Whatever a person’s reasons, using substances or engaging in a potentially harmful behaviour exists on a spectrum of benefit and harm. Health Canada’s depiction of this spectrum is included below. On one end, there is non-use (or non-engagement in potentially risky behaviour). Subsequently, there is beneficial use, followed by lower-risk use, higher-risk use, and addiction (in medical contexts, addictions are referred to as substance use disorders).
View PDF of Substance Use Spectrum
People can move along this continuum over their lifetime, and most substance use, or potentially harmful behaviour does not necessarily lead to addiction. Just as a person’s biology, genetics, and social and environmental contexts affect their reasons for engaging in a potentially harmful behaviour or using substances, these factors also impact how vulnerable a person is to the risks associated with that choice. In other words, two people could engage in the same behaviour and face dramatic differences in outcomes. This will be the focus of the following section.
For those who do end up developing an addiction, it can be characterized by four key elements: Craving, loss of Control of amount or frequency of use, Compulsion to use, and use despite Consequences (The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health [CAMH], n.d.-a).
