Addiction glossary
The words, in plain English
The terms people actually search for at 3am — "the crash", "redosing", "the fear", "chasing the high" — explained honestly, without the jargon or the lecture. What each one really means, what it feels like, and why it matters. Written by someone who's been there.
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Start the assessment →The using cycle
Cocaine Crash
The sharp drop after the high — drained, wired and reaching for more.
Read →Comedown
The flat, anxious 1–3 days after — mild withdrawal, and what it's telling you.
Read →Redosing
"Just one more line." Why you can't stop at one — and why it's a red flag.
Read →Bump
"Just a bump." The small dose that quietly becomes the whole night.
Read →Bingeing
Hours or days of using on a loop. The binge–crash cycle, and where it starts.
Read →Chasing the High
Reaching for a first hit you'll never get back — the engine of escalation.
Read →Tolerance
Needing more for the same effect. Why it builds, and what it means for your risk.
Read →Fiending (Cravings)
That all-consuming want — and the one fact that defeats it.
Read →Danger — know the signs
Street names & slang
The Fear
The morning-after dread and paranoia — why it feels like truth when it's chemistry.
Read →The Sesh
Session culture and the quiet price it extracts — and when it stops being fun.
Read →Gurning & Coke Jaw
The involuntary jaw-clenching on stimulants — why it happens and the damage it does.
Read →Charlie, Beak & Co.
The street names for cocaine — and the reality the friendly slang hides.
Read →Cocaine Nose
The nasal damage from snorting — nosebleeds, lost smell, a perforated septum.
Read →Blackout
Alcohol memory loss — why it's a serious red flag, not a funny story.
Read →Recovery
Lapse vs Relapse
One slip, or a return? The difference decides what happens next.
Read →Triggers
The people, places and feelings that fire a craving — and how to plan around yours.
Read →The Pink Cloud
The early-recovery high — and the week 2–3 trap when it fades.
Read →White-Knuckling
Gritting through on willpower alone with no support — and why it fails.
Read →Rock Bottom
The myth that you have to hit it before getting help. You don't.
Read →HALT
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired — the four states that drive most relapses.
Read →