Substance abuse has been described as the use of any chemical, substance, or medication for reasons other than those prescribed.
In 2008, the results of a national survey on drug use and health reported that within the last 12 months 2.9 million people, aged 12 and above, experimented with an illicit drug. The same survey showed that 4.5 million people first used alcohol, and 2.4 million people first smoked cigarettes. The average age at first use was 18.8 years for illicit drugs, 17.0 years for alcohol, and 18.0 years for smoking tobacco1
People may abuse drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for various and complicated reasons. The risk of such abuse, however, is evident in physical trauma, emergency rooms, jails, and prisons, and so often the effects of psychological, social, occupational, and familial distress.
Furthermore, the presence of drug abuse in families may affect generations to come. Unless properly treated, substance abuse may negatively impact coping behaviors, trust, modeling, concepts of healthy functioning, and ultimately damage relationships within and across generations.
Those seeking help in overcoming substance abuse are not alone. There are a many resources available to assist persons who have a history of substance abuse. At the Leavitt Institute for Marriage and Family, individual, couple, family, and group therapy is available to help treat clients seeking to break the habit of substance abuse, and to assist them in identifying those resources that can help support and sustain them in a new way of life.
