Substance abuse is using a drug, alcohol or other chemical, which causes a clinically significant impairment. Substance abuse causes increased mortality risk due to overdoses, accidents, infections or toxic effect on vital organs.
Substance abuse definition from the Psychiatric Text "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-IV) is:
"A maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a fl-month period;"
Recurrent use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home
Recurrent use in situations in which it is physically hazardous
Recurrent legal problems due to drug use
Continued use despite social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance
Abusers tend to have a drug of choice, but readily switch to another drug within the same category if their preferred drug is not available. For example, persons addicted to alcohol easily become addicted to benzodiazepines. Therefore, when drugs such as Valium are used for detoxification from alcohol, they are given under the guidance of a health professional.
Mortality risks in a population of substance abusers include:
Deaths from natural causes such as the poisonous effects of substances and from infections (hepatitis/HIV/endocarditis) from injectables
Accidental deaths from overdose and trauma (motor vehicle accidents, falls, etc.)
Violent deaths from suicide and homicide
Other points that increase the risk associated with substance abuse;
Multiple or polydrug use/abuse, especially involving illicit street drugs
Substance abuse in the presence of a known psychiatric impairment
Substance abuse in the presence of known interaction with the legal system, such as adverse driving record or other arrest record
Substance abuse in the presence of social (occupational, marital, familial) or behavioral problems
In summary, when underwriting a substance abuse history, Life Insurance Solutions suggests for those persons looking for life insurance for substance abuse, the following factors are important in assessing the risk:
- currently consume drugs or alcohol?
- ever been institutionalized or treated as an outpatient in a treatment program?
- any arrests or convictions of DUI in the past four years?
- any arrests for possession, sale or use of an illegal substance?
- will you test out drug or substance free today?
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