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What is addiction/substance use disorder/recreational drug use?

The Venn diagram illustrates how mental health, substance addiction, substance abuse, and recreational use are connected. Each area represents different levels of substance use and its effects on well-being, but the overlap demonstrates how they often interact. Understanding these relationships helps provide non-judgmental, compassionate care, focusing on early intervention, prevention, and personalized support. All individual’s experiences and needs are unique, so care must be tailored to promote healing and resilience, rather than focusing solely on addiction or abstinence.

Trauma plays a key role in substance use, as people often turn to substances for relief or self-medication. This emphasizes the importance of trauma-informed care in addiction treatment. By addressing trauma, we can better understand the root causes of struggles, offering support focused on healing, resilience, and long-term mental health, rather than just treating the surface level symptoms of substance use.

Sources:

  1. Co-Occurring Disorders and Health Conditions | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Home Page: Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment (NIDA. 2024, September 30. Co-Occurring Disorders and Health Conditions. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/co-occurring-disorders-health-conditions on 2024, November 8)
  2. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study - PubMed Felitti et al. (1998), "The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study", American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258.,
  3. Mental health WHO (2024)
  4. Understanding Drug Use and Addiction DrugFacts | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) 2018, June 6. Understanding Drug Use and Addiction DrugFacts. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/understanding-drug-use-addiction on 2024, November 9
  5. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2023)
  6. Addiction definition: American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). (2019). "Definition of Addiction." Retrieved from ASAM. 
  7. Recreational drug use: American Psychological Association. (n.d.). "Recreational drug use." In APA Dictionary of Psychology
  8. https://bradfordhealth.com/substance-abuse-vs-addiction/