What is Substance Abuse?

One of the first things you might ask when confronting a loved one about their drug or alcohol habits, is what is substance abuse? Substance abuse refers to the misuse or heavy use of an addictive, and ultimately harmful, substance. Examples of such substances include opiates, alcohol, meth, cocaine, and marijuana.

What is Substance Abuse and Why Do People Do It?

People abuse drugs or alcohol typically because they want to change or escape something in their lives. Most people do not start out wanting to abuse a specific substance either. Instead, they take the drug or alcohol for a particular reason and then realize that they need more.

Some substances like meth can cause a desire for more almost immediately. With repeated use, the body develops a tolerance and the mind, a psychological dependence. What follows is an addiction.

People have given the following reasons for using addictive substances:

• Fitting in
• Relieving boredom
• Escaping or relaxing
• To self-medicate another mental health issue
• To experiment

What is Substance Abuse–Different Types

Substance addiction occurs when both physical dependence and psychological dependence have set in. This means that the body will go through withdrawal if the person stops using. It also says that the person feels an overwhelming need to use the substance in various situations.

Substance abuse comes in a few different types. Some people become addicted to illegal substances such as meth, heroin or cocaine. However, addiction can also form to completely legal substances. Such examples include alcohol and prescription drugs. The latter is somewhat of a gray area as misuse and prescription drug abuse is not legal even though prescription use is legal.

In the case of the legal types, people often find that addiction sneaks up on them. They may experience a traumatic event and drink a bit more alcohol to cope. Before they realize it, they start using alcohol in any stressful situation. Eventually the amount and frequency increase.

When people become addicted to legal prescription drugs, like opiate painkillers, they may switch to heroin due to the lower price and ease of obtaining.

What is Substance Abuse Treatment?

In most cases, it’s challenging to stop substance abuse by yourself. Opiates, meth and even alcohol can have severely uncomfortable and even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.

One of the first steps in dealing with substance abuse is detox. When you seek treatment at Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, Florida, you will likely enter detox at Tides Edge for the initial phase of treatment. After that, you will continue treatment with inpatient or outpatient programs. Some of the treatment modules at Beaches include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Family counseling services
• Gender-specific programs
• Student addiction treatment
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Art and fitness therapy

If you’re wondering what is substance abuse and how to deal with it, give Beaches Recovery a call today at 866.605.0532. Let us help you take back control of your life from addiction.