Addiction Terminology
The technical name for "sober"- not using alcohol or drugs.
ABSTINENCE
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
LSD
"When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, or situation – some fact of my life – unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment.”
Alcoholics Anonymous
Bill Wilson
Bill Wilson
This fictional antihero of the famous American crime drama television series was portrayed by Bryan Cranston. The character was a skilled chemist and high school teacher down on his luck who turns to cooking meth after being diagnosed with cancer.
Walter White- "Heisenberg"
The return to alcohol or drug use after a significant period of abstinence.
RELAPSE
Semi-Charmed Kind of Life (Third Eye Blind)
Crystal Meth
“Untreated addiction without the steps on a daily basis will make my past my future.”
Narcotics Anonymous
Dr. Bob
Dr. Bob
This future drug Lord grew up in Cuba and is known for the famous line, "Say hello to my little friend."
Tony Montana
Alteration of the body's responsiveness to alcohol or a drug such that higher doses are required to produce the same effect achieved during initial use.
TOLERANCE
Cannabis/Marijuana
Unconditional self-acceptance is the idea that you have worth, just as you are. This explains what separates “you” — your character, traits, personality, strengths, and weaknesses — from your behaviors. You may have addictive behaviors but you are not an addict. While this might seem like a game of words, it’s important to recognize how powerful words and labels are.
SMART Recovery
Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
The patriarch of the Gallagher Family. He is a perpetually unemployed, absentee single parent and also a severe alcoholic who blows all his time and money getting drunk at The Jockey.
Frank Gallagher
A set of symptoms that are experienced when discontinuing use of a substance to which a person has become dependent or addicted, which can include negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, or depression, as well as physical effects such as nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and cramping, among others
Withdrawal
"Under the Bridge"
Heroin
"We started to recover when we let ourselves believe in the part of us that's still there beneath all the layers of trauma we've collected and built- the pure, radiant, courageous heart where we find our potential for awakening.
Edie Falco
Edie Falco
This fictional mob boss was the leader of the Dimeo Crime Family which operated out of Newark, New Jersey, a crime family which in a number of illegal activities, including drug distribution. One of the most famous and wellknown televisions characters of all time.
Tony Soprano
When an individual has more than one type of addiction over the course of their lifetime. Occassionally individuals in AA meetings with more than one addiction will identify themselves using this terminology. "Hi my name is Jordan and I'm a ______ ______ alcoholic."
Cross-Addiction or Cross-Addicted
"Mother's Little Helper"
Barbituates/Tranquilizers
"Those who have shared the pain of addiction and isolation understand the fear and shame better than we might imagine. Through listening at meetings and sharing our own experiences, we begin to see how we're not uniquely broken or flawed. We learn that letting people in and being a little more vulnerable is not as frightening as we may have thought."
Recovery Dharma
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
A nurse who does everything she can to provide her patients with the best care possible while navigating the waters of a crumbling health-care system. But she has a secret that is increasingly difficult to keep from people -- she relies on Vicodin and Adderall to get her through high-stress shifts at a New York hospital and ends up diverting medicine for her own personal use. [Will allow first name]
Nurse Jackie or Jackie Peyton