Understanding Substance Misuse

Substance misuse is patterned drug use in which the user consumes the substance in substantial amounts or using methods that are harmful to himself/herself or others.

Globally, substance misuse is widespread, with an estimated 120 million users of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and other synthetics.

Many people cannot understand why or how other individuals become addicted to drugs. It is often mistakenly assumed that drug abusers lack moral principles and that they can stop using drugs by choosing to change their behaviour. In reality, it’s a complex disease, and quitting is challenging.

Nowadays, there are available treatments that help drug abusers counter addiction’s powerful and disruptive effects. Research shows that combining medical procedures and behavioural therapy is quite successful for most patients.

This class aims to get students to understand the realities of substance misuse and how it may affect the people in their lives. By gaining an understanding of the dangers of drugs, one may be able to better understand and perhaps prevent substance misuse from happening. This course will guide you through some truly significant knowledge that can help reduce actions and patterns that might be jeopardising someone’s health.

During the module, our students will:

• Identify what substance misuse entails.
• Identify changes in behaviour that may arise from substance misuse.
• Identify the long-term and short-term effects that are caused by substance misuse.
• Discuss how the conversation about substance misuse should be.
• Understanding the role that addiction plays in society.