Substance Abuse


Substance abuse can be defined as overuse of and addiction to stimulants, depressives, chemicals, herbs, or fungi, which jeopardizes one's physical or mental health and/or adversely affects those around him or her.

What is Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse involves a pattern of detrimental use of drugs and alcohol resulting in negative social consequences, such as failing to meet obligations to work, family, or education. Interpersonal relationships suffer and legal issues can also occur as a result of such substance abuse.

There is a fine line between dependency, otherwise known as addiction, and abuse, however, current thinking is that dependency refers to physical addiction and abuse refers to the behavioral consequences of the addiction. Physical addiction involves developing a tolerance for the substance, such as alcohol, where the body builds up resistance to the effects of the substance ingested. In other words, a person with increased tolerance needs to drink increasing amounts to “get a buzz on.” Increased tolerance also involves the flip side – withdrawal symptoms when one stops drinking.

Changes in Diagnosis

During the 1950s, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) published its first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In this first edition, the APA classified alcohol and drug use as sociopathic personality disorders, as they were thought to be signs of moral weakness or other psychological disorders. However, by the 1980's, the thinking had changed dramatically to include the physical symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal.

Gradually, both the psychological and the physical aspects have been included in the definition substance abuse. Current definitions include not only the abuse or dependency itself, but actually focus on the consequences of the addiction.

Types of Substances Abused

Some of the most commonly abused substances - legal and illegal; prescribed and non-prescribed, include:
  • Alcohol – beer, wine, hard liquor

  • Tobacco – cigarettes, cigars

  • Caffeine – coffee, tea

  • Painkillers – Morphine, Vicodin

  • Sleeping pills – barbiturates, Quaaludes

  • Laxatives – used by bulimics

  • Marijuana

  • Amphetamines – uppers, speed, bennies (benzodiazephines), methamphetamines

  • Steroids – performance enhancers, muscle-builders

  • Cocaine

  • Heroin

  • Hallucinogens - LSD, peyote, mushrooms, mescaline
Effects on Society

The United States government has made law enforcement the focus of its efforts against substance abuse. Despite these efforts, the supply of illegal drugs continues to increase and thousands and thousands of nonviolent drug offenders are in jail each year. Drug and alcohol abuse has far-reaching consequences for society in terms of the toll it takes on families through domestic violence, job loss, stress, mental health issues, diseases – including AIDS, poverty, and automobile accidents.

Substance Abuse Treatment Approaches

Medical treatments to drug and alcohol addiction include breaking the physical addiction – drying out, getting clean – and treating the health problems created by the addiction. Pharmacological therapies include use of methadone or antabuse, or a number of newer immunotherapies that are being developed to keep the toxic substances from reaching the brain.

One of the most widely used, psychological approaches to treating substance abuse includes the so-called 12-step Programs, which consist of meetings of lay people who are self-professed addicts and help each other achieve sobriety through the following of a 12-step, faith-based recovery program. There are numerous resources dealing with alcohol and drug abuse on the Internet, as well as through clinics, hospitals, and mental health professionals.

By Eve Visconti           


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