science

Substance intoxication

Substance intoxication is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Substance intoxication rather than just read about it. In short: Substance intoxication is a transient condition of altered consciousness and behavior associated with recent use of a substance. It is often maladaptive and impairing, but reversible.

Key takeaways

Substance intoxication belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Substance intoxication to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Substance intoxication from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Substance intoxication is a transient condition of altered consciousness and behavior associated with recent use of a substance. It is often maladaptive and impairing, but reversible. If the symptoms are severe, the term "substance intoxication delirium" may be used. Slang terms for the state include: getting high (generic), and being stoned, cooked, or fried (usually in reference to cannabis). Substance intoxication may often accompany a substance use disorder (SUD); if persistent substance-related problems exist, SUD is the preferred diagnosis. The term "intoxication" in common use most often refers to alcohol intoxication, or drug addiction usually opioids consisting of an overdose; resulting in death.

Classification The ICD-10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders due to psychoactive substance use shows:

F10. alcohol F11. opioids F12. cannabinoids F13. sedatives and hypnotics F14. cocaine F15. caffeine F16. hallucinogens F17. tobacco F18. volatile solvent F19. multiple drug use and use of other psychoactive substances

Forms of intoxication

Caffeine

The discussion over whether the coffee (caffeine) "buzz" counted as intoxication or not was hotly debated during the early to mid 16th century. In human toxicology, blood caffeine concentrations of around 80–100 mg/L have been reported in fatal cases and are generally regarded as lethal.

Contact high

Contact high is a phenomenon that occurs in otherwise sober people who experience a drug-like effect just by coming into contact with someone who is under the influence of a psychoactive drug. In a similar way to the placebo effect, a contact high may be caused by classical conditioning as well as by the physical and social setting. The term is often incorrectly used to describe the high obtained from passive inhalation of marijuana.

Slang terms

Slang terms include: getting high (generic), being stoned, cooked, or blazed (usually in reference to cannabis), and many more specific slang terms for particular intoxicants. Alcohol intoxication is graded in intensity from buzzed, to tipsy then drunk all the way up to hammered, plastered, smashed, wasted, destroyed, shitfaced and a number of other terms. The term rolling is a common word used to describe being under the influence of MDMA and for LSD the phrases frying or tripping have been used. "Tripping" is a term that is considered applicable to virtually all hallucinogens which includes psychedelics, dissociatives, deliriants and possibly certain types of hypnotics.

See also "The spins", a state of dizziness and disorientation due to intoxication Toxicity Toxidrome List of deaths from drug overdose and intoxication

References

External links

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Substance intoxication

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Substance intoxication claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Substance intoxication before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Substance intoxication ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Substance intoxication

In research: Substance intoxication appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Substance intoxication in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Substance intoxication is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Delirium, Substance-related disorders, Substance intoxication, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Substance intoxication outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Substance intoxication in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Substance intoxication means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Substance intoxication out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Substance intoxication in simple terms?

Substance intoxication is a transient condition of altered consciousness and behavior associated with recent use of a substance. It is often maladaptive and impairing, but reversible.

Why does Substance intoxication matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Substance intoxication?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Substance intoxication.