?:definition
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Drug abuse: Habitual use of drugs that are; not needed for therapeutic purposes (e.g., to alter mood); to effect a body function unnecessarily (e.g., laxative); and non-medical use of drugs. Prevalence of cocaine, other psychostimulant abuse appears to be increasing in some metropolitan areas. Initiation and persistence of drug abuse determined by complex interaction of: pharmacologic properties and relative availability of drug, the personality and the expectation of the user, and the environmental context in which the drug is used. Polydrug abuse is increasingly common. May be an acute or a chronic intoxication. Symptoms vary according to pharmacologic properties, dose, and regular use of drug. Withdrawal: (NOTE: In the CIOMS Working Group original documentation, sub-search SMQ Drug withdrawal is referred to as SMQ Withdrawal) Abrupt cessation of use in a habituated person. A substance specific syndrome follows cessation or reduction in intake of a psychoactive substance previously used regularly. Withdrawal symptoms vary according to psychoactive substance used: generally \'opposite\' the acute effects of drug; include nonspecific symptoms e.g., nausea, diarrhea or obstipation, profuse sweating, increase in respiratory rate, tachycardia; and common symptoms include anxiety, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, impaired attention.
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