Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction
What is drug abuse?
What is drug addiction?
What is the difference between abuse and addiction?
What is a drug abuse? (Back to top)
The use of illicit drugs or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for purposes other than those for which they are indicated or in a manner or in quantities other than directed.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001945.htm
What is drug addiction? (Back to top)Drug dependence (addiction) is compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug abuse is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended.
Physical dependence on a substance (needing a drug to function) is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction. There are some substances which don't cause addiction but do cause physical dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances which cause addiction but not classic physical dependence (cocaine withdrawal, for example, doesn't have symptoms like vomiting and chills; it is mainly characterized by depression).
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001522.htm
What is the difference between abuse and addiction? (Back to top)
Telling the difference between abuse and addiction is hard. Addiction begins as abuse, or usage of a substance like marijuana or cocaine. You can abuse a drug without having an addiction. For example, just because Sara smoked weed a few times doesn't mean that she has an addiction, but it does mean that she's abusing a drug - and that could lead to an addiction.
Addiction means having no control over whether to use a drug. A person who's addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that he has to have it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both.
Physical addiction is when a person's body actually becomes dependent on a drug. It also means that a person builds tolerance to a drug, which means he needs a larger dose of that drug to get the same effects. When a person who is physically addicted stops using drugs, he may experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can be like having the flu - common symptoms are diarrhea, shaking, and generally feeling awful.
Psychological addiction may happen along with physical addiction or on its own. In this case, the cravings for a drug are psychological, or mental. People who are psychologically addicted feel overcome by the desire to have a drug. They may lie or steal to get it. An addicted person - whether it's a physical or psychological addiction or both - no longer has a choice.
An addiction is not just measured by how many times a person uses a drug. Some drugs, like crack or heroin, are so addictive that they may only be used once or twice before the user loses control. A person crosses the line between abuse and addiction when he's no longer trying the drug to have fun or get high, but because he's come to depend on it. His whole life centers around the need for the drug.