16: Substance Use and Abuse — Read

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16.1: Introduction
This page explores altered states of consciousness, concentrating on sleep and psychoactive drugs. It addresses issues surrounding drug use and its impacts on consciousness, providing brief descriptions of commonly used substances and their effects, while emphasizing the mental and physical health implications of substance use.
16.2: Substance Use Disorders
This page discusses the DSM-5 criteria for diagnosing substance use disorders, which include compulsive use despite negative effects, physical dependence indicated by withdrawal symptoms, and psychological dependence marked by emotional need. It also explains tolerance, where increased amounts of a drug are needed for its effects, raising overdose risks.
16.3: Drug Categories
This page provides an overview of the effects of various psychoactive drugs on neurotransmitter systems. It distinguishes between agonists and antagonists, detailing the effects and abuse potential of depressants like alcohol, stimulants such as cocaine, nicotine, and opioids, and hallucinogens. Additionally, it discusses the health risks of substances like caffeine and the rising concerns over opioid misuse.

This page titled 16: Substance Use and Abuse was last modified on Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:17:57 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kate Votaw via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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