Health Sciences 1001A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Psychoactive Drug, Genetic Predisposition, Habituation
13 Sep 2013
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Chapter 18 use and abuse of psychoactive drugs. Psychoactive drug: drug that alters a person"s experience or consciousness: most often associated with abuse and addiction. Intoxication: short-term state which sometimes unpredictable physical and emotional changes occur. Before, applied only when habitual use of drug produced chemical change in user"s body. 2 different levels of addiction: addiction. Need to increase dosage associated with psychological and physical dependence. Routine use of substance without level of compulsion or increasing need that characterize addiction. Often starts when person does sometime to bring pleasure or avoid pain: if works, repeated. Person becomes increasingly dependent on behavior and tolerance can develop. Although many common behaviors are potentially addictive, most people who engage in them don"t develop problems. Combination of factors involved in development of addiction: personality, lifestyle, heredity, social and physical environment, nature of substance or behavior in question. Using substance or activity as substitute for healthier coping strategies. Difficulty dealing with stress and painful emotions.
