Substance Abuse: A Public Health Concern

Abstract

Abstract The context and purpose of the study. Substance abuse is a serious public health concern that affects the millions of people worldwide. It refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including drugs and alcohol, that can lead to various health problems, such as addiction, mental health disorders, and physical illness. Alcohol, nicotine, and other illicit drugs are frequently used in excess in substance use disorders, which can impair social, academic, and professional functioning. Cannabis, sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics, inhalants, opioids, hallucinogens, and stimulants are the most abused drugs. Throughout human history, substance abuse has been a complex public health issue. The two main approaches frequently used to address the issue of substance abuse are risk factors and treatment modalities. They relate to the various fields of genetic inheritance, physiology, cognitive science, parents, social development, and cultural structures. One of the main issues with public health in today’s culture is drug misuse. Recently, there has been an upsurge in the prevalence of drug usage, especially opioid abuse, worldwide and in Kashmir. This review paper points to a complicated interplay between various variables that affect teenage drug usage. It also describes the different risk factors leading to substance abuse and the various behavioral therapies for substance use disorders that may enhance patient results. As a result, intensive effort across all the levels of domains will be needed to create programmes that prevent teenage substance misuse.