A historically used term describing a pattern of harmful or excessive use of psychoactive substances that leads to significant problems or distress. In DSM-IV, it referred to behaviours such as recurrent substance use causing failure to meet responsibilities, use in dangerous situations, legal issues, and continued use despite interpersonal or social problems.
The term “substance abuse” is now considered outdated and stigmatising; current diagnostic frameworks (DSM-5, ICD-11) use “substance use disorder” to describe a spectrum of problematic substance use behaviours.
Sources: Recovery Research Institute