What is substance abuse? How would you define this term? While some people chalk it up to simple illegal drug abuse, other people believe that it is not quite that simple.

If you were to ask an average medical doctor what this form of abuse entailed, they would tell you that it had to do with illegal, and frequent, drug use. However, many people argue that this definition is in no way inclusive. For example, there are plenty of people that use various substances that aren’t drugs at all (inhalants and solvents), while others excessive use alcohol and prescription drugs. So, what is substance abuse, really?

Should you decide to drink caffeinated beverages in excessive amounts, will this be considered abuse? There really isn’t any one way to define this sort of addiction, so rather than define it, let’s just talk about it for a moment. How can you tell if you, or someone you love, have become obsessed with a substance? A person that is driven by the constant need and desire to obtain one particular matter is an addict. Do you wake up every day craving one thing? Will you go to any lengths to get that thing? Are you angry and frustrated when you cannot have that thing? If so, you may be in the midst of a nasty addiction.

What can you do about substance abuse? If you believe that your life is helplessly spinning out of control, seek professional help. Talk to your friends, family, doctor, or psychologist in order to find out how to breathe freely once again. If you really want to answer the original question (what is substance abuse?) you will find that this type of abuse is akin to a monster that takes over your life with no concern for your personal well being.

Those that seek help for their addiction will find the path long and hard, though it is necessary. Contrastingly, those that do nothing about their current behavior will simple fall deeper and deeper into the spinning spiral … sometimes, there is no way out. No matter what the cost may be, help yourself (or another person you know) with your addiction.

What is substance abuse? It is a raging river that will not stop gushing until you cannot take it anymore. No matter how it is defined, this type of abuse will not end until you stop it. Remember, any substance can be abused, so think twice before you reach for that one thing that you cannot live without.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about substance abuse recovery programs for SubstanceAbuseRecoveryPrograms.com.

What’s the major difference in substance abuse drug addiction, and drug dependency?

Substance abuse (drug abuse) happens when at one certain point in time you take drugs/alcohol, etc.  For example, if you snorted coke once at a party that would be substance abuse.

Substance addiction (drug addiction) and substance dependence (drug dependence) are synonymous, since an addiction is defined as a dependence on a drug.

If you continued to snort cocaine, and couldn’t get by without it because your body got used to the coke being in your body and you experienced withdrawal symptoms when you were without the cocaine, then you would be dependent/addicted.

I want to know more about drug and substance abuse in general and the support I should give to someone undergoing the recovery. I am a counselor handling some of this cases.

I have been through this and the one thing that was the most help to me was to join Alanon. Find a local chapter and go to the meetings. It will surely open your eyes and give you ways to cope and help.

Substance abuse is defined as overindulgence and dependence on a toxic chemical/drug, which directly affects the human nervous system, behavior and various body functions. These substances or drugs have detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of an individual.

Substances that are abused include tobacco, alcohol, addicting medicines and heroin etc. People may start using drugs or indulge in substance abuse for fun, due to peer pressure, curiosity or any other reason, but due to this act, the society has to pay a significant cost. Abused substances are the psychoactive substances that cause dependence syndrome. If a person indulges in substance abuse, he/she feels a strong desire to use it, cannot control its use and cannot get over the addiction even after harmful consequences. Substance abuse can change the perception, judgment, physical control or attention of an individual.

The negative effect of substance-abuse can be seen at emergency departments and in various rehabilitation centres and hospitals. One can directly see the poor health conditions of substance-abusers and the physical trauma that they are suffering from. The rising number of substance abusers in prisons and jails also shows the connection between substance-abuse and crime.

Drugs and abused substances slow down the thinking ability, and the person is unable to judge between right and wrong. Many professionals, flourishing doctors, scientists or intelligent young students, when indulge in substance-abuse, deviate completely from their mission of life and face failure in life because of their drug habit. Some of them end up committing crimes, getting a dangerous disease, losing close relationships etc. They do not realize their true potential, forget their missions, their personal goals and hence, destroy their lives.

Substance-abuse can destroy lives by causing different diseases, impaired abilities, weak judgment and developing criminal behavior. Some drug abusers by violating laws kill innocent people and sometimes kill themselves. Common problems due to substance abuse are violent mood swings, marital problems, child abuse, rape, school problems, job problems, domestic violence, loss of friends, divorce, financial problems, suicide and loss of self-esteem and self-confidence.

Major life destroying effect of substance abuse is serious crimes. Research and studies have revealed that a substance abuser has eighteen times greater chances of committing a crime. A person who is a poor performer, deprived and socially inactive is less likely to commit a crime than a bright socially active and economically strong substance abuser.

The mind altering effects of drugs are the root cause of violent crimes, committed by the abuser. Many of the substance abusers get into crimes like sexual assault and domestic violence under the influence of drugs. Sometimes, they get life sentence due to their crime or even years of jail. The abilities and talent of a substance abuser remains undiscovered and the person either becomes mentally retarded or commits suicide.

People lose their lives, get punished, suffer from guilt and catch fatal diseases like HIV and AIDS due to substance abuse. It is not only the life of substance abuser that is destroyed but also that of his/her family and loved ones. It is a tragedy for the family, friends and for the abuser. There is nothing positive about the substance abuse as they destroy their lives completely.

If you are looking for permanent solution for substance abuse treatment then contact a specialist today for advice and treatment.

New York is the largest city of United States of America (USA) and an important port. It is a vibrant commerce center with all types of industries. It also boasts of some excellent educational institutions and vast cultural resources.

New York is truly the melting pot of various cultures of the world and the most important tourist destination of America. Drug abuse is becoming a widespread problem in the USA.

Drug abusing employees have become a burden on many a businesses in terms of the health and time factors. To reduce these costs, drug testing is becoming a common issue now.

Reasons to Conduct Drug Testing:

• As a screening device. Drug tests help to screen out alcohol and drug abusing employees to protect your business from later day losses.

• As a defensive tool. Drug test protects your company from violence or safety violations by theses employees. It also protects from negligent hiring claims in case of any mishap in the company due to drug abusers.

• Legal requirement. Drug and alcohol testing is mandatory for certain federal and State safety sensitive positions or occupations.

• No discrimination. You have to screen all applicants for drug abuse; no discrimination is allowed against any protected groups. The program should comply with all procedures, safeguards and limitations of testing program.

• Notice. Many drug and alcohol testing laws require that job applicants be notified in advance for company’s drug testing rule.

Starting A Drug Testing Consultant Business

The effects of drug abuse among young people are devastating. It is a hydra headed monster with no exact solution in sight. It has been noticed that home drug testing scares the youth for losing out in job market. This reduces drug abuse among youth considerably.

• Benefits. Drug testing consultancy is a nascent but a huge market with almost no competition. It has a low start up cost and overheads. You perform yeoman services to the youth and their parents from saving them from the harmful effects of substance abuse.

• Mentoring and guidance. The state testing laboratories provide with all the training, mentoring, and educative material for starting your drug-testing consultancy services. They provide the following material to start with:

• Twenty-four urine specimen drug test kits for detecting the most commonly used drugs of abuse. This kit is reasonably priced; US FDA approved and gives 99.9% accurate results.

• 25 copies of ‘a how to guide for parents and caregivers’ to keep your kids’ drug free. You can re-order 500 additional copies at no charge of this highly informative booklet.

• Drug test consultant manual with FAQ’s.

• One year of unlimited mentoring about new techniques of testing.

• Experience. No prior experience necessary, it is extremely easy to start and operate.

• No franchisee fees. It’s a complete turnkey business for success. It gives quick returns on your investment; all profits are yours as no royalty or franchisee fees to be paid to anyone.

The drug testing consultant business is not only very profitable, but is also a noble way to help keep the youth free from the monster of drug abuse.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com – The Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

Business Owners all across the country are joining “The Community of Small Business Owners” to receive and provide strategies, insight, tips, support and more on starting, managing, growing, and selling their businesses. As a member, you will have access to true Millionaire Business Owners who will provide strategies and tips from their real-life experiences.

This is a legal question. I am under probation for a DUI offense. My probation officer demands that I go to some sort of “treatment” program. She wants me to go off certain medications that probation feels are “addictive”.  Anyway, the probation officer spoke with my doctor and identified me as a “substance abuse” offender. She had no written authorization to do this”release” and my doctor informed in an email that she had NO knowledge of this info prior. To my understanding this could be a violation of HIPAA laws and protected health information laws. Please professional or knowledgeable answers only. And yes I have a copy of the mail.

Before I respond to your questions, I find it amazing that you want professional or knowledgeable answers and yet everything you wrote had to be edited so that others could make sense of what you were articulating.  Couldn’t you at least take the time to proofread what you had written?  You sound like you are in the third grade.

I find it interesting that you are looking so intently at your rights and yet you violated the rights of others by drinking and driving.  Wake the hell up and look in the mirror.  You are on a “loser” path and need to address your drug and/or alcohol abuse before you become an addict.

No it is not a violation of HIPAA.  Your doctor did not disclose any information and when you committed the DUI you gave up some of your rights.  You need to learn some better coping skills and how to become more responsible in life.

What advice would you give to someone who deals with visual triggers to use alcohol or drugs.  For example, one of my clients lives in an area where when he walks down the street he sees people on patio bars and this triggers him. MOVING IS NOT AN OPTION – this is where the treatment facility is located. Traveling a different route is not an option for the most part. What are some effective coping skills he may utilize?
please no more ridiculous responses.

You are never going to get to a stage where he is completely devoid of visual triggers – unless of course he chooses to move to a Muslim country. He should use hypnotherapy to remove the trigger response and replace it with a reinforcement of his sobriety. If you need more information on the treatment of drug and alcohol issues, take a look at http://www.vancouverhypnotherapy.org/hypnosis_for_alcoholism.html

I hope this helps.

I am writing a persuasive speech about teen substance abuse but I need A good question to persuade people about the importance of this topic.  Any suggestions?

Here’s a good question:

Why would people want to try drugs if there is a chance that you will become addicted and ruin your life?

If you want to protect your family or if you think that you are getting in a dangerous situation, you should know what signs to look for to prevent things from getting worse.

Drug abuse might become a problem without you realizing it. This means that most of the times, patients cannot even understand when their bad habits gained control over them. The first thing to alert you is to find yourself neglected the things you have to do, feeling that you cannot do them or simply not doing them. This could be the case for you and your every day cares or for children that are failing classes and don’t show interest in their activities. You may also see that you are getting in trouble for this behavior, for example if your coworkers or your boss is complaining about the sudden change in your behavior or your teachers are threatening to kick you out of school. You might also be making new friends that no one likes and having old friends simply not talking to you anymore. Fights with your best friend or your loved one also indicate that you are in trouble. All these are signs that you are having a problem. They are the first signs coming from your social environment that show your problem might be getting out of hand and requires help.

Apart from these facts that are early signs coming from social circles that can alert you, you can also watch for signs in the behavior of the individual. A sudden change in appetite is very common. The person using drugs might have an increased appetite or on the contrary might not want to eat at all. A change in the way the person acts inside the house or towards you is also suspicious. If the person suddenly starts talking too much or falls into silence, chances are he is facing a very serious drug problem. A change in the way the person dresses is also an indication. Putting on long sleeved shirts is certainly something to check.

You should also get worried if the person starts forgetting things you have discussed and cannot concentrate at all. Physical symptoms include red eyes, pupils that are smaller or larger than before, trembling voice or words that are not clear and cannot make up a meaningful sentence, hearing loss, slow reflexes and insomnia are common.

There are many signs of drug abuse and you should keep an eye for all of them. Depending on the abuse the person can also show more severe signs such as nose bleeding, liver problems, problems of the respiratory system and any health problem that might seem innocent but appears very frequently can indicate a drug problem. Above all, keep in mind the one thing that can make things clearer and that is loss of money. If the person you are worried about needs more and more money or if things are missing from the house, you don’t need to look any more. Just ask for help.

Brent McNutt enjoys networking with healthcare professionals online. He also likes talking about Landau Scrubs and Landau Shoes and also likes writing articles about various topics.

Natural Healing For Substance Abuse

Whether you’re talking about drugs, tobacco or alcohol, substance abuse can take control of your life and send it spiraling downward. The misuse of alcohol, cigarettes and legal and illegal drugs is the main cause of premature death and preventable illness in the United States, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Some people particularly those from families with histories of drug and alcohol problems seem to be more susceptible than others to substance abuse. If you suspect that you have a problem, seek professional treatment. Natural remedies in conjunction with professional care used with your doctor’s approval may help you overcome substance abuse.

Aromatherapy

The essential oil everlast (also known as helichrysum or immortelle) encourages cellular regeneration and helps the body repair the damage done by drugs or alcohol. Everlast is a key ingredient in the following blend of essential oils, developed to help those in recovery combat cravings for drugs or alcohol. Mix three parts lemon (to detoxify), two parts geranium (to balance the adrenal system) and one part everlast essential oils. Store the mixture in a bottle small enough to fit in your pocket or purse. “You can inhale directly from this bottle whenever you have a craving”

About the Author

Douglas Adams is the owner of All Wellbeing.com , a website dedicated to increasing knowledge of health related issues.