Getting help through education, support groups, or counseling can help get people back on the right track. Thanks to scientific research over the past two decades, we know far more about alcohol and drugs and their effects on health than we knew about the effects of smoking when the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released in 1964. For instance, we now know that repeated substance misuse carries the greatest threat of developing into a substance use disorder when substance use begins in adolescence. We also know that substance use disorders involve persistent changes in specific brain circuits that control the perceived value of a substance as well as reward, stress, and executive functions, like decision making and self-control. To be effective, prevention programs and policies should be designed to address the common risk and protective factors that influence the most common health threats affecting young people.
Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that affects a person’s brain and behavior and leads to an inability to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medicine. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you’re addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. Substance use and substance use disorder differ by the frequency of use and the effect on a person’s life. Some people may use substances to Substance abuse help them cope with the symptoms of their mental health condition.
Drug Abuse Among States
Prevention programs and interventions can have a strong impact and be cost-effective, but only if evidence-based components are used and if those components are delivered in a coordinated and consistent fashion throughout the at-risk period. Parents, schools, health care systems, faith communities, and social service organizations should be involved in delivering comprehensive, evidence-based community prevention programs that are sustained over time. Sometimes, people with substance use disorders may take risks while using, like driving under the influence. They can develop tolerance (needing more of the substance to feel the same effects) or withdrawal symptoms when they stop.
Adolescents may have shorter substance-use histories than adults, so physical tolerance or withdrawal might be less obvious. Substance use disorder isn’t just about how often someone uses a substance; it’s about how that use impacts their everyday life. To learn more about alcohol treatment options and search for quality care near you, please visit the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator.
What is Substance Use vs. Substance Abuse?
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (e‐cigarettes) have been proposed as smoking‐cessation aids176. A recent Cochrane review concluded with moderate certainty that they are more effective than nicotine‐replacement treatments177, but the US Preventive Services Task Force concluded that the evidence is insufficient to recommend them for smoking cessation178. Instead, it recommended FDA‐approved medications, consistent with other US professional organizations179, 180. This differs from the UK, where e‐cigarettes are encouraged as smoking‐cessation aids181.
- Some people who take these medications can develop a substance use disorder, even when they’re using the medication exactly as prescribed.
- Your brain and body want to continue this good feeling, even if it’s unhealthy.
- Specifically, because psychiatric disorders increase the vulnerability for SUDs, their early diagnosis and treatment could help prevent SUDs.
The specific causes of substance use disorder are unclear, though they seem to be a combination of hereditary, environmental and social factors. But the increasing use of drugs and drinking can come with serious risk and devastating consequences. Brain imaging studies of people with addiction show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision-making, learning and memory, and behavior control.12 These changes help explain the compulsive nature of addiction. Consider how a social drinker can become intoxicated, get behind the wheel of a car, and quickly turn a pleasurable activity into a tragedy substance use vs abuse that affects many lives. Occasional drug use, such as misusing an opioid to get high, can have similarly disastrous effects, including impaired driving and overdose.
Stimulant Abuse
Substance use disorders are linked to many health problems, and overdoses can lead to emergency department visits and deaths. No matter where you are on your recovery journey, treatment and support can help you recover from substance use disorder and addiction. The following five general messages described within the Report have important implications for policy and practice. These are followed by specific evidence-based suggestions for the roles individuals, families, organizations, and communities can play in more effectively addressing this major health issue.
In heroin use disorder, for example, your doctor may prescribe a medication called methadone or buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone). These medications can ease your recovery and help you cope with the intense withdrawal stage. Some people who take these medications can develop a substance use disorder, even when they’re using the medication exactly as prescribed. Examples include methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also called MDMA, ecstasy https://lagosgoldandgemconference.com/what-is-a-halfway-house-what-to-expect-2/ or molly, and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, known as GHB. Other examples include ketamine and flunitrazepam or Rohypnol — a brand used outside the U.S. — also called roofie.
Jan. 9, 2026: National Advocacy Update
If you have extra doses you no longer need, return them through a pharmacy or community take-back program. The best way to prevent an addiction to a drug is not to take the drug at all. If your health care provider prescribes a drug with the potential for addiction, use care when taking the drug and follow instructions. Some commonly inhaled substances include glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids and household aerosol products.
In the past, many individuals and families have kept silent about substance-related issues because of shame, guilt, or fear of exposure or recrimination. Breaking the silence and isolation around such issues is crucial, so that individuals and families confronting substance misuse and its consequences know that they are not alone and can openly seek treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, the earlier treatment begins, the better the outcomes are likely to be.
Injury Prevention
Implementation research is needed to develop, test and scale up evidence‐based interventions and determine optimal approaches for each population and setting. Substance use and SUDs are multidetermined, with the different risk factors playing varying roles at different life stages, from the prenatal period and childhood to early and late adulthood78, 79, 164. The goal of SUD prevention is avoiding the use of psychoactive substances, in order to foster healthy development and ensure that young people are best able to realize their potential and engage positively with their families, schools and communities273.
The CDC reported more than 2,200 alcohol poisoning deaths in 2014 — an average of six deaths every day (10). Importantly, approximately 70% of those alcohol-overdose deaths occurred among those who did not meet diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependence; nor were they using other drugs at the time of the death (10). One particularly clear implication from these findings is that reducing the harms and costs of substance related problems in the United States cannot occur simply by treating addictions. The greatest public health benefit will come from reducing substance misuse in the general population. Of course, reducing population rates of substance misuse will also reduce rates of addiction (see below). As shown in Table 1, approximately 17% of the 12 years of age or older population (44 million people) reported use of an illegal drug, non-medical use of a prescribed drug, or heavy alcohol use during the prior year.
