Drug Addiction vs Drug Dependence

If you were to suddenly stop using it, you would likely experience some harsh symptoms. People who are addicted to a substance use it even if it has no medical benefit. They use addiction vs dependence 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.

The ‘abuse category’ has been eliminated from the proposed structure because of the lack of data to support an intermediate state between drug use and drug addiction. The symptoms created for DSM-III-R remain the same, except for the elimination of the ‘legal https://ecosoberhouse.com/ difficulties’ symptom and the addition of ‘drug craving’. Tolerance and withdrawal symptoms are not counted towards the diagnosis when the patient is involved in an appropriate medical treatment program for a problem such as pain, depression or anxiety.

What is dependence?

They argued in favor of the more neutral term ‘dependence’, as the discussions were influenced heavily by work on the alcohol dependence syndrome by Professor Griffith Edwards and colleagues [1]. Medical and substance abuse communities have found that there are neurochemical differences between a normal brain and an addict’s brain. There are even perceived differences between addiction versus the abuse of a substance. A person who is chemically dependent on a drug might show different physiological changes around chronic usage, tolerance levels, and even withdrawal symptoms. When someone is addicted to a substance, it’s not uncommon for their loved ones to refer to them as having an “addiction” to certain behaviors or describe them as someone that is “dependent” on alcohol or drugs. People tend to use the words “addiction” and “dependent” interchangeably to describe a person’s behavior when engaged in a certain activity, as well as the results of the behavior when it leads to a physical illness.

  • Treatment plans are not always necessary for physical dependence.
  • That alone isn’t always an addiction, but it can accompany addiction.
  • Finally, there’s the myth that if you relapse after beating your addiction, you have failed.

Addiction causes cravings, compulsive behavior, and changes in the brain. Connect with thousands of patients and caregivers for support and answers. Connect with thousands of patients and caregivers for support, practical information, and answers. I’ve been taking Clonazepam, 1mg at bedtime, originally for anxiety, but along the way I found that it keeps me from acting out my dreams, something my wife did not appreciate. It’s hard to know just how much it decreases the panic attacks, but they’ve become less frequent. I know that I take more medications than others, but there’s a reason for each one.

Understanding The Dependence Vs. Addiction Debate

In these cases, treatment involves gradually tapering off the drug over a set period to reduce withdrawal effects. Dependence is characterized by tolerance or withdrawal symptoms and can be a consequence of many drugs, such as pain medications, stimulants, and antidepressants. They can diagnose your condition or refer you to a healthcare provider who can. When they first use a drug, people may perceive what seem to be positive effects.

Addiction and dependence are terms that are used interchangeably to describe an unhealthy, problematic reliance on drugs, alcohol, or other compulsive behaviors. Some people develop physical dependencies on a drug while others only develop a psychological (aka mental or emotional) dependence. Addiction and dependence are words both used to describe an unhealthy and problematic pattern of drug or alcohol use. In the past, drug or alcohol dependence was diagnosed as the most severe form of addiction, but this classification was done away with in 2013.

Treatment Approaches for Substance Use Disorder

Like all chronic illness, a family history puts people at higher risk for developing the illness. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. So why do some organizations scrap the word “addiction” from their vocabulary? The minds behind the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) find the term carries too much negative connotation and is ambiguous. The World Health Organization also wanted to replace the medical designation of “addiction” with the word “dependence” back in 1964 (which probably contributed to the confusion). Sometimes, severe withdrawal symptoms require monitoring from doctors in a hospital setting.

  • When addiction to a substance develops, it is called substance use disorder.
  • Many drugs cause dependence but not addiction, for example, paroxetine [10] and clonidine [11].
  • Addiction has harmful physical, psychological, and social effects.
  • Physical and psychological dependence on a drug is different, although many with addictions to drugs or alcohol have both.

Most importantly, the major reason given for the under-treatment of pain with opioids has been the fear that the physician will create an addiction when, in reality, addiction in the course of pain treatment is relatively uncommon. Thus patients have been made to suffer by receiving inadequate pain medication doses when there is evidence of tolerance or withdrawal symptoms [3]. In 2013, the American Psychological Association (APA) released the fifth edition of the DSM. In this edition, the definitions revolving around addiction were changed once again.

With that said, it’s important to note that you can be dependent on a drug without being addicted. This international committee met over several years in cities such as Washington, Copenhagen and New York, and their work was published in 1987 as DSM-III-R (revised). This was an important achievement because the committee agreed that the disorder in question was compulsive, uncontrolled, drug-seeking behaviour, and defined it by a set of criteria that produced excellent inter-rater reliability. The committee made most decisions unanimously because there was general agreement from the experts as to how the syndrome should be defined (the names of the members are contained in the preface to DSM-III-R). There was a significant disagreement, however, among members of the committee with respect to the label that should be used.

Dependence is characterized by the symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. While it is possible to have a physical dependence without being addicted, addiction is usually right around the corner. 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. However, they may still experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking it. Your healthcare provider will determine whether your symptoms match the criteria for substance use disorder listed in the DSM-5.

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