BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuSubstance useSubstance abuse; Illicit drug abuse; Narcotic abuse; Hallucinogen abuseSubstance use is the continued use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medicines with negative consequences. These consequences may involve:Substance useSubstance use disorder occurs when a person's use of alcohol or another substance (drug) leads to health issues or problems at work, school, or home....Read Article Now Book Mark Article Problems at work, school, home or in interpersonal relationships Problems with the law Health problems Physical risks that come with using drugs in dangerous situationsSubstances that are commonly used include:Alcohol AlcoholAlcohol use disorder is when your drinking causes serious problems in your life, yet you keep drinking. You may also need more and more alcohol to f...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Amphetamines AmphetaminesAmphetamines are drugs. They can be legal or illegal. They are legal when they are prescribed by a doctor and used to treat health problems such as...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Cocaine CocaineCocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine comes as a white powder, which can be dissolved in water. It is available as a powder or...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Inhalants InhalantsInhalants are chemical vapors that are breathed in on purpose to get high. Inhalant use became popular in the 1960s with teens who sniffed glue. Sin...Read Article Now Book Mark Article LSD LSDLSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It is an illegal street drug that comes as a white powder or clear colorless liquid. It is available in ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Marijuana MarijuanaMarijuana comes from a plant called hemp. Its scientific name is Cannabis sativa. The main, active ingredient in marijuana is THC (short for delta-...Read Article Now Book Mark Article PCP PCPPhencyclidine (PCP) is an illegal street drug that usually comes as a white powder, which can be dissolved in alcohol or water. It can be bought as ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Prescription medicinesPrescription medicinesWhen a medicine is not taken in the way it is meant to be used and a person is addicted to it, the problem is called prescription drug use disorder. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Association. Substance-related and addictive disorders. In: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2022.Weiss RD, Liebschutz JM. Drug use disorders. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 365.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Drug use first aid(Injury)Substance use disorder(Condition) Review Date: 6/5/2022 Reviewed By: Fred K. Berger, MD, addiction and forensic psychiatrist, Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, CA. Internal review and update on 07/23/2023 by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Substance useSubstance abuse; Illicit drug abuse; Narcotic abuse; Hallucinogen abuseSubstance use is the continued use of alcohol, illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter medicines with negative consequences. These consequences may involve:Substance useSubstance use disorder occurs when a person's use of alcohol or another substance (drug) leads to health issues or problems at work, school, or home....Read Article Now Book Mark Article Problems at work, school, home or in interpersonal relationships Problems with the law Health problems Physical risks that come with using drugs in dangerous situationsSubstances that are commonly used include:Alcohol AlcoholAlcohol use disorder is when your drinking causes serious problems in your life, yet you keep drinking. You may also need more and more alcohol to f...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Amphetamines AmphetaminesAmphetamines are drugs. They can be legal or illegal. They are legal when they are prescribed by a doctor and used to treat health problems such as...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Cocaine CocaineCocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine comes as a white powder, which can be dissolved in water. It is available as a powder or...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Inhalants InhalantsInhalants are chemical vapors that are breathed in on purpose to get high. Inhalant use became popular in the 1960s with teens who sniffed glue. Sin...Read Article Now Book Mark Article LSD LSDLSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It is an illegal street drug that comes as a white powder or clear colorless liquid. It is available in ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Marijuana MarijuanaMarijuana comes from a plant called hemp. Its scientific name is Cannabis sativa. The main, active ingredient in marijuana is THC (short for delta-...Read Article Now Book Mark Article PCP PCPPhencyclidine (PCP) is an illegal street drug that usually comes as a white powder, which can be dissolved in alcohol or water. It can be bought as ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Prescription medicinesPrescription medicinesWhen a medicine is not taken in the way it is meant to be used and a person is addicted to it, the problem is called prescription drug use disorder. ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Open ReferencesReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Association. Substance-related and addictive disorders. In: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2022.Weiss RD, Liebschutz JM. Drug use disorders. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 365.