Overview:
According to a World Health Organization (WHO) 2019 report, approximately 0.5 million deaths are linked to illicit drug use each year, with a staggering 269 million people have taken drugs the previous year. Another alarming finding in the research is that approximately 115 thousand persons were reported to have died from opioid overdoses in 2017, with an estimated 35 million people worldwide suffering from drug use disorders.
Substance abuse has been an important topic of conversation for a while now, and it should be even more so now, given very troubling data like the one above. Many governments have taken strict measures to combat substance abuse, and likewise, many private firms have gone far to make lab based drug test mandatory for all employees or when screening applications. But despite all these efforts, the menace only keeps growing. Because of this, there has been a growth in ways to combat the abuse. Today, you can see many counseling workers and centers such as this IOP rehab in Delray Beach help combat this issue..
But despite substance abuse being a household term, many people are unaware of what it means; I mean, the correct technical definition. What exactly do we mean by substance abuse? When do we reach the point where substance usage is considered abuse? What are the different kinds, and what are the risks attached? These and other questions will be addressed in this post, so we encourage you to continue reading.
Definition:
Substance abuse and drug abuse are terms that are frequently used interchangeably, yet they refer to two different things. While drug abuse refers to the excessive use of psychotropic or psychoactive medications (whether prescribed or non-prescribed medicines), substance abuse is a broader term that encompasses both drug abuse and other excessive chemical usage.
Substance abuse is simply the excessive or improper use of any chemical substance, most of which are psychoactive chemicals, to induce ecstasy in the brain. Substance abuse extends beyond the use of substances. It encapsulates the use of prescription medicines, alcohol, marijuana, and other substances. But, regardless of the style, one thing is sure: substance addiction, like all other forms of abuse, leaves its users as victims, which frequently ends in considerable clinical and functional damage.
Another thing to remember is that addiction and substance abuse or drug abuse are two completely different things. Abuse is an act over which victims have control. Meaning persons with substance abuse issues can stop using or change their bad habits at will. But also, drug abuse doesn’t only relate to taking hard or illicit drugs like cocaine. We all tend to abuse drugs sometimes unconsciously or due to negligence, e.g., overdosing on treatment. In these cases, a simple instant drug test can be used to assess the level of drugs in our system, helping inform us better necessary precautionary measures.
On the other hand, addiction is classified as an illness, often over which victims have no control. In fact, researchers have revealed that a majority of drug addicts never intended to get addicted in the first place. The nexus nonetheless is that every addiction begins with a conscious decision.
We’ll discuss in the preceding paragraphs some of the risks associated with substance abuse. However, let’s quickly run you through the types.
Types of Substance Abuse:
There are various types of substance abuse. There are several classifications and categorizations of substance abuse; however, for the purposes of this article, we’ll divide substance abuse into two categories: alcohol abuse and drug abuse, condensing all other types under them.
Alcohol:
The most commonly abused legal substance is an alcoholic beverage. Today, alcohol is 61% times more available than it was. We must make clear that alcohol intake in itself is not harmful and, of course, not criminalized. However, too much consumption is where the harm and abuse come in. According to experts, men who drink more than four drinks a day or more than 14 in a week are considered heavy drinkers. At the same time, heavy drinking for women is regarded as having three or more drinks in a single day or seven or more drinks per week.
Drugs:
Drug abuse includes a variety of substances. But we classified them into four;
- Stimulants: These are drugs that speed up the body’s central nerve activity. Examples include; Cocaine, Nicotine, etc.
- Depressants: These are psychoactive substances that slow down nerve activity. Examples include alcohol, tramadol, etc.
- Opioids: These are a class of medications derived from the opium poppy plant that act on the brain to generate a wide range of effects, including pain alleviation, etc. Examples include heroin, codeine, morphine, etc.
- Hallucinogens: These are drugs that alter a person’s sense of reality. Hallucinogens, sometimes referred to as “psychedelic substances,” distort their users’ perception, causing them to perceive, feel, and hear things that aren’t real. Examples of these drugs include; LSD, PCP, Magic mushrooms, etc.
What are the risks attached?
Substance abuse has a very damaging impact on its victim. Aside from health problems, it affects their social interactions. For example, most people who abuse drugs are prone to self-isolation or are isolated because of stigmatization. This, in turn, harms one’s mental health, which can lead to despair and, in some cases, addiction—all of which contribute to the person’s physical health deterioration. This is a vicious circle.
Other risks associated with substance abuse include
- Easy irritation
- Isolation
- Short-term memory
- It impairs judgment and decision-making,
- Impairs learning
