Substance Use and Chronic Disease: The Overlooked Connection

Substance use is often treated as a moral issue but it’s a health issue. Chronic use of alcohol, nicotine, opioids, or stimulants are the most commonly known substances. Risky substances can be anything that impact your health negatively. This can even include food in food addiction for example.

Substances increases the risk for diseases like:

- Heart disease

- Liver failure

- Stroke

- Mental illness

What makes this so hard is that some of these substances like alcohol and food are not only socially acceptable but socially encouraged. College age young adults are at high risk for developing substance use disorders without even realizing that they have a problem until its way later.

The deeper issue? Trauma and Mental Health concerns. Many people use substances to cope with emotional pain, anxiety, or lack of support. For healing, we must go beyond only looking at substance use as a illness and sobriety as a goal, we need trauma-informed, equitable care that meets people where they are.

Your LivingScript: Check in with yourself about your mental health. Are you self-medicating with anything? If so speak to your doctor about how to find healthier alternatives to cope.