DefinitiOn Of DrUg and DrUg AbUse

Definition Of Drug

According to Ray(1983) in Drug abuse's (Prevention and rehabilitations in Malaysia), a drug will be defined as any substance other than food which by its chemical or physical nature alters the structure or functions in the living organism. Besides that, it is necessary to differentiate between psychoactive agents or those drugs that influence how the mind works and narcotics, which are often used to describe opium and its derivate.

According to David Duncan and Robert Gold in Drug and The Whole Person(1982), drug is substances that is chemically approved for the treatment of disease or relieve from pain are readily labeled drugs, as are substances obtained from a black market for recreational use.


Definition Of Drug Abuse

Drug abuse implies the misuse of certain substances- it is a moral, not scientific term. "An unstandardized, valve-laden and highly relative term used with a great deal of imprecision and confusion, generally implying drug use that is excessive, dangerous, or undesirable to the individual or community and that ought to be modified" (Nelson et al.1983.33)

Such definition of drug abuse typically refer to:
1. The non medical use of a substance
2. To alter the mental state
3. In a manner that is detrimental to th individual or the community, and/or
4. That is illegal

The other definition about drug abuse is a drug that is taken for non medicinal reasons (usually for mind-altering effects) : drug abuse can lead to physical and mental damage and with some substances depended and addiction.

Source : Drug Abuse (Prevention and Rehabilitation in Malaysia)
Drugs an Introduction
www.wordwidewebonline.com/en/DRUGABUSE