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Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a pattern of repeated use of alcohol, drugs, or both even though this use causes unpleasant or distressing events in the user's life. You have a substance abuse problem if one or more of the following have occurred within the last 12 months:

Substance use interferes with your ability to carry through with your obligations at home, school, or work. This includes:
- Repeated absences from work or school or poor performance because you are drunk, high, or hung over.
- Getting kicked out of school; getting fired.
- Neglecting your family or home.
You repeatedly use alcohol, drugs, or both in dangerous situations, such as while driving a car or a boat, or operating machinery.
You have legal problems related to substance abuse, such as arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) or disorderly conduct.
You continue to use alcohol, drugs, or both despite social or personal problems caused or made worse by use of the substance. This includes everything from arguments with a family member about drug use to physical fights with strangers.

By	Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer	William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer	Peter Monti, PhD - Alcohol and Addiction
Last Revised	October 13, 2011

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: October 13, 2011

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information.