Alcohol, Drugs, and Behavior-- Review for Final Exam -- True/False and Why

A drug's street name sometimes describes the actual effects of that drug.

True.

Antitussive agents are used to suppress coughing.

True.

Humans have consumed alcohol since between 6000 B.C. and 5000 B.C.

True.

The total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse in the United States is about a billion dollars annually.

False. $276 billion is more accurate.

Caffeine has little medical value.

False. Caffeine and the other methylxanthine drugs are in medications used to treat a variety of medical problems.

So many people use coffee and tea without apparent difficulty that people obviously do not become physically dependent on caffeine.

False. Caffeine withdrawal syndrome has been clearly identified.

Cocaine and amphetamines act by blocking the re-uptake of endorphines.

False. Cocaine and amphetamines block dopamine re-uptake.

Cocaine is a synthetic drug developed during World War II.

False. Cocaine is derived from the leaves of the coca bush.

Severe physical withdrawal symptoms follow heavy cocaine use.

False. Cocaine produces no major physical withdrawal symptoms.

The use of alcohol and other drugs causes violence and crime.

False. Correlation is not Causation...

Alcohol causes violent behavior.

False. Correlation is not causation. Cognitive, social, and environmental factors must also be used to explain the alcohol-violence association.

Crack is a smokable form of amphetamine.

False. Crack is smokable cocaine.

A diagnosis of drug abuse is made when a person has become either physically or psychologically dependent on a drug.

False. Dependence and abuse are different diagnoses. A person cannot be diagnosed with both dependence on and abuse of a single drug.

Depressant drugs may show cross-tolerance with cocaine.

False. Depressant drugs show cross-tolerance with other depressant drugs, such as barbiturates or alcohol.

Most designer heroin compounds are less potent than pure heroin.

False. Designer heroin compounds may be 10 to 1,000 times more potent than pure heroin. Thus, the risk of overdose is greater.

Health damage from cigarette smoking cost the U.S. economy about $25 billion in 2004.

False. The health care cost estimate is $193 billion.

The highest rates of heavy drinking, and thus the greatest vulnerability to drinking problems, are in men between the ages of 40 and 45.

False. The highest rates are in younger men, ages 18 to 25.

Some individuals have an "addictive" personality that predisposes them to alcohol or drug-use disorders.

False. The idea of an addictive personality is a popular one in some circles, but lacks scientific evidence.

Theories about the effects of drugs on humans always have taken into account social and environmental factors.

False. The importance of social and environmental factors in understanding the effects of drugs on humans has only been recognized in recent decades.

Caffeine crosses the placenta and poses a danger to the health of a fetus.

False. The latest evidence is that typical doses of caffeine consumption by mothers pose little health risk to the fetus.

The kidneys play the major role in drug metabolism.

False. The liver is the organ primarily responsible for drug metabolism.

Psychotherapeutic drugs are rarely abused.

False. The non-prescribed use and abuse of psychotherapeutic drugs are a significant problem.

An area of concern regarding marijuana use is that it often causes users to be aggressive and violent.

False. The overwhelming conclusion drawn from available data is that cannabis use is not causally related to increased aggression. In fact, levels of aggression decrease following cannabis use.

Definitions of addiction center on overwhelming involvement with a drug.

True. A person's life centers on getting an adequate supply of the drug, which takes priority over most or all other parts of life, such as school, job, family, and friends.

In the United States of 1830, adults' average alcohol consumption was about 5 drinks a day.

True.

The highest rates of alcohol and other drug use is found among 18- to 25-year-olds.

True.

The process of changing a problem behavior seems to be different for everyone.

False. According to one model, called the stages of change, self-change and change resulting from treatment can be characterized by progression through discrete steps or stages.

Opiate drugs show cross-dependence with alcohol.

False. Alcohol does not eliminate the symptoms of opiate withdrawal.

Alcoholics Anonymous was created more than 100 years ago, and is influence is predominately in the United States.

False. Alcoholics Anonymous was created in 1935 and its influence spans the world.

Heroin was first made illegal by the 1965 Drug Abuse Control Amendment.

False. All opiates were brought under legal control by the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act.

Alcohol is a drug that has no legitimate medical value.

False. Although alcohol is hardly the elixir people once thought it was, it does have legitimate therapeutic uses, such as in medicinal compounds taken orally or applied externally.

Overall, caffeine seems to be a safe drug for everybody.

False. Although caffeine is a relatively safe drug overall, some individuals are advised to reduce its use. One example is people with anxiety disorders.

Hallucinogenic compounds were commonly used in the early 1900s throughout Europe and America.

False. Although hallucinogens were used for centuries by Indians of South and Central America, these drugs had virtually no impact on mainstream European or American culture until the 1960s.

Caffeine and alcohol and antagonistic effects.

False. Although it is intuitive that caffeine and alcohol are antagonists, research shows that caffeine does little to alter alcohol's effects on the Central Nervous System, CNS.

Marijuana use often causes long-term damage to the cardiovascular system.

False. Although marijuana use does cause short-term increases in heart rate and pulse rate, no evidence shows that marijuana smoking produces deleterious cardiovascular effects in healthy individuals. The acute effects may be dangerous to individuals who have pre-existing cardiovascular problems.

Gender differences in the effects of drugs are due primarily to body weight differences.

False. Although men tend to be heavier than women, drugs tend to have a greater effect on women than on men because men tend to have less body fat.

All drugs have the same basic effect on a cellular level; that is, they all block neural firing.

False. Although some drugs, called antagonists, do block receptor sites and prevent activation of the receptor, other drugs, called agonists, activate the receptor.

Anabolic steroids are generally taken because of the high they produce.

False. Although steroids may produce a high, they are generally taken to increase muscle mass.

Stimulants are often used to treat chronic depression.

False. Although stimulants were once used as a treatment for depression, their effectiveness is limited. Antidepressant medications are generally used to treat depression

Abstinence from alcohol is a mandatory goal of alcohol treatment.

False. Although the predominant assumption in U.S. and Canadian treatment programs is that abstinence is mandatory, there is evidence that certain individuals can modify their drinking patterns to stable, moderate, non-problem use.

Low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes are less damaging to health than cigarettes that do not have reduced tar and nicotine content.

False. Although theoretically this is true, in practice, smokers tend to increase the intensity of inhaling or the number of cigarettes when they smoke cigarettes of reduced tar and nicotine content. There does not seem to be a difference in the amount of health damage between the two types.

Federal law mandates that anyone using LSD more than five times be declared legally insane.

False. Although there is concern about long-term psychiatric effects of chronic LSD use, no such law exists.

The cannabis plant was raised for its psychoactive properties by the settlers at Jamestown and later by George Washington.

False. Although they did cultivate the cannabis plant, it was for the use of its fiber and not for its psychoactive properties.

One difference between cocaine and the amphetamines is that cocaine has a longer duration of action.

False. Amphetamine effects last from 6 to 12 hours, whereas cocaine is a relatively short-acting drug.

Amphetamine has been used medically as a sleeping pill.

False. Amphetamines cause insomnia. They have been medically used as diet pills though.

About half the world's population consumes caffeine regularly.

False. An estimated 90% of the world's population consumes caffeine regularly.

One of the risks associated with the use of birth control pills is an increased chance of lung cancer.

False. An increased risk of blood clots is associated with the use of birth control pills.

Grape wine was the first alcoholic beverage to be used.

False. Beer and huckleberry wine were used as early as 6400 B.C.! Grape wine did not appear until between 300 and 400 B.C.

Overdose of benzodiazepines was the cause of the suicide death of Marilyn Monroe.

False. Benzodiazepines have a very high LD 50. Highly toxic barbiturates were the fatal drugs for Marilyn Monroe.

Tolerance to a drug develops because of biological changes that occur as a result of using the drug.

False. Biological changes only partly explain the changes. Learning and environmental variables also seem related to demonstrations of tolerance.

A person's reaction to a drug depends mostly on the biological action of the drug in the body.

False. Biology is important, but so are psychological, social, and environmental factors.

If you drink a lot and black out, it means you have lost consciousness.

False. Blackouts are the loss of memory for events that occur while under the influence of a drug (in this case, alcohol). A drinker who experiences a blackout is fully conscious when non-recalled events happen.

Caffeine's long-term effects on children are well understood.

False. Despite the high consumption of caffeine in children, little is known about the chronic effects of their use of this drug. It is a major research area for the future.

Because antidepressants are absorbed rapidly, their effects are often immediate.

False. Despite the rapid absorption, the effects of antidepressant medications take two to three weeks to become apparent.

Smoking is a relatively slow way of getting a drug into the blood.

False. Drugs that can be taken by inhalation exhibit a very rapid absorption rate when administered in that method.

Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, produces vivid visual hallucinations.

False. Ecstasy rarely produces true hallucinations.

Research evidence has documented the effectiveness of DARE, the most popular school-based drug prevention program.

False. Evaluations of DARE actually have not provided evidence that the program has had much impact on drug-use behaviors.

Stimulant drugs enhance learning and intellectual performance.

False. Experimental evidence shows that stimulants may impair learning ability and complex reasoning performance.

The Autonomic Nervous System is responsible for regulating food and water intake.

False. Food and water intake appear to be regulated by the hypothalamus.

GRAS is a common street name for marijuana.

False. GRAS stands for "generally recognized as safe."

Reports of LSD flashbacks are now considered urban myth.

False. Heavy users of LSD sometimes report vivid flashbacks.

Heroin enhances sexual desire and activity.

False. Heroin inhibits sexual arousal.

People who have major psychiatric problems are rarely seen in settings where alcohol and drug treatment are provided.

False. Individuals who have major psychiatric disorders do appear for alcohol and drug treatment. The prevalence of such dual-diagnosis patients varies with the treatment setting.

The first recorded use of cannabis was in the early 1800s.

False. It actually dates back to 2700 B.C. in China where it was used for the treatment of various ailments.

The continued use of any drug will eventually lead to tolerance of and physical dependence on that drug.

False. It is true for many, but not all, drugs.

It is difficult to consume a lethal dose of alcohol.

False. It is very easy to do. The LD 50 of alcohol in humans is about equal to drinking a fifth of whiskey in an hour. This is not too hard to do, and it has been done with dire consequences during events such as fraternity hazings.

Use of LSD, even once, is likely to cause permanent chromosome damage and subsequent birth defects.

False. LSD should be avoided by pregnant women but otherwise has not been shown to cause birth defects.

Many over-the-counter diet pills contain low doses of amphetamines.

False. Many diet pills contain ephedrine or caffeine. Amphetamines are Schedule II drugs and may not be sold without a prescription.

The main proponents of warning labels on alcoholic beverages have been the manufacturers of these beverages.

False. Most alcohol manufacturers have opposed these labels. They think that the information on the labels is common knowledge and that the labels may open the door to lawsuits associated with drinkers' previous use and abuse of alcohol.

The focus of most workplace prevention programs is primary prevention.

False. Most current programs focus on secondary rather than primary prevention. Prevention efforts are typically grafted onto treatment programs.

Most psychotherapeutic medications are administered intravenously, with direct transport in the bloodstream.

False. Most psychotherapeutic medications are taken orally, absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and modified in the liver before being transported in the bloodstream.

Veterans of the Vietnam War had a high rate of heroin addiction and were unable to kick the habit when they returned to the United States.

False. Most veterans were able to quit using heroin when they returned to their home environment.

Though psychological dependence is common, no cases of physical dependence on nicotine have been identified.

False. Nicotine has been identified clearly as a drug on which users can become physically dependent.

Nicotine plays a secondary role to learning and social factors in a person maintaining tobacco use.

False. Nicotine plays a substantial or major role, but learning and social factors are important, too.

Nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, is no longer used by the medical profession.

False. Nitrous oxide is still widely used in dentistry and some types of surgery.

A person's use of more than one drug at a time is of little concern because it happens so infrequently.

False. Not rare, especially among young people, and there can be unpredictable effects that may be life-threatening.

Heroin withdrawal is much like alcohol withdrawal.

False. Opiate withdrawal does not include delirium tremens, but rather is characterized by flu and cold symptoms.

Opium comes from the plant 'Cannabis Sativa'.

False. Opium comes from the poppy plant 'Papaver Somniferum'.

Alcohol improves sexual performance.

False. Pharmacologically, alcohol impairs sexual performance, particularly when BAC's reach 0.05% and higher. However, people may perceive that the use of alcohol is associated with greater sexual arousal and better sexual performance.

Primary prevention includes interventions to treat people who are beyond the early stages of substance abuse or dependence.

False. Primary prevention refers to the avoidance of substance abuse before it has the chance to occur. Tertiary prevention is the treatment of individuals already engaged in substance abuse.

The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the production, sale, transportation, and importing of alcohol, failed because it did not have a substantial effect on drinking in the United States.

False. Prohibition did have an effect on drinking. Rate of drinking decreased. Death from cirrhosis of the liver decreased. Arrests for alcohol-related offenses decreased. Admission rates to state hospitals for alcoholism decreased.

It is generally agreed that substance-use disorders are caused by psychological problems.

False. Psychological theories are one explanation of the etiology of substance-use disorders, but there also are biological and sociological theories. A theory that incorporates all three approaches seems to have the best chance of providing an adequate explanation of etiology.

A given amount of a drug has similar biological effects on different people.

False. Quantity of a drug is adjusted for a person's body weight to yield pharmacologically equal amounts of the drug.

Throughout the age ranges, men have higher smoking rates than women do.

False. Rates are higher for men ages 18 to 25, but less so among those older than age 26. The rates for boys and girls aged 12 to 17 differ little.

Relapse is such a long-standing problem in alcohol and drug treatment that we can do little about it.

False. Relapse is a long-standing problem, but as a result of research and theory over the last few decades or so, methods to prevent relapse have been developed and are in use.

Treatment is needed to change patterns of alcohol and drug abuse or dependence.

False. Research shows that spontaneous remission of the substance-use disorders occurs, and it seems to be the most common way that change in problem substance use occurs.

Schizophrenia is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States.

False. Schizophrenia affects only about 1% of the population.

Because new medications are needed to treat diseases like AIDS, government regulation of the process of drug development and marketing has been greatly simplified.

False. Some regulations have been eased, resulting in a potentially shorter time from drug discovery to distribution for public use. However, the process still is extensive and takes a considerable amount of time.

The majority of alcoholics eventually develop cirrhosis of the liver.

False. Some, but only a minority of about 10% to 20% of chronic heavy drinkers, certainly do develop cirrhosis.

Because drug use is complicated, it is impossible to estimate patterns of drug use for the population of a whole country.

False. Sophisticated sampling methods and computers have made it possible.

Smokers tend to metabolize caffeine more slowly than do non-smokers.

False. Studies show that smokers metabolize caffeine more quickly than do non-smokers.

In general, drug researchers are not concerned with placebo effects when studying the actions of a drug.

False. Subjects expectancies and beliefs about a drug may influence what drug effects are experienced. Therefore, a "placebo control" group(s) is often included in drug experiments.

The only goal of any importance in alcohol and drug treatment is the reduction of substance use.

False. Substance-use goals indeed are important, but goals that relate to other areas of life functioning, such as psychological or occupational, also are important.

The main depressant drugs: barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and alcohol, all act by vastly different physiological mechanisms and affect different areas of the body.

False. Substantial evidence indicates a common mechanism of action for depressant drugs. GABA is one of the primary inhibitory neurotransmitters of the brain, and many depressants are thought to act through this system.

Columbus and his crew were responsible for introducing tobacco to the New World.

False. The Native Americans introduced Columbus and his crew to tobacco, whereas Europeans introduced alcohol to the New World.

The first notable drug law in the United States -- the 1875 San Francisco ordinance -- banned the smoking of opium.

False. The San Francisco Ordinance banned opium dens, not the actual smoking of opium.

The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 sharply curtailed the prevalence of heroin use in the United States.

False. The act strictly regulated the legal supply of certain drugs, but actually served to shift opium and morphine addicts to heroin. It was easier to obtain on the black market.

The brain is firmly attached to the inside of the skull by tough membranes known as the meninges.

False. The brain floats within the skull in a liquid known as cerebrospinal fluid.

The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among men is about three times that of use among women.

False. The discrepancy is almost 16-fold; men use smokeless tobacco products far more than women do.

Because the effects of drugs are both predictable and obvious, it is relatively easy to define drug abuse.

False. The effects are unpredictable and vary in their reputation throughout different cultures and subcultures.

Scientific study of the effects of drugs is difficult because there is no way to represent such effects quantitatively.

False. The effects of drugs can generally be measured and can be represented with dose-effect curves.

As with most drugs, the age group least likely to misuse psychotherapeutic drugs is the elderly.

False. The elderly are the age group most likely to misuse psychotherapeutic drugs.

The primary goal of affect-oriented prevention programs is to increase the individual's knowledge base regarding drugs and alcohol.

False. The goal of affect-oriented programs is to help participants be aware of their own feelings and attitudes regarding drugs so they can deal effectively with drug-use situations according to their individual value structures.

Hallucinations experienced under the influence of drugs such as LSD are very similar to those experienced by schizophrenics.

False. The hallucinations experienced under the influence of LSD are primarily visual in nature, whereas those of schizophrenics are usually auditory.

Aspirin relieves pain through action on the endorphins, in much the same way that the pain-relieving effects of opiates are produced.

False. The pain-relieving effects of aspirin are produced by blocking prostaglandin release.

Criminal penalties in the United States for the possession and use of marijuana have increased steadily since the 1960s.

False. The penalties have been moderated significantly over this period, including the gradual decriminalization for possession of small amounts of marijuana. Throughout the 1960s, judges had the option of sentencing users or sellers to life in prison.

Dependence develops easily to hallucinogens such as LSD.

False. The problems associated with LSD do not include drug dependence, but it is nonetheless a potentially dangerous drug.

When using commercial tobacco products, people reach the peak blood level of nicotine most quickly by using smokeless products.

False. The quickest way to reach the peak blood level for a dose of nicotine is by inhalation or smoking.

The two main branches of the nervous system are the Peripheral Nervous System, PNS, and the Autonomic Nervous System, ANS.

False. The two main branches of the nervous system are the Central Nervous System, CNS, and the Peripheral Nervous System, PNS.

The most commonly reported emotional effects of cannabis use are suspiciousness and paranoid ideation.

False. The typical emotional response to cannabis is a carefree and relaxed state. Paranoia and suspiciousness are reported less frequently and more often by inexperienced cannabis users.

The prevalence of psychotherapeutic medication is twice as high among men as among women.

False. The use of psychotherapeutic medication is twice as high among women as among men.

The most successful aspect of the war on drugs has been the interception of drugs.

False. The war on drugs is a failure all around despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on it.

Despite the large number of known drugs, there are only three ways that drugs are commonly administered or taken.

False. There are approximately eight methods.

There are major subgroup differences in caffeine use in the United States.

False. There are few subgroup differences in caffeine consumption, except for age.

Unlike other classes of drugs, most hallucinogens are derived from synthetic compounds.

False. There are more than 90 different species of plants, in addition to many more synthetic agents, that can be used to produce hallucinogenic effects.

The effects of a drug on animals tell us little about how that drug will affect humans.

False. There is remarkably good generalizability from how drugs affect animals to how they affect humans. Some examples are the effects of drug dose, age, and environmental factors on drug use.

The brain and the spinal cord make up the Peripheral Nervous System.

False. They make up the Central Nervous System.

The idea of holding people who serve alcohol responsible for the patrons' behavior fi they become intoxicated is a recent development in drinking moderation strategies.

False. This idea has its roots in what are referred to as dram shop laws, which is old english for tavern laws. Various forms of these laws have been enacted in several states and are being considered in many others.

One strength of the sociocultural model of prevention is its emphasis on reducing the physical problems associated with alcohol consumption.

False. This model has been criticized for not adequately taking these problems into account. Some believe that using the sociocultural model may result in a greater prevalence of such problems.

The proscriptive model of prevention, which involves prohibiting the availability of drugs and promoting abstention from use, has proven to be the most effective of the three major models of prevention.

False. This model has not made any significant contribution to the prevention of substance abuse. Example: Prohibition.

There is no relationship between the drugs that animals show preference for and the drugs that humans prefer.

False. Through self-administration studies, the drugs that animals take are similar to the ones subject to human abuse. Also, the ones that animals tend not to self-administer are less prone to abuse by humans.

Professional treatment for substance-use disorders is freely available to anyone who wants it.

False. Treatment is as available today as it ever has been, but major economic barriers come between treatment and some of the people who need and want it. Therefore, treatment is not always accessible.

Modern researchers rely on definitions of alcohol and other drug use that are free of social or cultural biases.

False. Unlikely to ever be bias-free.

Urine testing is a reliable method for detecting drug use.

False. Unreliable due to technological deficiencies and human error, but progress is being made.

Within the United States, similar patterns of alcohol and other drug use are found even among different subgroups of the population.

False. Varies with characteristics of the person and of the environment.

Psychotherapeutic drugs pose little or no threat to the fetus and may be used safely during pregnancy.

False. When psychotherapeutic drugs are taken during pregnancy, the fetus faces the risk of teratogenic effects, long-term effects on neurobehavioral functioning, and the direct toxic effects of the drug. Therefore, it is most often recommended that psychotherapeutic drugs not be used during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary.

Taking a drug intravenously is a highly efficient, safe way to get a drug into the blood.

False. While highly efficient, because it bypasses problems of absorption, it is also the most risky because of problems of overdosing.

It is important to know about drug interactions because of the increasing prevalence of using more than one drug at a time among people who present themselves for drug treatment.

False. While it is known that people presenting themselves for drug treatment usually take more than one drug, it is mostly important because many people are prescribed more than one medication, and it is therefore important to know about drug interactions.

Today, there are good reasons for rigid boundaries between what we call alcohol treatment and drug treatment.

False. With the large percentage of individuals presenting for treatment who abuse more than one substance, the reasons for segregating at least some settings of alcohol and drug treatment are not compelling.

Despite the media hype, passive smoking actually poses a serious health risk to few Americans.

False. passive smoking in households kills about 53,000 Americans every year, mostly due to heart disease.

Benzodiazepines, such as Valium, are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in America.

True. A recent survey revealed that four different benzodiazepines: Valium, Dalmane, Ativan, and Tranxene, are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in America.

There is evidence that people can get intoxicated on caffeine.

True. Acute caffeine intoxication, also called caffeinism, has been well documented. It is most likely to occur when 600 mg or more of caffeine are consumed in a day.

The hallucinogenic properties of LSD were discovered by accident.

True. Albert Hofmann of Sandoz Laboratories in Switzerland accidentally discovered the effects of LSD when he spilled some on himself and it was absorbed through his skin.

The effects of opiates are synergistic with those of alcohol.

True. Alcohol and other depressant drugs act synergistically with heroin and other opiates, and these combinations are often fatal.

Alcohol in combination with other depressant drugs is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.

True. Alcohol and other depressant drugs produce strong potentiation.

Expectancies about alcohol's effects may be a more powerful determinant of its effects than is the pharmacological action of alcohol.

True. Alcohol expectancies, especially at lower doses of alcohol, are powerful determinants of behaviors and emotions that normally are socially proscribed.

Lithium, a natural alkaline metal, is often used to treat manic attacks.

True. Although lithium may have some value in treating other disorders, its use in the United States is approved only for treatment of manic episodes.

Certain cells in the nervous system have the unique ability to "talk" with each other.

True. An electrochemical process known as neural transmission.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic forms of testosterone.

True. Anabolic steroids mimic the action of the male sex hormone.

Antihistamines are common ingredients in over-the-counter cold remedies.

True. Antihistamines relieve nasal congestion and related symptoms.

The Eighteenth Amendment prohibiting the use of alcohol had the paradoxical effect of increasing the prevalence of marijuana use in the United States.

True. As the price of alcoholic beverages rose and the quality of these products declined during the Prohibition Era, commercial trade in marijuana "sprang up."

The cognitive deficits that seem to occur in some people as a result of years of heavy drinking are reversible.

True. At least, when there is not severe structural damage to the brain, as in Korsakoff's Syndrome.

The effects of a moderate dose of a barbiturate drug resemble the effects of alcohol.

True. Barbiturate effects closely resemble those of alcohol, as do most depressant drugs.

Caffeine is a drug that, when consumed, is distributed equally throughout the body.

True. Because caffeine is equally distributed in total body water, it has similar concentrations throughout the body.

If not treated properly, alcohol withdrawal syndrome can be fatal.

True. Because of the availability of drugs that show cross-dependence with alcohol, medical management of alcohol withdrawal is generally straight-forward. Nevertheless, it is a serious medical condition; if not treated properly or at all, alcohol withdrawal can be fatal.

LSD and Ecstasy were once used in psychotherapy.

True. Both LSD and Ecstasy were used in psychotherapy, but their benefits were never successfully defended.

Caffeine is a common ingredient in over-the-counter stimulant preparations.

True. Caffeine and ephedrine are both commonly used.

Caffeine's stimulant effects seem to be reinforcing in humans.

True. Caffeine's acute effects of mood elevation and overall improvement in task performance seem to be reinforcing to humans.

Marijuana has been used effectively to treat the nausea and vomiting often associated with chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer.

True. Cannabis and THC synthetics have often been used for this purpose.

Amphetamine effects are very similar to cocaine effects.

True. Cocaine and amphetamine are virtually indistinguishable in their major physical and behavioral effects.

Cocaine abuse was epidemic in the United States in the 1880s.

True. Cocaine was a legal drug in the US until the passage of the 1914 Harrison Narcotics Act and was widely abused around the turn of the century.

Birth control pills contain synthetic forms of one or both of the female sex hormones.

True. Combination birth control pills contain synthetic estrogen and progesterone; the progestin pill contains only synthetic progesterone.

Withdrawal from barbiturates is similar to alcohol withdrawal.

True. Delirium tremens-like effects characterize withdrawal from all depressants.

The most common withdrawal symptom associated with cocaine is depression.

True. Depression following cocaine use is referred to as the "cocaine blues."

The effects of drugs always involve naturally occurring physiological processes.

True. Drugs act by making defined natural functions of the brain or body either more or less active.

When more than one drug is taken at a time, the effects of one can enhance or diminish the effects of the other(s).

True. Drugs modify the effects of each other when taken simultaneously and can be difficult to predict.

Nicotine's calming effects are a main reason for its use.

True. Even at doses associated with stimulant action in the body, users often perceive nicotine to have calming effects. Such effects are identified as major reasons for continuing to use nicotine.

Tolerance to a drug may be evident within the same occasion of using it.

True. For example, impairment in some behavior, like driving with a given concentration of alcohol in the blood, is greater when the blood alcohol level is rising than it is at that same concentration when the level is falling.

Tobacco was once thought to have major medical value.

True. From the time it was introduced to Columbus by the Native Americans until approximately 1860, tobacco was widely thought to be a panacea for medical problems.

GHB is a naturally occurring brain chemical.

True. GHB is found in the brain, where it is thought to be a neurotransmitter.

Use of "dirty" needles is now one of the major causes of AIDS.

True. In more than 20% of cases, the use of contaminated needles is suspected as the source of infection.

Withdrawal from depressant sleeping pills can trigger rebound insomnia.

True. Insomnia and REM sleep rebound occur after barbiturates or benzodiazepines are used to induce sleep.

Assessment typically is thought to be essential to good treatment.

True. It is virtually universal in professional treatment contexts that assessment of the individual precedes any formally defined treatment activities.

Ecstasy has been linked to long-term changes in brain chemistry.

True. Long-term destruction of serotonergic terminals has been associated with Ecstasy, and problems consistent with such damage have been reported in controversial human studies.

One disadvantage of workplace prevention programs is their cost.

True. Many executives are skeptical of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these programs despite the potential of enhanced employee productivity.

A large portion of ex-smokers quit on their own.

True. Many people who quit smoking do so on their own after three or four tries. Self-quitters are thought to have been "lighter" smokers.

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 had little impact on individuals who were addicted to drugs.

True. May have helped to decrease the number of new addicts though by indicating on packaging the amount of drugs contained in the products.

Stimulant drugs are often used to treat children who have attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder.

True. Methylphenidate, otherwise known as Ritalin, and other stimulants are actually effective in the treatment of ADHD.

Morphine is one of the active ingredients in opium.

True. Morphine and Codeine are chemicals directly derived from opium.

The safest way to take a drug is orally, but that is the slowest way of getting the drug into the blood.

True. Most common, safest method. Absorption of the drug is slowed when taken orally.

The Opium Wars between China and Great Britain in the mid-1800s occurred in large part because Britain was unwilling to curtail its trade of opium into China.

True. Most of the opium used in China at the time was cultivated in India and brought to China by British traders.

Almost half of the adults in the United States will meet the criteria for a mental illness at some point in their lives.

True. Most of these cases, though, are mild, not severe, and typically do not require treatment.

Nicotine can be considered both a stimulant and a depressant.

True. Nicotine is called a bi-phasic drug because it tends to act as a stimulant at lower doses, but it acts as a depressant at higher doses.

Many of the drugs that are now illegal in the United States were widely used in the 1800s and early 1900s to treat a broad spectrum of maladies.

True. Opiates, marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamines were all used at one time or another to treat various ailments. Restriction came when their addictive natures were recognized.

One of the first successful attempts to treat the symptoms of mental illness with psychotherapeutic drugs occurred in the 1840s, when Moreau used cannabis to treat patients with both depressive and manic symptoms.

True. Patients with depression who were treated with cannabis became more talkative and happy, whereas patients with manic symptoms calmed down and relaxed. Unfortunately, these effects were temporary.

Phencyclidine, otherwise known as PCP or angel dust, was originally used as an animal tranquilizer.

True. Phencyclidine and the related compound ketamine are still widely used for non-human anesthesia.

Folk uses of naturally occurring products are important sources for discovering new drugs.

True. Rediscovery of old folk medicines based on, for example, plants growing "wild," is an important source of creating new drugs.

Moderate drinking, which is one to three drinks a day, is associated with reduced risk of heart disease.

True. Research has shown that moderate use of alcohol is correlated with reduced risk of heart disease.

Some drugs may act by mimicking a neurotransmitter.

True. Some drugs bind to receptor sites just as natural transmitters do.

Methadone maintenance seems to be an effective treatment for heroin dependence.

True. Staying in methadone treatment results in reduced opiate use and other related problem behaviors such as criminal activity.

Some drugs can enter the body through the skin.

True. Taking drugs transdermally is a known method for drugs such as tobacco.

The body protects the brain from toxic substances.

True. The blood-brain barrier prevents many toxic substances from reaching the brain. Drugs that are less fat-soluble have a tougher time getting through the blood-brain barrier.

The brain is shielded from many toxic substances by a protective barrier.

True. The brain is protected from toxic compounds that might enter the bloodstream by a blood-brain barrier that screens many chemicals, but not all of them.

Since the 1950s, the number of patients hospitalized for psychiatric conditions has decreased significantly.

True. The introduction of chlorpromazine was the starting point of this trend. Other contributing factors include the development of other psychotherapeutic drugs and the movement toward deinstitutionalization.

Animals will work for the electrical stimulation of certain parts of the brain.

True. The mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway is sometimes called the pleasure center of the brain.

Drug effects following oral ingestion of marijuana last longer than after the drug is smoked.

True. The onset of action is slower and up to three times as much marijuana is needed to create a comparable high, but the drug effects following oral ingestion last four to six hours compared to two to four hours when smoked.

The marijuana smoked in the United States today is more potent than that smoked 20 years ago.

True. The potency is approximately 2 to 3 times greater today.

Data recently gathered both in national household surveys and in annual surveys of high school seniors demonstrate a lower prevalence of marijuana use relative to the 1970s.

True. The prevalence of annual and current marijuana use is markedly lower than the rates observed in the 1970s.

The opiates are among the most powerful analgesic drugs.

True. The principal medical use for opiates is to relieve pain.

The expression "cold turkey" comes from the "goose bumps" seen in addicts withdrawing from heroin.

True. The resemblance is thought to be the basis for that expression.

Overdoses of cocaine and amphetamine may produce a psychotic state.

True. The stimulant psychosis resembles paranoid schizophrenia.

Acne, baldness, and liver damage are all side effects associated with steroid use.

True. There are other potential side effects as well.

Marijuana cigarettes contain more tar than tobacco cigarettes.

True. There is more tar in a marijuana cigarette than in a tobacco cigarette. In addition, cannabis tar contains greater amount of cancerous agents than does tobacco tar.

People who have tolerance to alcohol will also demonstrate tolerance to barbiturates the first time they use them.

True. This demonstrates cross-tolerance to the two drugs, which have similar action in the body.

One consequence of cannabis intoxication is the impairment of short-term memory.

True. This impairment is a common consequence of marijuana use and can occur with intake of a fairly low dose. The degree of impairment increases rapidly with the complexity of the task.

Raising the price of alcohol relative to disposable income and limiting the hours of operation for bars are examples of prevention strategies based on the distribution of consumption model.

True. This model posits that the proportion of heavy drinkers in a given population increases with the mean level of alcohol consumption in that population. Therefore, methods to lower per capita consumption should lead to a decrease in the prevalence of heavy drinking.

Federal anti-drug legislation between 1940 and 1970 failed to have a sustained influence on drug use or dependence.

True. This was despite the increased severity of penalties for drug law infractions. There was increased attention paid to non-narcotic drug use and to drug abuse treatment during this period.

Tolerance to cannabis has been well-documented in animal studies.

True. Tolerance to cannabis has been well-documented in animals. The evidence for tolerance in humans is less clear, with some studies indicating tolerance but others not.

In dose of caffeine consumed, young children have the highest exposure to caffeine, after adults 18 and older.

True. When body weight is taken into account, children aged 1 to 5 have the highest caffeine exposure after adults.

Research evidence indicates that mass media prevention strategies do not result in significant changes in patterns of alcohol or drug abuse.

True. While they do succeed in raising knowledge levels and increasing awareness about the use of drugs, there is no evidence that changes in patterns of use are occurring.