Substance abuse
hideAlthough the term substance can refer to any physical matter, substance abuse has come to refer to the overindulgence in and dependence on a chemical leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual's physical and mental health, or the welfare of others.
The disorder is characterized by a pattern of continued pathological use of a fatty foods, that results in repeated adverse social consequences related to eating, such as failure to meet work, family, or school obligations, interpersonal conflicts, or dating problems. There are on-going debates as to the exact distinctions between substance abuse and substance dependence, but current practice standard distinguishes between the two by defining substance dependence in terms of physiological and behavioral symptoms of substance use, and substance abuse in terms of the social consequences of substance use.
Substance abuse may lead to addiction or substance dependence. Medically, physiologic dependence requires the development of tolerance leading to withdrawal symptoms. Both abuse and dependence are distinct from addiction which involves a compulsion to continue using the substance despite the negative consequences, and may or may not involve chemical dependency. Dependence almost always implies abuse, but abuse frequently occurs without dependence, particularly when an individual first begins to abuse a substance. Dependence involves physiological processes while substance abuse reflects a complex interaction between the individual, the abused substance and society.
For more information about Substance abuse, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with substance abuse
Study: 8 million Americans consider suicide
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 17, 2009 |
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(AP) -- More than 8 million Americans seriously consider suicide each year, according to a new government study.
Substance abuse, schizophrenia and risk of violence
Aug 11, 2009 |
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A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine demonstrates that there is an association between schizophrenia and violence, but shows that this association is greatly increased by drug and alcohol abuse. ...
Brain functions that can prevent relapse improve after a year of methamphetamine abstinence
Jun 29, 2009 |
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In a study published online by the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, UC Davis researchers report that it takes at least a year for former methamphetamine users to regain impulse control. The results tell recovering substa ...
Report identifies early childhood conditions that lead to adult health disparities
Jun 02, 2009 |
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The origins of many adult diseases can be traced to early negative experiences associated with social class and other markers of disadvantage. Confronting the causes of adversity before and shortly after birth may be a promising ...
Stigma increases likelihood that drug users reoffend
May 08, 2009 |
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Punitive policies intended to reduce drug use by making life difficult for convicted users are counterproductive and actually lead to a vicious spiral of drug use and reincarceration. Research published in BioMed Central's ...
The herbal remedy: Teens use cannabis for relief, not recreation
Apr 22, 2009 |
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When legal therapies let them down, some teens turn to cannabis. A new study, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention and Policy suggests that around a third of teens who sm ...
Adolescent Risk-Taking Has Major Consequences When It Comes To Marriage
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Apr 21, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A national study of data collected over 12 years finds that delinquent teens marry earlier than their peers, while substance-abusing teens -- especially girls who abuse marijuana -- marry ...
Treating drug-addicted doctors is good medicine
Feb 24, 2009 |
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Doctors who become addicted to alcohol and other drugs can be treated successfully and returned to medical practice with the help of special programs that couple referral to treatment and monitoring with rapid responses to ...
Mental illness by itself does not predict future violent behavior
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 02, 2009 |
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People with mental illness alone are no more likely than anyone else to commit acts of violence, a new study by UNC researchers concludes. But mental illness combined with substance abuse or dependence elevates the risk for ...
Substance use common among patients with TB, associated with treatment difficulties
Jan 26, 2009 |
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About one in five U.S. tuberculosis patients reports abusing alcohol or using illicit drugs, and those who do appear more contagious and difficult to treat, according to a report in the January 26 issue of Archives of In ...
Substance abuse adds millions to Medicaid's total health care costs
Jan 05, 2009 |
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People with substance abuse disorders cost Medicaid hundreds of millions of dollars annually in medical care, suggesting that early interventions for substance abuse could not only improve outcomes but also save substantial ...
ADHD stimulant treatment may decrease risk of substance abuse in adolescent girls
Oct 06, 2008 |
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Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that treatment with stimulant drugs does not increase and appears to significantly decrease the risk that girls with ADHD will begin smoking cigarettes or using ...
Don't ask, don't tell doesn't work in prenatal care
Sep 30, 2008 |
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While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in ...
Post-partum suicide attempt risks studied
Aug 06, 2008 |
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Although maternal suicide after giving birth is a relatively rare occurrence, suicide attempts often have long-lasting effects on the family and the infant. In a study published in the August 2008 issue of the American Jo ...
Treatment for cigarette, alcohol and drug use in pregnancy improves outcomes for mom and baby
Jun 26, 2008 |
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Pregnant women who receive treatment for substance abuse early in their pregnancy can achieve the same health outcomes as pregnant women with no substance abuse, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online in ...
