Substance Abuse

Definition- Types- Examples

What Is Substance Abuse?

 Substance abuse is not something you should take lightly. It occurs when you use alcohol, prescription
medicine, and other legal and illegal substances too much or in the wrong way.
 Substance abuse differs from addiction. Many people with substance abuse problems are able to quit or can
change their unhealthy behavior. Addiction, on the other hand, is a disease. It means you cannot stop using
even when your condition causes you harm.
Commonly Abused Drugs

 Both legal and illegal drugs have chemicals that can change how your body and mind work. They can give
you a pleasurable “high,” ease your stress, or help you avoid problems in your life.

Heroin

This illegal drug is the natural version of manmade prescription opioid narcotics. Heroin gives you a rush of
good feelings at first. But when it wears off, everything slows down. You’ll move and think more slowly, and
you may have chills, nausea, and nervousness. You may feel a strong need to take more heroin to feel better.
Alcohol  Alcohol affects everyone differently. But if you drink too
much and too often, your chance of an injury or accident goes
up. Heavy drinking also can cause liver and other health
One drink is:
problems or lead to a more serious alcohol disorder.
12 ounces of regular beer
If you’re a man and you drink more than four drinks on any
8-9 ounces of malt liquor, which has more
alcohol than beer day or more than 14 in a week, you’re drinking too much. For
5 ounces of wine
women, heavy drinking means more than three drinks in one
1 1/2 ounces of distilled spirits like vodka and
whiskey day or more than seven drinks a week.
Prescription and Over-the-
Counter (OTC) Medicine
These can be just as dangerous and addictive as illegal drugs.
You can abuse medicine if you:
 Take medicine prescribed for someone else
Types of prescription drugs that are most often
abused include:  Take extra doses or use a drug other than the way it’s
• Opioid pain relievers supposed to be taken
• Medicine used to treat attention deficit  Take the drug for a non-medical reason
hyperactivity disorder
• Anxiety and sleep medicines
The most commonly abused OTC drugs are
cough and cold medicine that have
dextromethorphan, which in high doses can
make you feel drunk or intoxicated.
Cocaine
 This drug speeds up your whole body. When you use cocaine,
you may talk, move, or think very fast. You may feel happy
and full of energy. But your mood may then shift to anger.
You may feel like someone is out to get you. It can cause you
to do things that don’t make sense.

 Using cocaine for a long time will lead to strong cravings for
the drug.
Cannabis/  Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a

Marijuana psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used primarily for
medical and recreational purposes

 Marijuana can make you feel silly and laugh for no

reason. Or you may feel sleepy and forget things that just
happened. Driving while high on pot is just as dangerous as
drunk driving. And heavy marijuana use can leave some
people “burned out” and not think or care about much.
Cigarettes and Other Tobacco
Products
 You may not think of these as drugs. But tobacco has a
chemical called nicotine that gives you a little rush of
pleasure and energy. The effect can wear off fast and leave
you wanting more. You can abuse and get addicted to the
nicotine in cigarettes, just like other drugs.

Smoked tobacco products include: cigarettes, cigars, bidis,
and kreteks.
 Some people also smoke loose tobacco in a pipe or hookah
(water pipe). Chewed tobacco products include chewing
tobacco, snuff, dip, and snus; snuff can also be sniffed
Signs of a Substance Use Problem
 When you first start taking a substance, you may
think you can control how much you use. But
over time, you may need more of the drug to get
the same feeling or effect. For some people, that
can lead beyond abuse to addiction. Signals that
you may have a problem with substance abuse
include if you:
1. Lack interest in things you used to love
2. Change your friends a lot
3. Stop taking care of yourself
4. Spend more time alone than you used to
5. Eat more or less than normal
6. Sleep at odd hours
7. Have problems at work or with family
8. Switch quickly from feeling good and bad
9. Crave or strongly desire to use the substance
Conclusion

Substance abuse affects every part of your life. It can hurt you and the people around you. It can ruin
relationships and your financial health. Abusing drugs can also lead to addiction and cause serious health
problems and even death.