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Chemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family

Glossary



  • Chemical dependency.
  • To need drugs or alcohol compulsively and not be able to function without them, also called addiction.
  • When someone ignores his or her own feelings in order to protect and care for someone else.
  • Refusal to admit the truth.
  • Drugs, such as alcohol, that slow down your body and brain, also called downers.
  • Depressants.
  • Using drugs or alcohol in a way that harms yourself and others while ignoring the hazardous consequences of your drug use.
  • Not working properly.
  • Drugs, such as marijuana, that cause hallucinations.
  • Drugs taken by inhaling.
  • A program that requires patients to live there during treatment and recovery.
  • Drugs, such as heroin, that dull the senses and reduce pain.
  • A daytime program that allows patients to return home in the evenings after treatment.
  • When people your age try to convince you to do something you do not want to do.
  • When your body cannot function normally without a drug.
  • When your mind desperately craves a drug.
  • The process of getting well.
  • Teaches you how to help yourself by learning to improve yourself and resolve your problems.
  • Drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines, that speed up your body and brain, also called uppers.
  • A set of people with a shared experience who give one another encouragement and guidance.
  • When you need more of a drug to get the same effect that you once got from smaller amounts.
  • Stimulants.
  • A painful syndrome that affects a drug addict's mind or body when he or she stops using drugs.

Additional topics

Marriage and Family EncyclopediaChemical Dependency and the Dysfunctional Family