{"id":120086,"date":"2020-08-13T11:00:28","date_gmt":"2020-08-13T10:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=120086"},"modified":"2023-01-24T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T12:00:00","slug":"substance-abuse-vs-addiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/substance-abuse-vs-addiction.htm","title":{"rendered":"Substance Abuse vs Addiction – What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"substance

By: Find Rehab Centers<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Substance abuse vs addiction<\/a> — what is the difference? And why does it matter?<\/p>\n

From use to abuse<\/h3>\n

Substance use could be seen as a spectrum. At one end<\/strong>, you have someone who uses no substances. At the other, addiction. In the middle, people who use substances, but it\u2019s not negatively affecting their life.<\/p>\n

Substance abuse could be seen as the space between <\/strong>the middle and the end. Between using without issue, and addiction.<\/p>\n

It means you are using substances in ways that are increasingly having a negative impact on your physical or psychological health<\/a>, even if you don\u2019t qualify as an addict.<\/em><\/p>\n

What sort of substances are we talking about?<\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t have a problem, because you are just using a<\/strong> few extra painkillers here and there, but they are your prescription? Or because it’s \u2018only wine\u2019?<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be street drugs<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to be an issue. Misuse of prescription medication is also substance abuse. And wine is alcohol. Alcohol abuse<\/span><\/a> is a common and very real problem.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And yes, smoking weed counts, too. Here in the UK, the<\/strong> National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) states in their guide to drug misuse<\/a> that cannabis is the most used drug, followed by cocaine, then other stimulants such as amphetamine.<\/p>\n

Official diagnoses of substance abuse and addiction<\/h3>\n

Is substance abuse an official mental health diagnosis? Yes<\/strong> — but the wording has recently changed, and depends on what reference guide your mental health professional is using.<\/p>\n

DSM-V definitions<\/h3>\n

In America, diagnoses are all done with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Until recently, you could receive an official diagnosis of ‘substance abuse disorder’ or<\/strong> ‘substance dependence disorder’ (the official term for addiction).<\/p>\n

But the current edition, the DSM-5, has combined abuse disorder and dependence disorder into one category, ‘substance use disorder’,<\/strong> that works over a spectrum. You can have either a mild, moderate, or severe version.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is determined by how many symptoms you have from a list of eleven.<\/strong> T<\/span>wo or three would indicate \u2018mild substance use disorder\u2019, four or five symptoms \u2018moderate\u2019, and six or more \u2018severe\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The list of symptoms includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n