The Glossary

2SLGBTQIA: The acronym refers to the various groups within sexual and gender minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit, and other identities under this umbrella¹. 

Alcohol-related disorders:  Alcohol-related disorders are characterized by difficulty controlling or stopping alcohol consumption despite its negative consequences on various areas of life. Alcohol consumption can negatively affect social, professional, physical, or mental health. These disorders can take different forms, such as alcohol dependency or episodes of heavy drinking. They can be mild, moderate, or severe².

Anti-inflammatory effects: Refers to the ability of a substance (medication or treatment) to reduce inflammation³. 

Antioxidant effects: Ability of  a substance to slow the oxidation of certain biological processes, thereby promoting healthier aging⁴. 

Chemical submission: Coercive use of a medication, drug, or psychoactive substance administered to a person without their knowledge or under threat, with the intent to commit a crime or offense. Crimes associated with this practice include rape, sexual assault, pedophilic acts, and theft.⁵

Cognitive impairments: Refer to a decline in certain cognitive abilities such as memory, attention, executive functions (planning, organization), language, and others⁶. 

Co-occurring disorders: Co-occurring or coexisting disorders refer to the various possible associations between a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder⁷. 

Determinant of health: Health determinants encompass all the factors that can influence an individual’s or a population’s health. While these factors are not direct causes of health problems or diseases, they impact the prevention of their development. Health determinants include factors such as behaviors (both individual and collective), the environment, living conditions, and public policies. Not all individuals are equally affected by these determinants, which contributes to health disparities within different populations⁸.

Discrimination: Refers to the act of treating someone negatively based on personal characteristics such as ethnicity, disabilities, gender, or age⁹.

Disinhibition: The opposite of inhibition, which is an internal process that restrains or diminishes behavior. Disinhibition can affect various behaviors, including social (such as reducing shyness), sexual, physical, verbal, and more. Alcohol is a substance that has a strong disinhibiting effect^9,10. 

Double standard: Double standards are unwritten rules created by society, applied unfairly to different groups, and often contradictory. These standards are based on social status, meaning that minority groups are typically judged more harshly than others¹¹. An example of a common gender double standard can be that a woman with multiple sexual partners is viewed as promiscuous, while a man in the same situation is considered charismatic¹².

Empowerment : Empowerment is both a goal and a process through which individuals or groups regain control over their environment or a particular situation. Empowerment is rooted in the fight against social and health inequalities within society¹³. 

Female, feminine, male, masculine: The terms “female”, “feminine”, “male” and “masculine” are adjectives that refer to social roles and expectations based on the gender binary^14,15.

Femvertising (feminism advertising): An advertising practice through which brands communicate messages considered feminist (or at least aiming to restore the rightful place of women in society) in their advertising campaigns^16,17.

Femwashing (feminism washing or purple washing): The use of feminist movements and claims for purely commercial purposes, aiming to enhance the image of a brand or organization¹⁶.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD): Refers to a range of effects that can occur in individuals who were exposed to alcohol before birth¹⁸.

Gender: Refers to the social roles, experiences, and feelings with which a person identifies. Gender does not necessarily correspond to the sex assigned at birth^14,15.

Gender norms: Gender norms result from beliefs and social constructs about appropriate behaviors based on gender, as well as the expected social interactions between men and women in society. These beliefs and expectations are based on the concept of biological sex. Gender norms are pervasive in society and are quickly internalized from a very young age¹⁵.

Gender stereotypes/sexual stereotypes: Refers to characteristics attributed by society to groups in order to classify them distinctly. Stereotypes are preconceived, generalized ideas that ignore individual uniqueness. When categorizing men and women based on gender-specific traits, we refer to gender or sexual stereotypes¹⁹.

Heavy alcohol consumption: According to the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), “heavy” or “excessive” alcohol consumption is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion, at least once a month during the past year for men, and four or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion, at least once a month during the past year for women²⁰.

Hypertensive pregnancy: An abnormal increase in blood pressure that affects organ function in the pregnant person and may harm the unborn baby²¹.

Memory: Refers to the brain’s ability to retain information. There are different types of memory for various tasks, such as working memory, short-term memory, long-term memory, and others^22,23.

Mental load: Refers to the constant cognitive and emotional demands placed on individuals, particularly in relation to planning, managing, or taking on certain tasks. Patriarchal societal norms mean that women often bear the heaviest mental load within households (e.g., household chores, childcare, etc.), as well as in society at large, unlike other members of society²⁴.

Metabolism: Refers to the chemical modification of a substance absorbed into the body. Metabolism primarily occurs in the liver, but can also take place in other organs of the human body, such as the lungs or kidneys²⁵.

Minority stress: Refers to the unique stress experienced by individuals due to their minority status in society. This stress results from stigmatization and marginalization related to that status²⁶. 

Pinkwashing or rainbowashing: Involves adopting an image that appears to be concerned with the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, solely for commercial purposes²⁷.

Placental abruption: The detachment of the placenta from the uterine wall before delivery, which can lead to complications such as bleeding, contractions, and premature birth²⁸. 

Polysubstance use: Refers to the consumption of two or more psychoactive substances on the same occasion, or the use of two or more substances over a period of time with overlapping effects^29,30.  

Prejudices: Refers to a preconceived attitude or opinion about a person, reality, concept, or object. Prejudices are typically accompanied by negative judgments or hostility. They are created and perpetuated by isolated facts, poorly reported or distorted stories, or unfounded beliefs³¹.

Prescription sedatives: These are among the most commonly prescribed medications and include benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and others^32,33.

Sex assigned at birth/biological sex: The sex assigned at birth refers to the sex determined by a doctor at the time of birth based on the observation of external genitalia. However, the sex assigned at birth does not account for an individual’s internal characteristics, genetic composition, or psychological traits³⁴.

Sexual and gender diversity: Anyone who does not identify as heterosexual, in terms of sexual orientation, or who does not identify with the sex assigned to them at birth, in terms of gender identity. People who identify with the sex assigned to them at birth are referred to as “cisgender”³⁵.

Sexual arousal: Defining the difference between sexual arousal and sexual desire is complex. Generally, desire is associated with a subjective, emotional, and psychological experience, while sexual arousal is more related to a physiological response. Sexual arousal involves various physical responses to sexual desire. Although sexual arousal is usually linked to desire, this is not always the case. A person may not feel sexual desire and yet still experience physiological arousal in response to sexual stimulation³⁶.

Sexual dysfunction: Refers to physiological or psychological difficulties that prevent sexual satisfaction. There are various types of sexual dysfunctions, the most well-known being erectile dysfunction, lubrication issues, difficulty reaching orgasm, and others³⁷.

Sexual response: The sexual response refers to a series of physiological and psychological reactions that occur during sexual activity. Different stages of sexual response have been proposed, including desire, arousal, plateau, orgasm, and resolution³⁸.

Stigmatization: Refers to the set of negative beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors towards a specific group based on its personal characteristics. Stigma includes prejudices, stereotypes, and judgments. It is typically members of minority groups who are most affected by stigma. Stigma often leads to the social isolation of these groups³⁹.

Vasodilatory effects: Refers to the ability of a substance (medication or treatment) to dilate blood vessels, thereby enhancing blood circulation⁴⁰.