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Substance Abuse

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Brackenridge’s Medical Selection of Life Risks

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Abstract

Substance abuse is the hazardous, excessive, compulsive, or addictive use of psychoactive drugs. The most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, narcotics and other central nervous system depressants, (cocaine and other central nervous system stimulants, cannabinoids, and hallucinogens). Among an educated workforce that may be considered generally representative of an insured population, 13% drink 3 or more alcoholic drinks daily, 42% use prescription mood-altering drugs (including antidepressants) on a regular basis, and 11% report having used illicit drugs within the past year.1 In every instance, a sizeable subset of users engages in substance abuse.

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Authors
  1. Robert W. Watson
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Re Life & Health, London, UK

    R. D. C. Brackenridge MD FRCP (Consulting Medical Officer) & Richard S. Croxson MB FRACP (Cardiologist, Chief Medical Officer) (Consulting Medical Officer) &  (Cardiologist, Chief Medical Officer)

  2. Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Ross MacKenzie MD, FRCP (C) FACC (Cardiologist) (Cardiologist)

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© 2006 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

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Watson, R.W. (2006). Substance Abuse. In: Brackenridge, R.D.C., Croxson, R.S., MacKenzie, R. (eds) Brackenridge’s Medical Selection of Life Risks. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-72324-9_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-72324-9_31

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-349-72326-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-349-72324-9

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