This content is about the misuse and abuse of substances such as drugs and alcohol that are used to change a person's state of body or mind, for reasons other than a medical need.

Substance misuse often leads to addiction, which can be defined as the continuing and compulsive misuse of substances despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user, family or society and includes both legal and illegal substances.

The term 'substance abuse' is now often used because of the broad range of substances (including alcohol and inhalants) that are addictive. This content explores Psychological dependence and Physical dependence and at the end of the content you will understand the following:-

On completion of this course, learners will:

• Have a greater awareness of what substance misuse is and its prevalence
• Understand the categories of drugs and their effects
• Learn about the law and drugs and consequences
• Have an increased understanding of why young people use drugs and alcohol
• Recognise the early signs of drug or alcohol use that might indicate a concern
• Understand the impact substance misuse has on families
• Know how to take action if you know or suspect that a child or a young person is using drugs or alcohol

e Learning courses are designed to be interactive to help learners stay focused and engaged in the learning they are faced with.

The courses require the learner to perform small actions within the course, revealing further information, or quiz questions to help them reflect upon previous course content they have studied. A CPD certificate can be downloaded on completion.