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Social Problem of Substance Abuse

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The Social Problem of Substance Abuse
Donna S. West
WGU GLT1 Task 2

The Social Problem of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse and addiction issues impact individuals, families, and communities in many ways and can be directly connected to costly social, physical, mental, and public health problems. In addition, substance abuse related issues have an overwhelming impact on the criminal justice system.
Describe the social problem of Substance Abuse
The way substance abuse is defined or understood can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the person or situation it may be related to. In simple terms, abuse is determined when there is a level of dysfunction related to the person's use of drugs or alcohol. One standard definition, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [HHS/SAMHSA], 1994, describes abuse as "the use of a psychoactive drug to such an extent that its effects seriously interfere with health or occupational and social functioning." The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) is standard in the medical and mental health fields for diagnosing both substance abuse and behavioral health disorders. According to the DSM-IV, substance abuse is "a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by" a variety of possible symptoms of impairment (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Social attitudes as well as political and legal regulations related to alcohol and illicit drug use make substance abuse a challenging public health issue to manage. There continues to be an ongoing debate between social ignorance, whereas some believe substance abusers can simply choose to stop, and the science that substance abuse is a disease that can be explained by a

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