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Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

Preliminary provisions - Criteria for compulsory treatment

8: Meaning of severe substance addiction

You could also call this:

"What it means to have a severe substance addiction that affects your life and health"

Illustration for Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017

When you have a severe substance addiction, it means you have a condition that affects you all the time or sometimes. This condition makes you use a substance in a way that you can't control. You will have at least two of the following features: your body gets used to the substance, you really want the substance, you try to stop using the substance but can't, or you keep using the substance even when it hurts you. Your severe substance addiction is so bad that it puts your health or safety at risk and makes it hard for you to look after yourself. This addiction is considered severe because of how much it affects your life and your ability to take care of yourself.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6609142.

Topics:
Health and wellbeing > Mental healthHealth and wellbeing > Public health
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7: Criteria for compulsory treatment, or

"When you can be made to get help for a severe drug or alcohol problem"

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9: Capacity to make informed decisions, or

"Being able to understand and make choices about your treatment when you have a severe substance addiction"

Part 1Preliminary provisions
Criteria for compulsory treatment

8Meaning of severe substance addiction

  1. A severe substance addiction is a continuous or an intermittent condition of a person that—

  2. manifests itself in the compulsive use of a substance and is characterised by at least 2 of the features listed in subsection (2); and
    1. is of such severity that it poses a serious danger to the health or safety of the person and seriously diminishes the person’s ability to care for himself or herself.

      1. The features are—

      2. neuro-adaptation to the substance:
        1. craving for the substance:
          1. unsuccessful efforts to control the use of the substance:
            1. use of the substance despite suffering harmful consequences.