The Drug Defeatist Handbook

Drug abuse and addiction, now both grouped as substance or drug use disorder, is a condition characterized by a self-destructive pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems and distress, which may include tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance. Drug use disorder is unfortunately quite common, affecting more than 8%%%% of people in the United States at some point in their lives. Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a drug-use issue in addition to a serious mental health condition in an individual. People can abuse virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric ("high") feeling. Inhalants like household cleaners are some of the most commonly abused substances. While the specific physical and psychological effects of drug use disorder tend to vary based on the particular substance involved, the general effects of a substance use disorder involving any drug can be devastating.