substance abuse

See more synonyms for substance abuse on Thesaurus.com

noun

long-term, pathological use of alcohol or drugs, characterized by daily intoxication, inability to reduce consumption, and impairment in social or occupational functioning; broadly, alcohol or drug addiction.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for substance abuse

addiction, alcoholism, habit, dipsomania

Examples from the Web for substance abuse

Contemporary Examples of substance abuse

If helping people with substance-abuse problems is your main concern, you know where to start.
One War We Should Be Happy to Lose Once and For All: the Drug War
Nick Gillespie
June 21, 2014
Substance-abuse disorders, however, have not increased among children, teenagers, and adolescents.
CDC Report Paints Bleak Picture of American Kids With Mental Disorders
Eliza Shapiro
May 17, 2013
Army regulations required him to have substance-abuse counseling, but commanders never sent him.
PTSD: How the U.S. Army Failed Veteran Courtney Lockhart
David Philipps
November 10, 2010
At the same time, four of six staff positions for the substance-abuse office at Fort Carson sat empty.
PTSD: How the U.S. Army Failed Veteran Courtney Lockhart
David Philipps
November 10, 2010
A dual diagnosis is a person who is mentally ill and has a substance-abuse problem.
The Rehab Show That Works
Natasha Vargas-Cooper
July 21, 2010

substance abuse in Medicine

substance abuse

n.

Excessive use of a potentially addictive substance, especially one that may modify body functions, such as alcohol and drugs.chemical abuse

Related formssubstance abuser n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.