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Substance use disorder

Substance use disorder is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Substance use disorder rather than just read about it. In short: Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include substance use problems and problematic drug or alcohol use.

Substance use disorder — main illustration
Substance use disorder — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Substance use disorder belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Substance use disorder to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Substance use disorder from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include substance use problems and problematic drug or alcohol use. Along with substance-induced disorders (SIDs), they are categorized as substance-related disorders. Substance use disorders vary with regard to the average age of onset. It is not uncommon for those who have SUD to also have other mental health disorders. The coexistence of both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder (SUD) is referred to as co-occurring disorders. Substance use disorders are characterized by an array of mental, emotional, physical, and behavioral problems such as chronic guilt; an inability to reduce or stop consuming the substance(s) despite repeated attempts; operating vehicles while intoxicated; and physiological withdrawal symptoms. Drug classes that are commonly involved in SUD include: alcohol (alcoholism); cannabis; opioids; stimulants such as nicotine (including tobacco), cocaine and amphetamines; benzodiazepines; barbiturates; and other substances. In the DSM-5 (2013), the DSM-IV diagnoses of substance abuse and substance dependence were merged into the category of substance use disorders. The severity of substance use disorders can vary widely; in the DSM-5 diagnosis of a SUD, the severity of an individual's SUD is qualified as mild, moderate, or severe on the basis of how many of the 11 diagnostic criteria are met. The ICD-11 divides substance use disorders into two categories: (1) harmful pattern of substance use; and (2) substance dependence. In 2017, globally 271 million people (5.5% of adults) were estimated to have used one or more illicit drugs. Of these, 35 million had a substance use disorder. An additional 237 million men and 46 million women have alcohol use disorder as of 2016. In 2017, substance use disorders from illicit substances directly resulted in 585,000 deaths. Direct deaths from drug use, other than alcohol, have increased over 60 percent from 2000 to 2015. Alcohol use resulted in an additional 3 million deaths in 2016.

Etiology

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent and exact a large toll on individuals' health, well-being, and social functioning. Long-lasting changes in brain networks involved in reward, executive function, stress reactivity, mood, and self-awareness underlie the intense drive to consume substances and the inability to control this urge in a person who suffers from addiction (moderate or severe SUD). Biological (including genetics and developmental life stages) and social (including adverse childhood experiences) determinants of health are recognized factors that contribute to vulnerability to or resilience against developing a SUD. Consequently, prevention strategies that target social risk factors can improve outcomes and, when deployed in childhood and adolescence, can decrease the risk for these disorders. This section divides substance use disorder causes into categories consistent with the biopsychosocial model. However, it is important to bear in mind that these categories are used by scientists partly for convenience; the categories often overlap (for example, adolescents and adults whose parents had—or have—an alcohol use disorder display higher rates of alcohol problems, a phenomenon that can be due to genetic, observational learning, socioeconomic, and other causal factors); and these categories are not the only ways to classify substance use disorder etiology. Similarly, most researchers in this and related areas (such as the etiology of psychopathology generally), emphasize that various causal factors interact and influence each other in complex and multifaceted ways.

Social determinants Among older adults, being divorced, separated, or single, having more financial resources, lack of religious affiliation, bereavement, involuntary retirement, and homelessness are all associated with alcohol problems, including alcohol use disorder. Issues may often be interconnected: people without jobs are more likely to abuse substances which then makes them unable to work. Not having a job leads to stress and sometimes depression which in turn can cause an individual to increase substance use. This leads to a cycle of substance abuse and unemployment. Housing instability and homelessness are associated with increased risk of substance use and can create barriers to accessing treatment and recovery support. The likelihood of substance abuse can increase during childhood. Through a study conducted in 2021 about the effect childhood experiences have on future substance use, researchers found that there is a direct connection between the two factors. Individuals that had experiences in their childhood which left them traumatized in some way had a much higher chance of substance abuse. While SUD is often viewed as a person-centered issue, it is also a family disease. Individuals struggling with substance abuse frequently damage relationships with loved ones, and in severe cases, SUD can lead to family separation through divorce or intervention by government agencies like Child Protective Services (CPS). Unfortunately, it may even result in suicide, leaving families to grieve. SUD is commonly associated with a range of emotional and psychological problems, including anger, guilt, depression, anxiety, and violence. These issues not only affect the individual but also their family and community. To effectively combat SUD, it's crucial to address its causes particularly in mental health challenges. By improving access to mental health care, people can help prevent and treat substance use more effectively. There are many programs available to support individuals and families affected by SUD. These include therapy centers, support groups, and dedicated treatment facilities such as Bear River Health, Sacred Heart, Harbor Hall, and ATS. Peer support plays a vital role in recovery. Organizations like Al-Anon/Nar-Anon, AA/NA, Celebrate Recovery, and DHARMA provide the support to individuals and families navigating the challenges of substance use.

Psychological determinants

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Substance use disorder illustration
Substance use disorder: Two women and a man smoking in an opium den, late 19th century
Two women and a man smoking in an opium den, late 19th century
Substance use disorder: Share with drug use disorders
Share with drug use disorders
Substance use disorder: Deaths from substance disorders (WHO)
Deaths from substance disorders (WHO)
Substance use disorder: Death rates from drug use
Death rates from drug use

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Substance use disorder

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Substance use disorder claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Substance use disorder before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Substance use disorder ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Substance use disorder

In research
Substance use disorder appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Substance use disorder in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Substance use disorder is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Addiction, Substance-related disorders, Substance dependence, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Substance use disorder outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Substance use disorder in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Substance use disorder means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Substance use disorder out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Substance use disorder in simple terms?

Substance use disorder (SUD) is the persistent use of drugs despite substantial harm and adverse consequences to self and others. Related terms include substance use problems and problematic drug or alcohol use.

Why does Substance use disorder matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Substance use disorder?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Substance use disorder.

Tags

  • Addiction
  • Substance-related disorders
  • Substance dependence

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