Substance abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Substance abuse - Essay Example There are various other substances which can be abused like: cocaine, marijuana, opiates, steroid, inhalants, and tobacco (refer Fig A). Under the manual guidelines published by WHO and the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the term ‘drug abuse’ is not official anymore; instead they have opted for the term ‘substance abuse’ that in its nature and scope includes the term drug abuse. According to APA (1932), the term drug abuse can be applicable â€Å"to the illegal, nonmedical use of a limited number of substances, most of them drugs, which have properties of altering the mental state in ways that are considered by social norms and defined by statute to be inappropriate, undesirable, harmful, threatening, or, at minimum, culture-alien" (Glasscote, et al., 1932). However, we find that in 1973, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, recommended the removal of the term ‘drug abuse’ from official documents; stating that the term refers to only social disapproval, and actually has no relevant scientific meaning. The Commission states â€Å"drug abuse may refer to any type of drug or chemical without regard to its pharmacologic actions...The Commission believes that the term drug abuse must be deleted from official pronouncements and public policy dialogue. The term has no functional utility and has become no more than an arbitrary codeword for that drug use which is presently considered wrong†. According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders  (DSM-IV-TR), substance dependence can be termed as â€Å"When an individual persists in use of alcohol or other drugs despite problems related to use of the substance,  substance dependence  may be diagnosed. Compulsive and repetitive use may result in tolerance to the effect of the drug and withdrawal symptoms when use is reduced or stopped† (APA, 2000). Chemical dependence is the same thing as substance dependence,