substance abuse
- 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.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for substance abuse
Contemporary Examples
If helping people with substance-abuse problems is your main concern, you know where to start.
Substance-abuse disorders, however, have not increased among children, teenagers, and adolescents.
Army regulations required him to have substance-abuse counseling, but commanders never sent him.
At the same time, four of six staff positions for the substance-abuse office at Fort Carson sat empty.
A dual diagnosis is a person who is mentally ill and has a substance-abuse problem.
substance abuse
- Excessive use of a potentially addictive substance, especially one that may modify body functions, such as alcohol and drugs.chemical abuse
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.