Drug abuse refers to the long-term and excessive use of drugs and substances with dependence characteristics or dependence potential. It is a drug use behavior that deviates from recognized medical uses and social behavioral norms such as medical treatment, prevention and health care. This drug use behavior is often caused by self-administration, which can not only cause mental or physical harm to the individual who uses the drug, but also cause harm to society.
The scope of drug abuse substances mainly includes narcotic drugs such as opioids and marijuana, psychotropic drugs such as diazepam, central nervous system depressants, central nervous system stimulants such as caffeine and ephedrine, volatile organic solvents such as gasoline and lighter fuel, and addictive substances such as tobacco and alcohol.
Drug abuse may cause acute poisoning. For example, excessive alcohol consumption may cause serious adverse consequences such as respiratory failure. It may also cause memory loss. For example, many addictive substances such as marijuana, amphetamines and hallucinogens can cause cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. It may also cause brain damage and sequelae such as tinnitus. If drug abuse occurs during pregnancy, it may also affect embryonic development and cause fetal developmental retardation.
In addition, drug abuse should be distinguished from antibiotic abuse.
Although antibiotic abuse can cause harm to the body, such as drug resistance and allergic reactions, antibiotics are basically not addictive.
