Substance Abuse: GCSE Psychology Definition

Written by: Raj Bonsor

Reviewed by: Claire Neeson

Published

25 November 2024

Read time

1 minutes

Contents

What is Substance Abuse?

In GCSE psychology, substance abuse is defined as using a drug in a way that is harmful or dangerous. A person may take drugs to "get high" or experience euphoria in order to numb themselves or feel like they are escaping reality.

In order to achieve this result, a person takes drugs as a way to alter their mood. When someone uses a substance to help them deal with their problems in life, it is sometimes referred to as self-medication.

Substance Abuse Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

You can use the Save My Exams revision notes to revise the characteristics of addiction and further your understanding of the theories and treatments for addiction.

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Author

Reviewer

Author: Raj Bonsor

Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.

Author: Claire Neeson

Expertise: Psychology Content Creator

Claire has been teaching for 34 years, in the UK and overseas. She has taught GCSE, A-level and IB Psychology which has been a lot of fun and extremely exhausting! Claire is now a freelance Psychology teacher and content creator, producing textbooks, revision notes and (hopefully) exciting and interactive teaching materials for use in the classroom and for exam prep. Her passion (apart from Psychology of course) is roller skating and when she is not working (or watching 'Coronation Street') she can be found busting some impressive moves on her local roller rink.

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