Terminology

abscesses: swollen areas of tissue that are full of pus
aetiology: reasons for damage
ADHD: 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
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
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
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
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
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