Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT)
Recovery Terms
Chemicals, Hormones,
and Neurotransmitters
Substances
Addiction Terms
100

a prescription injectable medication that blocks the effects of opioids and alcohol

Vivitrol

100

A strong desire to use a substance or an addictive agent.

Craving

100

Chemical that plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle

Melatonin

100

a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic and anesthetic. It is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.

Fentanyl

100

Harmful use of a specific psychoactive substance.

Abuse

200

a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid use disorder

Methadone

200

External or internal cues that cause a person in recovery to crave drugs and perhaps even relapse.

Triggers

200

a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of each kidney, and is known as the body's "stress hormone"

Cortisol

200

depressants that produce sedation and hypnosis, relieve anxiety and muscle spasms, and reduce seizures.

Benzodiazepines

200

Acute anterograde amnesia with no formation of long-term memory, resulting from the ingestion of alcohol or other drugs.

Blackout

300

injection, for subcutaneous use is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderate to severe addiction to opioid drugs

Sublocade

300

The act of refraining from using any mind or body altering substance, legally, or illegally.

Abstinence

300

the chemical that boosts mood, motivation, and attention, and also helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses.

Dopamine

300

acts as both a stimulant and hallucinogen, producing an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences.

Ecstasy or MDMA

300

A dysfunctional state resulting from the use of psychoactive substances.

Impairement

400

a prescription medication in strip form made with buprenorphine and naloxone, used to treat people in early recovery from opiate addiction

Suboxone

400

a stage in early addiction recovery the gives a person a false sense of euphoria and confidence.

Pink Cloud

400

A chemical, most commonly found in the brain, that contributes to wellbeing and happiness.

Serotonin

400

a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects. It distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.

Ketamine

400

A state in which an increased dosage of a psychoactive substance is needed to produce a desired effect. 

Tolerance

500

blocks an enzyme that is involved in processing alcohol

Antabuse

500

The phenomenon in which a drug reaches a maximum effect, so that increasing the drug dosage does not increase its effectiveness.

Ceiling Effect

500

A chemical that plays an essential role in the regulation of arousal, attention, cognitive function, and stress reactions.

Norepinephrine

500

Synthetic cathinones that are central nervous stimulants and are designed to mimic effects similar to those produced by cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA

Bath Salts

500

Dysfunctional changes in physiological functioning, psychological functioning, mood state, cognitive process, or all of these, as a consequence of consumption of a psychoactive substance; usually disruptive, and often stemming from central nervous system impairment.

Drug Intoxication