2013 Mini-Stories of Addiction
The aim of this paper is to describe a conceptual framework of questions which an adequate theory of drug addiction must attempt to answer. First, a satisfactory definition of addiction is sought and it is concluded that it is best defined by repeated …
Read more on Scientific American (blog)

Symptoms Of Addiction: Could Your Idea Of Fun Be Turning Into A Problem?
But uppers, downers, and other commonly abused substances aren't the only things people are addicted to. In fact, just substitute the word "behaviour" for "substance," and you open up the definition of addiction to all kinds of surprising dependencies.
Read more on Huffington Post Canada

Chelsea Substance Abuse Treatment Center Moving to FiDi, Angering Residents
DNAinfo/Irene Plagianos. FINANCIAL DISTRICT — A longtime Chelsea substance abuse treatment center is moving to the Financial District this month, leaving some residents worried it will hurt the community. Exponents, a voluntary, outpatient facility …
Read more on DNAinfo

'What Addicts Know': Realizations from recovery that can help us all
In "What Addicts Know," Christopher Kennedy Lawford revisits the topic of addiction and provides an eye-opening explanation as to how our culture has become dependent on the instant gratification of gambling, drugs, alcohol, technology, and material …
Read more on Today.com

Why Sugar Makes Us Feel So Good
Last week, I reported that scientists are working their way toward a consensus that sugar is addictive. While some researchers are still hesitant to liken sweet stuff to drugs or alcohol, the evidence is accumulating to explain why some of us really …
Read more on NPR (blog)

Kentucky Senate unanimously approves bill aimed at reducing heroin deaths
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Senate approved a bill Thursday that could create more treatment beds for drug addicts and lengthen prison sentences for drug traffickers. Senate Bill 5 is aimed at the hundreds of fatal heroin overdoses afflicting Kentucky …
Read more on Lexington Herald Leader

Denial common among addicts, say experts
It's an assertion supported by his family. But such disavowals are not convincing to addiction experts. They say denial, minimizing and other behaviours are common traits among those with alcohol or drug dependencies. Dennis Long, co-founder and …
Read more on Vancouver Sun

Second chances
“What brought me here was my drug use,” she said while sitting in the Day Reporting Center just after attending a Moral Reconation Therapy class. “I'd been using off and on for the past 16 years. I've been in and out of prison a couple … For a long …
Read more on Chico News & Review

Marijuana Legalization Bill To Be Introduced In Maryland
The bill would tax marijuana at a rate of $ 50 per ounce at wholesale levels, and the first $ 5 million in revenue generated would go to drug and alcohol treatment programs, as well as education. Some might be happy to hear the bill would also require …
Read more on Huffington Post

Scripps Research Institute Scientists Develop Promising Drug Candidates for …
“Compounds that act at kappa receptors may provide a means for treating addiction and for treating pain; however, there is the potential for the development of depression or dysphoria associated with this receptor target,” said Laura Bohn, a TSRI …
Read more on HealthCanal.com

Britain OKs Asylum For Atheist
Lindsey Graham told The Daily Beast Tuesday he was working with Cantor to bring up the Menendez-Kirk bill in the House, where it will surely pass, as a way to pressure Reid to act. “I am thinking of a House-first ….. DeFour treated his waitresses …
Read more on Daily Beast

Question by Kirk: What is the medical and legal definition of “narcotics abuse”?
If a patient suddenly discovered he had been given a diagnoses of “narcotics abuse”, what does that mean? It’s a false claim and it needs further investigation, and moreover, an explanation. But ,can you break it down for me? It immediately conjures up an extremely negative connotation for me.

Best answer:

Answer by KoalaMama
Let’s start at the basics. Narcotics are any of a group of drugs, such as heroin, morphine, and pethidine, that produce numbness and stupor. They are used medicinally to relieve pain but are sometimes also taken for their pleasant effects. Prolonged use may cause addiction, which leads to the abuse.

The definition of abuse would be “misuse, maltreatment, or excessive use.” So, the overindulgence in and dependence on said substance, leading to effects that are detrimental to the individual’s physical or mental health, or the welfare of others, would be defined as narcotics abuse.

In other words, narcotic use is considered abuse when people use narcotics to seek feelings of well-being apart from the narcotic’s pain-relief applications.