The health and social problems associated with drug abuse present complex difficulties for society as a whole, and for individual abusers and their families. While there is no panacea for the drug problem, efforts to prevent and treat drug abuse can rescue individuals from addiction and help them reclaim their lives. Drugs are substances that alter biological function, and those that alter mood can be abused.
Abuse refers to harmful behavior associated with repeated use of the drug.
Addiction occurs when one is so reliant on drug use that it becomes the central focus of your behavior in spite of the harm it is causing. Addiction equals compulsive use in spite of harmful effects and inability to stop for any significant period of time. According to Avram Goldstein, M.D., in the book Addiction, the addictive drugs can generally be divided into seven categories. Caffeine Hallucinogens Drug abuse in the United States and around the world has incurred enormous social cost. Despite the public attention paid to illegal drug use, the most harm, by far, actually is derived from legal drugs.