9.2 What is the Meaning of Substance Use Disorder (SUD)?

The term substance use disorder (SUD) refers to:

• Addiction, but is a less stigma-laden term.
• A complex health problem that is tied to problematic use of a substance, resulting in harmful consequences for the individual.
• A complex biological, psychological and social (biopsychosocial) disorder that has “multiple risk factors interacting at the individual and contextual levels” (Jemberie et al., 2020, p. 6), including: genetics/biology, brain function and barriers to accessing the SDoH (See Chapter on SDoH) (CMHA, n.d.a).
• A condition that can range from mild and temporary to severe and chronic (McLellan, 2017).