What You Need to Know About Substance Use Disorder
Learn about risk factors for substance use disorder. Discover commonly misused drugs, symptoms of misuse, where to seek help, and more.
2 min readOverview
Substance use disorder is a health condition involving compulsive substance use. It develops when substance use interferes with the ability to function day to day. It can occur with prescription or nonprescription drugs.
Medical professionals previously used the term “drug abuse” to describe substance use disorder. Another term for substance use disorder is addiction. This differs from dependence.
Substance misuse greatly affects public health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 70,000 people Opens in a new window in the United States died from overdoses in 2017. And every year, around 88,000 people Opens in a new window die from excessive alcohol use in the United States.
Substance misuse also leads to other public health problems, such as:
- drunk and impaired driving
- violence
- familial stress
- potential for child abuse and neglect
Sharing or reusing needles for intravenous drug use also increases the risk of contracting and transmitting infectious diseases, including HIV and hepatitis.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) Opens in a new window describes substance use disorder as a brain disease. It’s characterized by repeated substance use despite negative effects. Substance use disorder involves many social and biological factors.
The most successful way to prevent substance use disorder is through education.
Risk factors
Depressants
Stimulants
Marijuana
‘Club’ drugs
Other compounds
Prescription drugs
Stages of substance use disorder
Treating substance use disorder
Preventing substance use disorder
Resources, phone numbers, and support groups
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