About Substance Use & Abuse
Facts about substance use and abuse are of interest to parents, educators, law enforcement officers, employers and curious members of the general population. Substance use usually differs from substance abuse in the case of prescription medication; substance abuse may or may not include substance addiction. Substance abuse is similar to addiction in many respects that include the tendency to continue use of the substance in spite of negative consequences; however, substance abuse does not include tolerance, the need to use more of a substance in order to obtain the same result. Tolerance is a biological and physical sign of substance addiction that separates it from only being substance abuse.
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Substance Use and Abuse
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In instances of illegal drug use, any use is equal to substance abuse; however, substances such as alcohol or prescription drugs can be used without being abused. Alcohol use becomes abuse if the user is a minor or attempts to drive while intoxicated. Alcohol abuse also occurs when drinkers become abusive to themselves or others, through continuing to drink when negative consequences to their alcohol use make it obvious that the drinker has become a problem drinker---or alcoholic.
Prescription medications are not illegal when used by the individual for whom they are prescribed; however, these drugs are mind altering and have addictive potential. They are often abused by people for whom they were not prescribed or abused by those who originally used the drugs for the appropriate reasons, but became substance abusers after becoming psychologically dependent on the effects of the medications.
Early Abuse
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Early substance abuse occurs when a person begins to use a substance for the wrong reasons. Drinkers who originally drink with friends may begin drinking alone during times of high stress or sadness. Abusive drinkers, who are not yet addicted to alcohol, often have the same legal and family problems as alcoholics because they drink in high-risk situations such as behind the wheel or when angry or depressed.
Prescription drug abusers often begin taking prescription drugs during times of extreme pain and vulnerability and discover the drugs also help them cope with emotional pain and stress related to the illness. When the prescription drug user begins using the drugs for the emotional, and "feel good" qualities of the drug, rather than simply to kill physical pain, or whatever purpose for which the drug was prescribed, his or her drug use becomes substance abuse. In the case of a terminal cancer patient, an individual can actually be physically addicted to a drug and still not be abusing the medication. -
Substances of Abuse
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Drugs of abuse fall into different categories, including central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol, painkillers, barbiturates and drugs known as "downers." These drugs of abuse produce slowed responses and slurred speech. Stimulant drugs such as cocaine, or methamphetamine, produce hyperactive movements and behavior. They may enable an individual to function for days without sleep or proper rest. Eventually, stimulant drug abuse produces drug induced psychosis and paranoia, if used repeatedly enough to cause symptoms of sleep deprivation, accompanied by effects of the stimulant drug itself.
Benzodiazapines are tranquilizers and are frequently abused by individuals who have problems with anxiety and desire to calm down. Individuals who have been prescribed the drugs in safe appropriate dosages, but take more than their physician recommended, commonly abuse anti-anxiety drugs. Psychedelic drugs are abused by anyone who takes them, because there is no known appropriate use of the drugs at this time. Psychedelic drugs produce hallucinations, images and colors in the mind of the user and can cause dangerous consequences for those who abuse them. Certain household and common products can be inhaled by substance abusers to experience a high. These include products with aerosol spray cans, or products used for marking such as magic markers. Certain types of paint or glue can also be used as a substance of abuse.
Public Cost
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Substance abuse costs society billions annually in legal and public health care expense. Productivity is lost to employers of business establishments through excessive absentees, non-productive time on the job and the need to administer pre-employment drug screens to avoid the other expenses of substance abuse.
Personal Cost
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Individuals who abuse substances lose jobs, careers, homes, health and relationships. Financial loss is common among substance abusers who often become addicted to the drugs, cannot work productively and eventually become unemployed. Substance abusers also spend more money on the drugs they abuse than they can logically afford to spend. The greatest price paid by substance abusers is that of their life, as many die in automobile accidents, of cardiac arrest, other drug-related diseases or drug overdose.
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