It’s Easy to Define Substance Abuse

How Can You Define Substance Abuse?

You may think you know how to define substance abuse, but do you really? Many people assume that someone who is struggling with substance abuse problem will be a mess. They may assume these are the people who are homeless or abusive to their families.

In fact, this isn’t necessarily what substance abuse looks like. To truly define substance abuse, we need to go further. We need to look at the habits of someone abusing drugs or alcohol.

Below, we will clearly define substance abuse. We’ll also explain how you can seek help for substance abuse if you are struggling with this illness.

How to Define Substance Abuse

The key to defining substance abuse is understanding someone who has a substance abuse disorder is not necessarily homeless, unkempt, jobless, or severely ill. Anyone in your life could be addicted to drugs or alcohol. There is no definition that includes how someone looks or acts or what they do for a living.

Again, it’s all about habits and behavior. Someone who uses substances like prescription drugs or alcohol in an abusive way has destructive habits. In fact, the key definition of substance abuse is using mind-altering substances such as drugs or alcohol in order to achieve a high.

Often, substance abuse is done to alter the individual’s reality. In other words, it’s a form of self-medication. The individual may feel depressed, anxious, or angry, and using and abusing substances helps them to feel less of these troubling emotions.

How Is Addiction Different From Substance Abuse?

Whereas substance abuse focuses on the way in which an individual uses drugs, addiction is different. That’s because addiction may be physical and/or psychological. In other words, it takes hold of the individual and doesn’t let go.

Physical addiction, especially, can mean that an individual really cannot stop taking their drug of choice without experiencing withdrawal symptoms. These withdrawal symptoms may be extremely uncomfortable and even painful and frightening. For example, when someone is withdrawing from alcohol, they may experience delirium tremens, severe nausea, and even hallucinations.

Substance abuse is often defined as continuing to regularly abuse substances despite the serious negative consequences they cause. But addiction has a stronger hold on the individual. This individual continues to regularly abuse substances despite the negative consequences, but they also cannot stop without outside help.

What Is the Most Effective Drug Abuse Treatment?

In order to recover from any drug abuse or addiction problem, professional treatment is required. You should never attempt to recover from a substance abuse problem or addiction by yourself. At a professional treatment center, you or your loved one will go through detox. Then, you will begin therapy.

How Beaches Recovery Can Help

One of the leading substance abuse treatment centers in the United States is Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida. We offer numerous treatments for drug abuse, including:

• Intensive outpatient program
• Residential drug rehab
• Women’s drug addiction rehab program
• Men’s drug addiction rehab program
• 12-Step approach programs
• Sober living programs

You can find out more about these programs and about the various therapies we offer by calling Beaches Recovery at 866.605.0532.

It’s time to stop allowing substance abuse and addiction to control your life. Give us a call soon as possible to get into treatment.