidence – euphoria
- Believe you need the drug to function
Withdrawal
- The effect of coming off a drug causing withdrawal symptoms
- User takes drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms
- When levels of the drug in the blood decrease, withdrawal occurs
- Has the opposite feeling of the drug
- Physical or psychological
- Shaking, cold sweats, vomiting
Agonist
- A drug that effectively mimics the action of a natural chemical messenger within the body
Hallucination
- An apparent sensory experience that arises in the absence of an external stimulus
Excitory
- Increases the probability of nerve impulses
Antagonist
- Blocks effects of neurotransmitters
Stimulant
- Increases the frequency of nerve impulses
Sedative
- Drug that induces calmness or sleep
Depressant
- Drugs that decrease the frequency of nerve impulses
Inhibitory
- Decreases the probability of nerve impulses
Opiate
- A drug from a group that contains morphine and heroin
- From opium poppy