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Glossolali
um,
Glossary

acute: immediate and noticeable; severe but temporary. cf chronic*
assay: in chemistry - an evaluation of the composition of a chemical, including concentration, purity, and amounts of various contaminants.
ataxia: loss of coordination
big fun: the state that prevails in a room in which everyone is happy. Should one person fall, it is customary to say, "Big Fun has left the room."
Cheynes-Stokes respiration: a cyclic pattern of respiration consisting of deep, heavy breaths alternating with shallow or nonexistent ones.
chronic: continuing or over long periods of time, as with a disease or behavior. cf acute*
clean: in pharmacology - refers to a substance that is metabolized without leaving behind toxins or other foreign byproducts, as well as one that has specific, localized effects rather than indiscriminately altering the entire brain's function. Alcohol is a very "dirty" drug.
coma: a state of unarousable unconsciousness in which most reflexive but no voluntary processes remain active
craving: a conscious desire for a substance or behavior, not necessarily caused by formal addiction.
delirium tremens: a condition suffered by people withdrawing from long-term alcohol abuse. Symptoms include seizures, confusion, and hallucinations. One needs no more than a cursory familiarity with the theory of "drug, set, and setting" to infer that these hallucinations are rarely pleasant.
designer drug: a chemical which is almost identical to an illegal drug, synthesized to have the same effects but circumvent laws which identify drugs by chemical name or formula. Many drug laws now institute blanket prohibitions against all substances similar to the drugs they prohibit. As a result, I am now illegal, as my brain has been making for many years endorphins (very similar to morphine), phenethylamine (the starting point for many psychoactives), and that old endogenous* regulator of energy metabolism, GHB.
disinhibition: the relaxation of internal controls over one's behavior and thoughts
dopamine: a major neurotransmitter. In some parts of the brain it is necessary for proper motor function. In the brain's mesolimbic system it is an important part of the system for rewarding and reinforcing certain behaviors, and thus intimately involved in most models of addiction.
ecstasy: a sense of being "outside oneself," a transcendental elation.
In pharmacology - a street name for MDMA*
endogenous: created naturally within the body
entheogenic: "realizing the god within" A term coined by Jonathan Ott to describe the many and varied substances that can change human consciousness or enhance awareness
enuresis: loss of bladder control
EtOH: ethane hydroxide, CH3CH2OH.
What you'd call alcohol if you were a chemist. And a smartass.
euphoria: a sense of overwhelming, bewildering happiness.
exothermic: heat-releasing

FCC: Food Chemicals Codex. A food industry reference containing standards for allowable contaminants in food additives. A batch of chemicals that receives FCC certification is considered safe for human consumption.
Friedman: Joseph Friedman, author of ""Grievous Bodily Harm:" Gamma hydroxybutyrate abuse leading to a Wernike-Korsakoff syndrome"[70], one of the worst examples of scientific writing I've ever come across. His subject was an alcoholic with a history of suicide attempts. She began radically misusing GHB, taking over 12 active doses each day, and was simultaneously suffering from severe anorexia. In the hospital, she began to evidence a neurological disorder that may already have been present. She responded to the standard treatment with thiamine and recovered rapidly. Friedman's entire abstract, his summary of this case, reads as follows: "Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a naturally-occuring GABA-like* drug used illicitly by bodybuilders. Although there are reports of several cases of GHB abuse, with a variety of nervous system complications, we present the first case associated with a Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome."
GABA: gamma-aminobutyric acid. A naturally-occuring neurotransmitter which acts to inhibit muscle movement. When Henri Laborit first conceived of GHB, it was as a substance that would be absorbed into the brain and converted directly to GABA. Although GHB is a product of its breakdown and may bind to some of the same receptors, it does not appear to be converted into GABA.
gamma-butyrolactone: also GBL. A chemical used in the production of GHB, also valuable as an organic solvent and a flavoring additive for candy and soy milk.
GBL: See gamma-butyrolactone
gram(g): the metric unit of mass/weight. There are ~28.4g in an ounce, and 1000g in a kg (kilogram)
habituate: to become used to a condition or substance (often a drug) to the point that its effects are diminished or become addictive.
half-life: in biology: the amount of time required for half of a substance to be removed from the body, brain, or blood. After two half-lives, 25% of the original material remains.
hangover: negative physical and mental effects that follow a drug's period of action, often associated with the headache, nausea, and sensitivity that follow overuse of alcohol.
heavy metals: substances such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As), which are common contaminants in industrial chemicals. Levels above a few ppm (parts per million, or .0001% by weight) can, over time, build up in the body and cause severe brain and nerve damage.
hypnotic: sleep-inducing; a sleep-inducing substance
inebriate: to temporarily impair mental functions while creating confusion, sensitivity, and/or lack of physical control. Synonymous with but less prejudicial than "intoxicate."
insomnia: the chronic inability to fall asleep
intoxicate: synonymous with inebriate*. I prefer not to use this term because of its implication of "toxicity."
LD50: The dose of a substance, expressed in mg/kg* that kills 50% of lab animals. The most common measure of toxicity for all applications, although some reports speak of the LD1 or LD100 (you figure it out).
lye: a home preparation containing sodium hydroxide and any number of possible contaminants. Sold for cleaning out drains and other such unsavory tasks.
MDMA: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, X, XTC, or ecstasy: A drug, popular at raves, that has widely varying stimulant effects while profoundly increasing emotional sensitivity and empathy. A friend describes it as the natural and expected offspring of amphetamine (speed) and phenethylamine (the base for hundreds of psychoactive compounds) bound together.
Although some find the effects of GHB similar to those of MDMA, the two compounds are chemically unrelated.
methadone: a drug used to alleviate opiate withdrawal. Methadone is itself an opiate, but has a longer half-life* and various other properties that allow it to ward off painful symptoms of withdrawal without being as seriously addictive as the substances it replaces.
methamphetamine: a very powerful central nervous system stimulant, leading to increased energy, euphoria, and feelings of exhilaration, mastery, and strength, followed by a seriously unpleasant lack of energy and depression. I consider this one of the "bad" drugs, not so much because it's heavily addictive as because it is a potent and reliable killer of the brain's dopamine cells. Also known as meth, crank, and glass.
mg/kg: Dosage expressed as milligrams* of a drug per kilogram of the subject's body weight. The standard measurement in scientific writing.
mg/L: A measure of the quantity of a substance that is actually in the body, expressed as milligrams* present per liter of blood. mg/L is equal to micrograms/milliliter (µ/mL), which is also sometimes used.
At its maximum concentration, mg/kg of GHB consumed is about equal to mg/L present in the blood, but this is a freak coincidence with no medical or mathematical implications.
narcolepsy: a disorder characterized by nighttime sleep irregularities and attacks of sudden and irresistible drowsiness at inappropriate times during the day
neurotransmitter: a substance that binds to proteins on the surfaces of brain cells and effects their behavior and/or chemical output.
opiates: a class of drugs, including morphine and codeine, that cause sleep and relieve pain by acting on a specific type of receptor in the brain. Users who are not suffering pain may experience euphoria, and when used this way the opiates are often addictive.
GHB's sleep-inducing effects may be caused by some action on opiate receptors, but the mechanism is poorly understood. It is important to remember that opiate activity is not addictive per se; the brain naturally produces many chemicals (the "endorphins") that operate in this manner.
plateau: in pharmacology - a property of certain drugs, which show several dose- or time-dependent levels with radically different effects and little or no blending at intermediate points. One example is dextromethorphan (DXM).
PLUR: A raver* acronym which expresses their culture's core values: Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. Also a motto of the late GHB kit supplier "A Pure Source."
potentiate: to strengthen
Quaalude®: a brand name for methaqualone, a prescription tranquilizer. Prone to abuse due to its relaxing qualities and its ability to counteract the effects of stimulants like amphetamine ("speed") and cocaine. Also called "'ludes" and "downers."
ravers: participants in raves
raves: large, semi-legal parties featuring techno music and frenetic dancing. Known for their concentrations of smart- and party- drugs.
Schedule I: The DEA (American Drug Enforcement Agency) list of drugs whose possession, sale, and manufacture incurs the severest penalty. To be so classified, a drug must 1) have no currently accepted medical use, 2) carry a significant potential for abuse and addiction, and 3) not be proven safe even when used under medical supervision. Several states have legal structures mirroring these classifications.
sitter: a sober friend who cares for a person on drugs, watching their pocketbook, protecting their fragile psyche, and making excuses to the law
sociabilizing: making one desire or enjoy contact with others
sodium hydroxide: a chemical (formula NaOH) which, when dissolved in water, becomes highly caustic. This means it will turn your skin (or many other things it touches) into soap. Although it is the active ingredient in lye, kitchen chemists who attempt to use the latter for the former risk consuming many additives and impurities, as it is expressly not intended for consumption, even after the immediate danger of burning the skin is neutralized.
soporific: sleep-inducing. May refer to experiences as well as substances.
teaspoon(t): An archaic unit of volume, equal to ~4.93 mL.
tolerance:in pharmacology - a state in which the quantity of a drug needed to achieve a certain effect is increased.
tonic-myoclionic seizures: a reduction in muscular control, accompanied by trembling
trachea: The "windpipe" by which air is drawn into the lungs.

tracheal intubation: the insertion of a tube down the throat and windpipe (trachea) to assist breathing in patients with decreased respiration.
sulcus (plural sulci): A depression in the convoluted surface of the brain. A large sulcus is called a "fissure."
USP/NF: United States Pharmacopoeia/National Formulary. A nonprofit organization that sets standards for allowable contaminants in chemicals for human consumption. The USP designation is going out of use in favor of the NF label.



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