Definition Of Drug Abuse - What Is The Definition Of Drug Abuse?

Drug abuse does not have only a single definition; it has a wide range of definitions that relate to the use of a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug in order to achieve a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. These are in sharp contrast to what we call responsible drug use. Drugs often abused include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methaqualone, and opium alkaloids. Other definitions of drug abuse can be classified into four main categories: public health definitions, mass communication and vernacular usage, medical definitions, and political and criminal justice definitions.

The definition of drug abuse by public health practitioners lays more stress on society than the individual. Their definition endeavors to look at the problem from a broader perspective and emphasizes the role of society, culture and availability. Instead of using the terms alcohol or drug "abuse," a number of public health professionals prefer to use terms like "substance and alcohol type problems" or "harmful/problematic use" of drugs.

In British Columbia, the Health Officers Council in 2005 chose to challenge the simplistic black-and-white construction of the binary antonyms "use" vs. "abuse". Instead, their model recognized a spectrum of use, varying from beneficial use to chronic dependence.

In recent times, neither the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) nor the World Health Organization's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) recognizes 'drug abuse' as a medical diagnosis. The DSM has opted for the term ‘substance abuse,' which includes drug abuse and other things. The ICD, on the other hand, does not use either "substance abuse" or "drug abuse", but prefers the term "harmful use" to cover physical or psychological harm to the user from use.

No matter how a definition of drug abuse is formulated, it causes social and health problems, morbidity, injuries, unsafe sexual contacts, violence, deaths, car mishaps, homicides, suicides, mortality, physical dependence or psychological addiction. Drug abuse affects the central nervous system (CNS), which produce changes in mood, levels of awareness or perceptions and sensations. Other systems are also affected by drug abuse and some drugs lead to more severe addiction than others.



Most countries have designed laws to criminalize certain types of drug use. But although these drugs are often called "illegal drugs," what is effectively illegal is their unlicensed production, distribution, and possession. These drugs are also known as "controlled substances". Even for simple possession, legal punishment can be quite severe (including the death penalty in some countries, especially the Middle East). Laws are different in different countries, and even within them, and they have been found to fluctuate widely throughout history.

However, drug control policies sponsored by governments have rarely succeeded in interdicting drug supply and eliminating drug abuse. In spite of the massive efforts undertaken by the US, the number of nonviolent drug offenders who had to be imprisoned is much more than the corresponding number in the European Union, although the EU has 100 million more citizens. Big, organized criminal drug cartels operate their business all across the world. Those who are for decriminalization are of the view that drug dealing business flourishes because of drug prohibition that leads to various types of criminal activity.

• Juliana Breckinridge
• 16/06/2009, 12:59 PM
• 0 Comments