Evolution of Addiction Terminology

Abstract

Substance abuse has reached epic proportions with one in ten individuals reporting the use of substance. While differences in statistics may be a function of the population being examined, the stigma of reporting, the type of drug under study, or how use is defined, the statistics highlight that rates of use have been rising over time. There is no one portrait of a person with an addiction disorder, as addiction has the potential to span every age, gender, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic bracket. This chapter provides an introductory explanation as to what defines a drug, the history of addiction, how we currently define addiction, relevant terminology, co-occurrence, and the various types of treatment. Many patients and practitioners widely refer to 'self-help groups' to describe 12-step and other support groups. As a point of clarification, the term self-help is for books, not groups. The accurate term is mutual help groups. Mutual help groups and the 'sponsorship' of people in recovery for substance use or mental health disorders have similarities and provide important elements for recovery. Knowledge, treatment, and the terminology will continue to evolve as we learn more. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)