M2 · Health Complexity
M2
Slide 12
CONTENT
Substance Use and Health Consequences
Substance use disorders are highly prevalent and often intertwined with mental health problems. Substances commonly involved include:
Alcohol
Opioids
Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Benzodiazepines
Prescription analgesics
Alcohol dependence is particularly common and is often described as a form of self-medication used to manage:

Psychological pain

Trauma symptoms

Cold exposure

Hunger

Anxiety

However, chronic alcohol use leads to:

Liver disease

Malnutrition

Cardiovascular complications

Increased injury risk

Cognitive impairment

Injection drug use increases risk of:

HIV

Hepatitis B and C

Endocarditis

Abscesses and soft tissue infections

Polysubstance use — the combined use of multiple substances — significantly increases overdose risk. Co-use of benzodiazepines and opioids is particularly dangerous and associated with higher mortality.
Substance use may both cause and result from homelessness. It is rarely useful to ask which came first. The relationship is interactive and mutually reinforcing.