Why Is Drug And Alcohol Abuse Considered A Disability?
Clinicians and researchers commonly divide drug and alcohol consumption into three levels or stages of use: use, abuse, and dependence. While the use of drugs and alcohol does not generally rise to the level of an impairment that constitutes a disability, abuse and dependence do. Drug and alcohol abuse is characterized by intensified, regular, sporadically heavy, or “binge” use, and dependence is characterized by compulsive or addictive use. Drug and alcohol abuse and dependence are classified as treatable illnesses by both standard diagnostic medical manuals, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death (ICD-10). These manuals also provide criteria for diagnosing drug and alcohol abuse and dependence that focus on psychological, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms. The impact of drug and alcohol use on social and occupational functioning is an important factor in evaluating the severity of
