The Uphill Battle
Glossary
An alphabetical list of some of the terms used in the stories.
Last edited March 2022
Some of the terms used throughout the project are jargon that is commonly used in the recovery industry and a few of the words have street meanings that are important to know. This glossary is an attempt to help you understand those terms.
Addict: National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) recommends avoiding the word “addict,” “substance abuser” or “drug user” when describing a person because those terms have a tendency to reduce the individual to only their addiction. While I took precautions to avoid using those words throughout the articles, the word “addict” appears intermittently because it is part of the common parlance. Much work remains to be done within media and society to do away with those terminologies to offer a holistic picture of the person who has a substance use disorder.
Bad batch: Any type of drug that is unknowingly adulterated with more potent drugs, such as fentanyl, is considered a “bad batch.”
Fentanyl Testing Kits: The kits contain small strips of paper that help identify if a pill, powder or injectable drug contains fentanyl, a small dose of which can prove fatal. According to the University of Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research center, to use the tester, the user needs to prepare a cup of sterile water and mix a minute amount of the drug into the water and dip the test strip into the liquid for 15 seconds. After removing the strip and waiting a minute, if a red line appears then the drug is fentanyl-positive.
Medically Assisted Treatment or “MAT”: MAT is the commonly-used term to refer to the use of medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations. However, NIDA encourages using the term “medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)” instead of MAT, because the latter implies that medication should have a supplemental or temporary role in treatment. “Using ‘MOUD’ aligns with the way other psychiatric medications are understood (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics), as critical tools that are central to a patient’s treatment plan,” Juwon Song, the press officer for NIDA, wrote in an email.
Methamphetamine: A type of psychostimulant, methamphetamine is a synthetic drug that affects the central nervous system. It’s more commonly known as “meth.”
Opioids: Opioids are a type of drug derived from the opium poppy plant. Opioids contain chemicals that have a variety of effects on the brain, such as relief of pain and relaxation. Some opioids are available legally through prescription, such as fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and others. Opioids also include the illegal recreational drug heroin.
Syringe/Needle Exchange Services: Also referred to as “syringe services programs,” syringe or needle exchange programs are a safe place for people looking for sterile and safe needles and facilitate the disposal of used syringes. The facilities also help to connect individuals with substance use disorder with treatment centers. Some even have an in-house counselor.