Find help for substance abuse and addiction | find help
Find help for substance abuse and addiction	
Substance-related problems refer to excessive use of alcohol or other drugs to the extent that it negatively affects life. Addiction refer to intense focus on using a certain substance, such as alcohol or drugs, to the point that it takes over their life. If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use problems or addiction there are ways to get help.
In this article you can learn about substance abuse and addiction, and some of the options to get help.
The medical definition of substance abuse is that at least three of the following descriptions are true [ICD-10] [1] :
Source: [Mestringshusene Bolkesjø] [2]
Source: [Rustelefonen] [3]
The following is written in Utposten, a Norwegian publication for GPs [Rognli, 2013] [4] :
In a TED talk video Nina Volwkow tells the following about addiction [TEDMED, 2014] [5] :
A slightly different and more social perspective on addiction is given in a great post at the ErLik magazine [Erlik, 2014] [6] :
Substance-related disorders are among the most common mental disorders among adults, and is experienced by 6% of adults each year [Jacobi et al., 2014] [7] . The only mental disorders that are more common arer anxiety disorders (experienced by 15% of the population each year), and mood disorders (i.e., depression and bipolar disorders; experienced by 9% of adults each year).
While it is difficult to know the effectiveness of such services, due to very different compositions of support and self-help services, the research generally show the self-help groups may have important benefits for the participants [Kurouz et al., 2002] [10] .
It is difficult to evalute how effective such services are, and it probably depends on many factors. For example, while the state of the science regarding the effectiveness of crisis response services remains limited, overall results provide support for such services [Hoffberg et al, 2020] [11] .
Find help for substance-related problems where you live
Please choose your location to find help for substance-related problems and addiction where you live:
Mestringshusene Bolkesjø: Hva er rusavhengighet? [What is drug addiction] Retrieved 9th of February 2020 from: https://mestringshusene.no/pasienter/hva-er-rusavhengighet/
Rustelefonen: Hva er rusavhengighet? [What is drug addiction]? Retrieved 9th of February 2020 from: https://www.rustelefonen.no/2017/05/middgard/
Rognli, 2013: Rognli, E. B. (2013). Et psykologisk perspektiv på rusavhengighet [A psychological perspective on drug addiction]. Utposten. Retrieved 9th of February 2020 from: https://www.utposten.no/asset/2013/2013-01-24-27.pdf
TEDMED, 2014: Nora Volkow. Why do our brains get addicted? TEDMED. Retrieved 9th of February 2020 from: https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=309096
Erlik, 2014: Du blir ikke avhengig fordi du liker det [You do not get addicted because you like it]. Retrieved 9th of February 2020 from: https://www.erlik.no/du-blir-ikke-avhengig-fordi-du-liker-det/