Recognizing the difference between an addiction and substance dependence can help to better understand the nature of addiction. Knowing as much as possible about addiction and dependence can also be a valuable tool in achieving recovery. It is also important to realize that while a dependence may be present without addiction, substance dependencies frequently lead to addiction.

If taking drugs makes people feel good or better, what’s the problem?

The scientific construct of addiction has a rich and evolving history. Such confusion can also contribute to a reluctance among prescribers to treat pain conditions among individuals on opioid agonist treatment. But our genetic makeup doesn’t necessarily rule our choices and our lives. For example, social drinkers with a family history of addiction have a 1 in 5 risk of misusing alcohol, he says. Their peers without the genetic predisposition have a 1 in 10 risk. He sees some people who took just a few weeks to develop an addiction to opioids, while others had a slower journey to their addiction.

Physical Dependence Vs. Mental Dependence

Substance use disorder (SUD), or addiction, is classified as abnormal and is defined by the DSM-52 as a chronic, treatable illness. People who are addicted to a substance use it even if it has no medical benefit. They use the substance no matter what and despite the consequences. Addictions are more likely to result in serious harm, including suicide, unlike tolerance and physical dependence. APA Services advocates for policies, programs, and funding to improve the prevention and treatment of opioid and other substance use disorders, including nonpharmacological interventions for pain management. The purposeful use of the term “Addictive Disorders” in the naming of this chapter was primarily due to the addition of “gambling disorder” to the DSM, a non-substance-related disorder.

• When you first start drinking alcohol, it may have taken only a few drinks for you to feel drunk.
• Introducing drugs during this period of development may cause brain changes that have profound and long-lasting consequences.
• Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.
• While addiction to substances has often appeared clear-cut, there’s some controversy about what substances are truly addictive.

The important difference is often misunderstood—and it is no wonder.

Additionally, undiagnosed or untreated mental health issues, such as depression, can be a predictor of eventual reliance on substances for self-management of negative affective states. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics says more than 20 million people over the age of 12 in the United States have substance use disorder. Most commonly, the cases are related to marijuana and prescription pain relievers. Addiction is considered “highly treatable.” But it can take a few tries for the therapy to be fully effective. As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it.

Is the issue physical or mental?

However, any activity or habit that becomes all-consuming and negatively impacts your daily functioning can cause significant mental, social and physical health issues, as well as financial issues in some cases. Physical dependence affects that part of the brain that oversees autonomic body functions, such as breathing. At first, starting this behavior is an extra activity, but as the https://theillinois.news/top-5-advantages-of-staying-in-a-sober-living-house/ user becomes more dependent on the high, it can turn into the main activity. This is where dependency can turn into full-blown addiction—when substance abuse becomes the all-encompassing main priority. A person can have an addiction without necessarily having a physical dependence. Similarly, a person can have a physical dependence on a drug without feeling compelled to use it.

So unless it is urgent, gradually cutting down on the amount and how often you use it should make it easier. If you were addicted to the substance, just cutting down wouldn’t ordinarily work. It’s common for a person to relapse, but relapse doesn’t mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be ongoing and should be adjusted based on how the patient responds. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing needs.

• Recognising the difference between substance dependence and addiction is crucial in understanding the physical and psychological effects of substance use.
• A significant part of how addiction develops is through changes in your brain chemistry.
• Addiction encompasses both a mental and physical reliance on a given substance.

It is in this so-called differential tolerance where the users usually overdose. If you or someone close to you is struggling with substance misuse or abuse, talk to your doctor. Addiction is a physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity.

This conflation of addiction with dependence, which stigmatizes effective medication treatment for opioid use disorder, is even enshrined in law. This can lead to traumatic family surveillance and even separation, not surprisingly disproportionately impacting Black, Latinx, and Native American families because of racist implementation in these reporting practices. However, it’s common for physical dependence to accompany addiction. You can be addicted without being dependent and be dependent without having an addiction. Addiction is marked by a change in behavior caused by the biochemical changes in the brain after continued substance abuse. Substance use becomes the main priority of the addict, regardless of the harm they may cause to themselves or others.

However, they may still experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking it. It’s important to remember that addiction isn’t a moral failing, but rather a complex medical condition that requires professional assistance. The roots of the tree represent the physical dependence on a substance, while the branches and leaves represent the compulsive Sober House behaviour of addiction. Understanding the physical and psychological effects of substance dependence is essential in recognising and treating addiction. This leads us to the subsequent section about the history of the terms dependence and addiction. Are you struggling with substance use and wondering if you have an addiction or dependence?