attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness
anoxia
an absence or near absence of oxygen
aphrodisiac
a substance that enhances sexual desires
arrhythmia
variation or irregularity of the rhythm of the heart
bagged
fumes inhaled from a plastic bag
bomb
usually, amphetamines wrapped in a cigarette paper and swallowed
bruxia
teeth grinding
CBD
cannibidiol
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
changes in gravity
can be described as feelings of gravity shifting in its direction. For example, during this state one may feel as if they are flying forwards, backwards, upwards, downwards, in multiple directions at once, or in a singular direction that doesn't make sense
CIA
the US Central Intelligence Agency
CNS
the Central Nervous System, upon which certain drugs act
cross-tolerance
this means that when you develop a tolerance to a drug you will also have a tolerance to closely related drugs - but not to totally dissimilar drugs. The more closely related the two drugs are the stronger the cross tolerance effect will be
depersonalisation
feeling detached from yourself, observing yourself and your feelings and thoughts as if they belong to someone else
DVT
deep venous thrombosis
dysphoria
experiencing little or no joy in their life
dysthymia
experiencing little or no joy in their life
empathogenic
a class of psychoactive drugs that produce experiences of emotional communion, oneness, relatedness, emotional openness - that is, empathy or sympathy
FDA
US Food and Drug Administration
flashback
experiencing moments of a trip a considerable period after using the drug. Flashbacks can occur weeks, months or rarely years after the actual drug experience. While lasting only a short time, such flashbacks can be disorientating and scary
GABA
gamma-amino butyric acid
gangrene
death of body tissue, usually a finger, toe or a limb
GP
General Practitioner, a community-based doctor
gynaecomastia
male breast enlargement
half-life
the amount of time required for the amount of something to fall to half its initial value
hallucinations
where someone sees, hears, smells, tastes or feels things that don't exist outside their mind
hallucinogens
A substance that produces as a main effect perceptual distortions, especially visual and auditory. The effects can also extend beyond perceptions to changes of thought, mood and personality integration (self-awareness).The term is somewhat misleading as the hallucinogenic substances do not generally cause true hallucinations (i.e. Sensory perceptions in the absence of external stimuli). However, the term is widely accepted by the scientific community
hot knives
method of taking cannabis by placing a pellet of resin between two heated knife blades and inhaling the smoke as the pellet vaporises
huffed
inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth
hypercapnia
greater than the normal level of carbon dioxide in the blood
hypersomnia
excessive daytime sleepiness
hypertension
high blood pressure
incontinence
uncontrolled urination
insomnia
difficulty in going to sleep or in getting enough sleep
joints
marijuana cigarettes
LD50
the amount of a material, given all at once, which causes the death of 50% (one half) of a group of test animals. The LD50 is one way to measure the short-term poisoning potential (acute toxicity) of a material
local anaesthetic
involves numbing an area of the body using a type of medication called a local anaesthetic
myocardial infarction
a heart attack
nystagmus
rapid involuntary rhythmic movement of the eyes
optical sliding
described as a physical effect which inhibits the coordination and control of one's eyes by suppressing their ability to keep them still. This results in the orientation of one's eyes continuously moving in a variety of directions and the sensation of not being able to stare motionless at any particular point becoming present
paranoia
suspicion, distrust or fear of other people
PIED
performance and image enhancing drugs
placebo
A substance that has positive effects as a result of a patient's perception that it is beneficial rather than as a result of a causative ingredient. It is an inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug
polydrug use
the use of several different drugs over a short period of time, or two or more drugs used simultaneously
psychonauts
a person who explores, experiences, and studies their subconscious and subjective reality through the use of a range drugs
psychotic
this is a mental state when you see or hear things which aren't there and have delusions
quality of life
the overall enjoyment of life, a sense of well-being, and the ability to carry out routine activities
R
the unit of South African currency - the Rand
ROA
route of administration - how the drug gets into your body
schizophrenia
a severe mental disorder with symptoms such as hallucinations, paranoia, and disorganised thinking
spontaneous tactile sensations
these can be described as the physical experience of an activation of nerve endings across the body occurring without any obvious or immediate physical trigger. The experience of this results in feelings of distinct random tactile input and general tingling sensations. Depending on the psychoactive substance consumed, these vary greatly in their alternative styles of sensation, but can be broken down into three basic levels of intensity. These are described and listed here - 1. Mild - The lowest level of the sensation can be described as light and fleeting tingling sensations across the body that do not impair physical motor control and can essentially be ignored if one wishes to do so, and - 2. Distinct - At this level, the sensation becomes impossible to ignore. It can be described as distinct tingling sensations which are intense enough to partially impair a person’s motor control and cause a significant portion of mental focus to be directed towards these sensations, and - 3. Overwhelming - The highest level occurs when the tingling sensations have increased enough to become a powerful, uncontrollable focus point of attention. This feels completely overwhelming and impairs a person's motor control, consistently leaving them either lying or sitting down, incapable of standing up, or writhing in the all-encompassing sensations
stimulant
a drug that acts on the Central Nervous System, increasing some rates of function such as heart-rate
SSDS
sudden sniffing death syndrome
styptic
a drug used to staunch bleeding
synaesthesia
a condition in which normally separate senses are fused, in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualisation of a colour
tachycardia
rapid pulse rate
teratogenic
having the ability to disturb the growth and development of an embryo or foetus
trisma
jaw clenching
VSA
stands for Volatile Substance Abuse. It has previously been called "Glue Sniffing" and "Solvent Abuse". The VSA term is now used to include all the volatile substances including gases such as butane and Aerosols which can be "sniffed" for their effects