Abstract
Substance use is a significant determinant of the health and wellbeing of the society. It can dramatically affect life expectancy even in developed countries.
The article presents the concept of problem substance use, which can be defined as the use of addictive substances in high doses and/or with high-risk pattern, typically with developed addiction, that brings negative consequences to the users, to others, and the society as a whole. Harms are of acute and chronic nature and include health (mental and somatic) and social harms including premature mortality.
Severity is determined by the type of substance, the dose and pattern of use, intrapersonal as well as environmen- tal factors. Problems in various domains potentiate each other and have syndemic nature.
The concept of problem substance use is an appropriate concept allowing describing the high-risk part of substance users and the most serious consequences resulting from the existence of substance use in modern societies.