[Substance abuse and the emergency department: a current problem].
Alcohol, tobacco, heroin, cocaine and benzodiazepines, in that order, are the most common substance addictions in Spain. The medical problems caused both by chronic medical pathologies associated with their consumption and by overdoses and withdrawal syndromes, are frequently seen in emergency departments. Knowledge of substance abuse and addiction--how it is caused, the behaviour and pathology it produces--are essential to enable nurses to determine the attitudes to adopt the skills necessary to manage patients with problems of substance.