National Certified Addiction Counselor, Level 2 (NCAC II) Practice Exam Exam

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What term refers to the process of breaking down a psychoactive substance into metabolites for elimination from the body?

Half-Life
Elimination
Metabolism
Absorption

The correct answer is: Elimination

The term that refers to the process of breaking down a psychoactive substance into metabolites for elimination from the body is "metabolism." This biological process involves enzymatic reactions that convert substances into more manageable and excretable forms, facilitating their elimination through various pathways, primarily through urine or bile. Metabolism is crucial for the body's ability to process and clear medications and other substances, ensuring that they do not accumulate to toxic levels. While elimination focuses on the actual removal of the substance from the body, it does not specifically address the chemical conversion process that occurs before elimination. Half-life pertains to the time it takes for the concentration of a substance in the bloodstream to reduce by half, serving as a measure of how long a substance stays active in the body, but it does not capture the breakdown process itself. Absorption refers to how substances enter the bloodstream, which is an earlier stage in the pharmacokinetics of a substance. Thus, "metabolism" specifically identifies the transformation of substances into metabolites, which is a key step prior to their elimination.