Drug Addiction Vs. Drug Dependence

The Mayo Clinic's definition of drug addiction- Drug addiction is a dependence on an illegal drug or prescription/over the counter medication. You may not be able to control your drug use; may intensely crave the drug; or use the drug despite the harm is causes you.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine's definition of drug dependence- Drug dependence means that a person needs a drug to function normally. If the drug is abruptly stopped, it will lead to withdrawal symptoms.

Determining the distinctions between the drug abuser and the recreational user are elementary in comparison to the disparities amidst drug abusers and drug addicts. The former establishes the fact that a recreational user has to indeterminately abuse a drug to use it for leisure purposes because, in hindsight, the user isn't taking the drug for which it was originally indicated, or the user is simply using illicit drugs recreationally.

The representation exhibiting drug abusers and drug addicts is more elaborate and elusive because a user that abuses a drug, doesn't necessarily have to be addicted to it, and a drug addict doesn't ineluctably have to abuse a drug to be addicted.

Let's use pain killers as an example, since this composes a customary scenario where people can comprehend a salient example about the characteristics of drug addiction and how dependence is calculated into the equation. Physicians attempt to seek out patients that are only looking for pain pills for recreational purposes because, let's face it, there are many drug seekers and addicts out in the world, however there are also a lot of legitimate pain patients that actually use the drugs for what they were prescribed for. This usage, however, does lead to dependence, which leads me to the big debate!

Many people, including scientists, patients, and even doctors, argue that drug dependence equals addiction… As a matter of fact, some would even go as far as to say that legitimate pain patients that have been taking their respective pain medication(s) for an extended period of time, should be taken off of the drug(s) because those around the patients perceive them as automatically addicted, as they require the drug to function. This is controversial, but it is an argument that is consistently debated to this very day.

Establishing the point of addiction, in this situation, would be taking more of the drug to receive the desired effects, without consulting a doctor, which would constitute drug abuse, and the usage would be against the prescribed instructions of the medication; or a patient not needing the medication for pain anymore, but still taking it; or the patient taking the drug in ways other than how it was prescribed to be taken, etc.

This is where the line is drawn because legitimate pain patients would more than likely contact their doctor if they've reached the point of dependence, and they wouldn't abuse the drug(s) in ways they shouldn't. While, this may constitute dependence, it doesn't necessarily mean someone is addicted. It also brings up a new term that we'll talk about later on, "tolerance."

Physical dependence to a medication involves the patient's body getting used to the regular dosage they're receiving over a period of time, which would ultimately require the patient to consistently take the prescribed dosage to prevent another term I am going to bring up right now, withdrawal.

Withdrawal syndrome can occur from the rapid discontinuation or decrease in dosage of a multitude of drugs, however due to the media's portrayal of illicit drugs, prescription pain killers, etc; many people look at these medications when thinking of the word, "withdrawal." Certain medications that cause withdrawal syndrome present uncomfortable symptoms that vary from drug to drug; with some medications being virtually impossible to stop abruptly without the aid of a taper method, or other treatment.

The "what constitutes dependence" disputation also entails the usage of medications other than pain killers. There are a lot of medications that cause dependence, but not necessarily addiction. Some of them include anti-depressants, sleep-aids, anti-epileptics, and even blood pressure pills. Somebody taking their blood pressure medication isn't taking them because they enjoy the feeling of them, but because their life depends on it; note the word "depend."

Now back to the word, "tolerance," which falls in the "are you dependent" debate, because it is associated with dependence in that it targets patients that have developed a psychological need for whichever drug they are on; however, in this case, with tolerance, the patient requires more of the drug to receive the desired therapeutic effects. The interchanging relationship between these two terms is somewhat delineated, but still fairly nebulous than some may suspect because a patient must be dependent on a medication before they develop a tolerance, or must they be?

This is a lot to digest, however with the continuous study on how medications affect the brain, along with the endless articles interpreting interesting theories, the very fine line between people giving those that require drugs for physical or psychological conditions a bad name, and those that take their medications as prescribed, will provide the realization that the bad guys can be controlled and the good guys can receive their relief, all at the same time.

I hope this guide provided you with an abundant of information dissecting the similarities and dissimilarities among these two disputable terms.

Note: By reading this article, you understand that the information is for educational purposes and shouldn't solely be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Always seek the professional knowledge of a doctor if you have a concern about your health.