Adaption--The process by which the regulator systems handle stressors. According to Hans Selye, there are three stages of biological reactions to a stressor. There is the alarm reaction, the stage of resistance, and the stage of exhaustion. It is in the stage of resistance where the body tries to restore homeostasis by altering related symptoms.

Antabuse--(disulfiram), blocks oxidation of ethanol at the acetaldehyde stage. Excess acetaldehyde produces a highly unpleasant reaction in the presence of even small amounts of ethanol.

Cannabis--a general term for any of the various preparations of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, and used interchangeably with the term marijuana.

Compulsive behavior--The strong impulse to do something contrary to one's will. A stereotyped repetitive action that a person feels compelled to perform. Obsessively washing hands, drinking alcohol, exercising, and gambling are some examples.

Coping--coping is a term that describes various methods or techniques used to adjust, to accommodate the demands of stress and daily living without being overwhelmed. One's general pattern of coping behaviors is known as the personality.

Craving Brain--The state of the brain when its landscape is primed for a craving response, exhibiting low serotonin with a highly sensitive nucleus accumbens.

Delusion--false belief that cannot be corrected by reason

Dopamine--A neurochemical that acts as both a neurotransmitter and a neuromodulator to increase salience and control motor action.

Drug--Any substance that enters the human body and can change either the function or structure of the human organism. This broad definition includes practically all foreign materials--even food, vitamins, plants, snake venom, air pollution, and pesticides.

Drug Abuse--Sometimes referred to as substance abuse or chemical abuse. Drug abuse is the deliberated or unintentional continuous use of mind-changing chemical substances (usually for reasons other than legitimate medical purposes) that results in any degree of physical, mental, emotional, or social impairment of the user, the user's family, or society in general. Drug abuse involves using illegal as well as legal mind-changing "social" drugs that lead to ill effects and undesirable consequences. It also includes the use of legal medicines by health people for social convenience or personal pleasure, and the use of typically nondrug substances, such as gasoline, to produce drug-like effects.

Drug Actions--Drug actions are the result of a chemical interaction with some part of a human organism. For the purpose of this text, two major types of pharmacological actions will be explained: (1) those resulting from the use of structurally nonspecific drugs; (2) those associated with structurally specific drugs. Ganja--the resinous mass derived from the small leaves and brackets of the cannabis plant.

Hashish--the resinous secretions of the cannabis plant that are collected from the flowering tops, dried, and then compressed into various forms, such as balls, cakes, and cookie-like sheets. This form of cannabis is generally more potent than marijuana, having a THC content ranging from trace amounts up to 20%. Hashish is the major form of cannabis used in the Middle East and North Africa. In the Far East, the dried resinous exudate is called "charas."

Hashish Oil--a dark viscous liquid produced by a process of repeated extraction of cannabis plant materials. A solvent, such as ether or chloroform, percolates through the marijuana mixture, thereby removing more of the existing THC. This extract contains a greater concentration of THC than does hashish, with some samples having a THC content of nearly 60%. Landscape--The result of the interaction between the terrain and the environment. The landscape is viewed as dynamic and ever-changing while retaining the fundamental aspects of the terrain.

Illusion--erroneous perception of reality

Inhalants--volatile drug and nondrug substances that have drug-like effects when inhaled. A few of these inhalants do have some medical uses, specifically, amyl nitrite and nitrous oxide.

Limbic system--A set of brain structures including a relatively primitive part of the cerebral cortex and parts of the thalamus and hypothalamus. An ancient part of the brain consisting of a group of well-defined neural cellular structures (amygdala, hippocampus, septum, and the nucleus accumbens) that receives sensory input and modulates its affective content. Two major biological functions, self-preservation and species preservation, are directed from this system. It is involved with the regulation of states of arousal, desire, and motivation, and plays a role in incentive learning.

Marijuana--a general term descriptive of any part of the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa, or its extract that produces physical or psychic changes in the human. Marijuana is a tobacco-like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowering tops of the hemp plant. Modeling--modeling behavior is the relationship between parental drug-taking behavior and that of their children's behavior following the same drug-taking patterns.

Naltrexone--A drug that inhibits the effect of morphine and similar opiates and blocks the pain alleviation ascribed to endorphins. It blocks the rise of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens from alcohol, opiates, and, in certain individuals, food cravings. Narcotics--powerful painkillers, the narcotic analgesics, often referred to as opiods, also produce pleasurable feelings and induce may induce sleep.

Opiates (opiods)--Drugs that induce a dreamy, relaxed state and, in some people, intense feelings of pleasure. They exert their effects by stimulating special receptor sites within the brain. They include heroin, morphine, codeine, and oxycodone.

Pattern--A recognizable part of either the forefield or backfield, it may be either conscious or subconscious. All patterns that are recognized can affect the landscape.

Pattern Recognition--The system by which the brain matches sensory input to create a perception.

Perception--The process of identifying, organizing, interpreting, integrating, and retrieving sensory information. The process of becoming aware of one's environment through the senses.

Predisposition--Partly inherent and partly environmental, it is the critical step before response. Predisposition adds the effective content to perception. Its modulation of perception most often occurs within certain parameters known as the temperament. In this text, predisposition is what we call the landscape.

Pseudohallucination--misperception recognized as a misperception

Psychoactive Drugs--A psychoactive drug is a chemical substance that changes one's thinking, feelings, perceptions, or behaviors. These changes are a result of the drug's action on the human brain. Many psychoactive drugs already are integrated into the lifestyle of people who daily consume coffee, tea, beer, cola drinks, cocktails, cigarettes, aspirin, and various sleep-enhancing and alertness-promoting preparations. Some of the psychoactive drugs have a legitimate medical use. However, because all mind-altering drugs have the ability to modify mood and behavior, they have a high potential not only for misuse, but also for abuse in the human quest for pleasure or escape. Also referred to as Psychedelics, mind-expanders, and/or hallucinogens.

Serotonin--A neurochemical found in the brain, intestines, and blood that is thought to transmit neural impulses across synapses in the brain and play a role in the regulation of emotion and sleep. It acts as a neuromodulator and decreases salience and dopamine-mediated exploratory behavior.

Sinsemilla--a seedless variety of high-potency marijuana, originally grown in California and prepared from the unpollinated female cannabis plant.

Substance Abuse--(also refer to drug abuse)"substance abuse" in this text, will refer to the abuse of all the addictive drugs, dangerous drugs and abused chemicals. The term will be used interchangeably with the term "drug abuse," although it could be argued that these terms are slightly different in meaning. The terms "drug dependent," "dependence," and "addiction" will also be used interchangeably, although these terms do also have slightly different meanings which will be discussed in the text.

Thai sticks--a cannabis preparation common in Southeast Asia, consisting of marijuana buds bound on to short sections of bamboo.

Tolerance--An altered physiological state, tolerance develops with the repeated use of certain drugs. This condition is usually defined as a decreased response to the effects of that certain drug. As a consequence of this reduced sensitivity, the dosage of the drug must be increased to achieve the desired effects.

Withdrawal--The physical and psychological effects of stopping drug use. The physical symptoms depend on the abused substance. Withdrawal from calming agents can lead to seizures. Removal of stimulant medication can produce depression. Abruptly stopping antianxiety medications can provoke severe anxiety. Withdrawal from narcotics can produce headaches, abdominal pain, and nausea.

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