Substance Abuse

Substance Abuse: repeated use of mind/mood altering substances that results in mild to moderate life consequences for that person and/or those around him/her.

Mind /mood altering substances may include: alcohol, some prescription medications, marijuana, meth, oxycontin, ecstasy, crack cocaine, cocaine other than the crack form, LSD, heroin, sleeping pills, inhalants (whippets/poppers) and steroids.

Consequences may involve:

DUI
Legal issues
Marital, relationship and/or family problems
Job problems (e.g. repeated absences, calling in ill, poor work performance or being late to work)
School problems (Rapid change in grades, suspensions, expulsions)
Health problems
Financial problems
Behavior problems
Rapid change in mood
Rapid change in personality

Tipsheets

Alcohol Use Questionnaire
Approaching a Loved One About Substance Abuse
Recover From Addiction With Support Around You

Websites of Interest

Military Mental Health Web site	Mental health self-assessment program for depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol use, anxiety and PTSD for service members and their families.
Mental Health America Web site	Mental Health America – substance abuse and alcoholism
Alcoholics Anonymous Web site	Alcoholics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous Web site	Narcotics Anonymous
Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration Web site	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration Web Site	U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA - one-stop resource for the most current and comprehensive information about substance abuse prevention and treatment.
After Deployment	A mental wellness resource for Service Members, Veterans and Military Families. The mission of afterdeployment.org is to assist you and the people close to you to manage your after-deployment concerns.

Last Update: March 29,2010