ADDICTION AND THE BRAIN
This neurotransmitter is strongly involved in the brain's reward and motivation systems.
What is dopamine?
A person walks past the liquor store where they used to buy alcohol and suddenly experiences an urge to drink. What is this situation an example of?
What is a trigger?
Heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and oxycodone all belong to this class of drugs.
What are opioids?
When a person has both a substance use disorder and another mental health disorder, this is called a _____ disorder.
What is a co-occurring disorder?
This term describes returning to substance use after a period of abstinence.
What is relapse?
The need to use more of a substance to achieve the same effect is called this.
What is tolerance?
A person becomes overwhelmed with stress at work and begins thinking about using, even though there are no drugs or alcohol around them. What type of trigger is this?
What is an internal trigger?
Alcohol and benzodiazepines are examples of this type of drug, which generally slows activity in the central nervous system.
What are depressants?
This condition is characterized by persistent and excessive worry that is difficult to control.
What is generalized anxiety disorder?
A person in recovery starts missing treatment, avoiding supportive friends, and spending more time around people who use substances. These are examples of what?
What are relapse warning signs?
This brain region is involved in planning, decision-making, impulse control, and evaluating consequences.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
A person sees an old using friend and immediately begins thinking about getting high. What type of trigger is this?
What is an external trigger?
Cocaine and methamphetamine belong to this broad class of drugs that generally increase activity in the central nervous system.
What are stimulants?
Using alcohol or drugs in an attempt to temporarily relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, trauma, or another mental health condition is commonly called this.
What is self-medication?
This document identifies a person's triggers, warning signs, coping strategies, and support contacts to help prevent a return to substance use.
What is a relapse prevention plan?
This brain structure plays an important role in learning and memory and can help form associations between environmental cues and substance use.
What is the hippocampus?
Someone experiencing a strong craving calls their sponsor, leaves the triggering environment, and distracts themselves until the urge passes. What are they doing?
What is coping with a craving?
This medication can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose by blocking opioids from activating receptors in the brain.
What is naloxone/Narcan?
This mental health condition can develop after exposure to a traumatic event and may involve intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in mood, and increased arousal.
What is PTSD?
A person begins thinking, “Maybe I wasn't really that bad when I was using,” while remembering only the enjoyable parts of their past substance use. What is this pattern called?
What is euphoric recall?
When a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with substance use and later produces a craving on its own, this type of learning has occurred.
What is classical conditioning?
Someone is thinking about using and intentionally reminds themselves of the legal, financial, relationship, and health consequences that followed their past substance use. What recovery strategy are they using?
What is playing the tape forward?
The potentially fatal effect of an opioid overdose occurs primarily because opioids can suppress this automatic function.
What is breathing?
This sleep-related phenomenon involves temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up and can be associated with significant fear or distress.
What is sleep paralysis?
A person has been doing well in recovery but begins isolating, stops attending support meetings, reconnects with people they used with, and starts romanticizing their past substance use. What stage of the relapse process is this person demonstrating?
What is emotional/mental relapse?