Okuzeka
Social Work vocabulary · Adults and Vulnerable Groups

Substance misuse

Meaning in social work, with examples

nounCommon term

In social work, substance misuse means: Use of alcohol or drugs in a way that harms a person's health, relationships, work or ability to look after themselves or others.

In Turkish: madde kullanımı, madde kötüye kullanımı, madde bağımlılığı

How it is used

Common in UK services: substance misuse team, substance misuse worker. US clinical language prefers substance use disorder, and many practitioners use person-first terms such as 'a person who uses drugs' instead of labels like 'addict'.

Example sentences

  1. Parental substance misuse was a factor in more than half of the cases.

  2. He agreed to a referral to the local substance misuse service.

Common collocations

  • substance misuse service
  • parental substance misuse
  • substance misuse worker
  • alcohol and substance misuse
  • parenting capacityA parent's ability to meet a child's needs and keep them safe, including basic care, emotional warmth, guidance, boundaries and stability.
  • outreachTaking services out to people where they are, such as on the street or in the neighbourhood, instead of waiting for them to come to an office.
  • abuseTreatment that causes someone physical, emotional, sexual or financial harm, usually by a person they know, trust or depend on.
  • vulnerableMore likely than others to be harmed, exploited or left without support because of age, illness, disability, poverty or other circumstances.

More terms: Adults and Vulnerable Groups

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