What is substance abuse?

According to definition of World Health Organization (WHO) , addiction of medicaments (psychoactive substances, drugs) is a special mental and sometimes physical condition that incur by affecting an agent who creates addiction to organism and reactions of organism on it. It is characteristic for experience of compulsion for periodical or regular taking of drug (substance) that creates addiction, with intention to experience its wanted effect or to avoid inconveniences because of taking that agent. In the case of addiction very often is development of tolerance (that means that the addict must take bigger and bigger doses of drug (substance) because previous (less) doses do not have an effect anymore, or they do not have it in dose that is needed. Tolerance towards one medicament (psychoactive substance, drug) at the same time means tolerance towards all drugs (substances) from the same group (ex. person addicted from one PAS and have created tolerance towards it, in the same time is addicted and have tolerance to other PAS also).

Psychical addiction – appearance that optimal psychical and mental condition and functioning of the person starts to depend of taking the medicament (PAS, drug). It is being produced because medicament (PAS, drug), in certain time frame causes a pleasant and specific condition and creates a habit that is being retrieved only by taking the drug (substance).

Physical addiction – changed condition of organism that becomes visible after stopping taking medicament (PAS, drug) that causes addiction. It is being manifested by physical disorders that are single named as abstinence syndrome (abstinent crisis). Most often symptoms that are occurring in this syndrome are opposite to those which substance is regularly causing.