Editing Substance abuse (section)

===Public health definitions===
[[File:Injecting heroin.jpg|thumb|A drug user receiving an injection of the [[opioid]] [[heroin]]]]
[[Public health]] practitioners have attempted to look at substance use from a broader perspective than the individual, emphasizing the role of society, culture, and availability. Some health professionals choose to avoid the terms alcohol or drug "abuse" in favor of language considered more objective, such as "substance and alcohol type problems" or "harmful/problematic use" of drugs. The Health Officers Council of [[British Columbia]] — in their 2005 policy discussion paper, ''A Public Health Approach to Drug Control in Canada'' — has adopted a public health model of psychoactive substance use that challenges the simplistic black-and-white construction of the binary (or complementary) [[antonym]]s "use" vs. "abuse".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfdp.ca/bchoc.pdf|title=A Public Health Approach |access-date=1 April 2017}}</ref> This model explicitly recognizes a spectrum of use, ranging from beneficial use to chronic [[Substance dependence|dependence]].