Abstinence |
The complete avoidance of some consumable item or behavior. More... |
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Abuse |
Abuse happens when he or she drinks or uses at a level that causes problems in one or more areas of his or her life. More... |
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Abuse-liable |
Pharmacological substances that have the potential for creating abusive dependency. More... |
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Acamprosate |
An anti-craving agent widely used in Europe to prevent relapse in alcohol-dependent patients and currently undergoing clinical trials in the U.S. prior to possible Food and Drug Administration approval. More... |
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Acceptance |
To regard as true. Within the 12-step support groups acceptance is regarded as a key to breaking denial and/or to finding serenity in one's life. It is not synonymous with "approval." Acceptance is also mentioned in The Serenity Prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." More... |
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Access |
The extent to which an individual who needs care and services is able to receive them. More... |
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Accreditation |
Certification by an external entity that an organization has met a set of prescribed standards.
More... |
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Acetaldehyde |
The metabolite that results when alcohol dehydrogenase breaks down alcohol in the body. More... |
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Acetaminophen |
An analgesic. More... |
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Acid |
See More... |
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ACOA |
Adult Children of Alcoholics. Someone who grew up in a home with at least one alcoholic parent, guardian or caregiver. Sometimes used to designate those whose family or origin was otherwise dysfunctional. More... |
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Activity therapy |
Includes art, dance, music, recreational and occupational therapies, and psychodrama. More... |
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Acute alcohol poisoning |
A potentially fatal overdose of alcohol, a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. A result of binge drinking. More... |
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Acute toxicity |
The physical or psychological harm a drug might present to the user immediately or soon after the drug is ingested into the body. More... |
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Addiction |
Compulsive physiological and psychological need for a habit-forming substance. More... |
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Addiction assessment |
Essential to effective counseling in many areas which seem unrelated to addiction because its effects are often hidden causes of other problems. More... |
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Addiction severity index |
A measure which gathers a broad range of assessment data relevant to an offender's substance abuse, his/her treatment planning needs, and diagnoses. More... |
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Addiction treatment |
The attempt by one individual(s) to cause another individual(s) to cease or reduce a harmful behavior. More... |
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Addictive drugs |
Drugs that change the brain, change behavior, and lead to the loss of control of drug-taking behavior. More... |
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Addictive personality |
An addictive personality is a trait, or set of traits, that develops in response to habit-forming drugs/alcohol or compulsive behavior (gambling, overeating/undereating, sex). More... |
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Addicts |
One who is addicted to a substance, activity or habit. More... |
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Adjuvant therapy |
Therapy provided to enhance the effect of an primary therapy; auxiliary therapy. More... |
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Adolescent treatment |
Usually under 18 years of age the techniques or actions customarily applied in a specified addictive situation More... |
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Adverse reaction |
Reaction to a drug that is different from the desired outcome. More... |
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Aftercare |
Follolw-up care provided after a medical procedure or treatment program. More... |
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Age at onset |
The age of a person when he,she first engaged in addictive behavior. Perhaps the single most important factor in the assessment of an addiction. More... |
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Agonist |
A drug or medication that can interact with receptors to stimulate drug actions or effects. More... |
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Aids |
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. More... |
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Al-anon |
The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength and hope in order to solve their common problems. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend. More... |
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Alateen |
A Twelve Step program for adolescent children of alcoholics. More... |
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Alco-sensor |
A device used to measure the blood alcohol content of a person by the measuring of the alcohol content of a person's breath. More... |
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Alcohol abuse |
A syndrome characterized primarily by the continued use of alcohol despite the drinker’s knowledge of having a persistent physical problem or some social or occupational difficulty. More... |
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Alcohol dependence |
A syndrome in which alcohol abuse involves a variety of significant physical, psychological, social, and behavioral problems. More... |
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Alcohol liver disease |
A major cause of illness and death in the United States. Fatty liver, the most common form, is reversible with abstinence. More serious ALD includes alcoholic hepatitis, characterized by persistent inflammation of the liver, and cirrhosis, characterized by progressive scarring of liver tissue. Either condition can be fatal. More... |
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Alcohol poisoning |
A condition in which a toxic amount of alcohol (ethanol, ethyl alcohol) has been drunk, usually in a short period of time. The toxicity is related to the blood level of the alcohol. More... |
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Alcohol treatment professional |
A person who practices, as a full or part time employment, the rehabilitation of people who are suffering from alcohol abuse or addiction. The person must be paid for these services and not perform them solely as a volunteer activity. More... |
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Alcoholic |
Someone who demonstrates a continuous or periodic impaired control over drinking; preoccupation with alcohol; and use of alcohol despite adverse consequences and distortions in thinking, most notably denial. More... |
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Alcoholics anonymous (aa) |
A worldwide organization devoted to the treatment of alcoholism through self-help groups and adherence to its principles. More... |
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Alcoholism |
A condition in which the consumption of alcohol has produced major psychological, physical, social, or occupational problems. More... |
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Ambivalence |
The condition of holding opposite feelings (such as love and hate) for the same person or object. More... |
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Amends |
To act genuinely to fix things. More... |
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Amphetamine psychosis |
This state of psychosis "often persisting for weeks or even months after the drug has been withdrawn, so closely resemble the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia that it has been speculated that the two conditions have the same underlying chemical basis in the brain. More... |
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Amphetamines |
More... |
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Amyl nitrite |
This drug is a yellowish, volatile, inflammable liquid with a fruity odor called "snappers" or "poppers", as they come in glass capsules that are broken. More... |
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Analgesics |
Drugs that relieve pain. More... |
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Angel dust |
Phencyclidine or PCP More... |
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Anger management |
commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which one with excessive or uncontrollable anger can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state. More... |
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Anonymity |
The state of being unknown or unacknowledged. A tradition of 12 step support groups maintained by the use of first names only, in order to keep principles above personalities and to protect the identity of members. More... |
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Anorexia |
Lack or loss of appetite for food, accompanied by a noticeable weight loss if it is chronic. More... |
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Antabuse |
Bis(diethylthiocarbamoyl) disulfide is a white to off-white, odorless, and almost tasteless powder, soluble in water, which causes a sever reaction if alcohol is also subsequently consumed. The first drug ever approved for treating problem drinkers. More... |
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Antagonist |
A substance that blocks the effects of another specified drug; for example, naltrexone is an antagonist for opioids More... |
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Antibiotic |
A substance, which is used in the prevention or treatment of infectious diseases. More... |
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Antidepressants |
A group of drugs used in treating depressive disorders. More... |
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Arraignment |
A call to the accused to come before the court to hear charges or enter a plea. More... |
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Arrest |
The taking of an individual into custody by law enforcement personnel for the purpose of charging them with an illegal act. More... |
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Arrest record |
An official form completed by the police department when a person is arrested. Also, a cumulative record of all instances in which a person has been arrested. More... |
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Assessments |
The measurement of personal characteristics. Assessment is an end result of gathering information intended to advance psychological theory and research and to increase the probability that wise decisions will be made in applied settings More... |
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Ativan |
A tranquilizer (trade name Ativan) used to treat anxiety and tension and insomnia. More... |
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Attraction rather than promotion |
We do not promote AA. Instead, we attract alcoholics to recovery by living as examples of recovery. More... |
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