Addiction: Symptoms, effects, and what to look for

It means that the body has developed a need for a particular substance in order to function normally. Chemical changes occur in the brain as a result of Halfway house the addictive substances present in drugs, leading to physical addiction. Psychological dependence, also referred to as psychological addiction, is distinct from physical dependence. According to the Sana Lake Recovery Center, it involves a person's reliance on the drugs or substance of choice. Moreover, it’s often far easier for healthcare providers to tell if someone has a drug dependence 4 or a drug use disorder.

Here are common therapies for psychological addiction:

So, it’s crucial to understand how intertwined our mental and physical well-being really is. Understanding the difference between physical and psychological dependence is crucial for developing appropriate treatment approaches tailored to individual needs. By recognizing the specific aspects of each type of dependence, professionals can provide comprehensive care to address both the physiological and psychological aspects of addiction. There are countless substances out there that people can become addicted to.

How does it compare to physical dependence?

While there is some overlap, it’s important to understand the major differences between the two. When people succumb to the grip of an addiction, it becomes extremely difficult for them to quit on their own. Understanding how addictions develop helps to shed light on why they are so hard to beat. What these strategies are depends on the substance or behavior a person wants to stop.

Addiction Therapy Programs

If you or someone you care about may have an addiction, talk to your provider right away. Your provider may want to do a physical exam and may request blood and urine tests. These tests give your provider information about your overall health. This can create an unhealthy drive to seek more pleasure from the substance or activity and less from healthier activities.

Why Does Physiological Dependence Develop?

When someone is in the throes of physical dependence, it’s not uncommon to lose touch with self-care rituals and forget to look after themselves. As we’ve briefly covered, physical dependence is often synonymous with increased tolerance due to adaptations the brain is forced to make 7. As such, needing more of a substance to feel high, or even normal, is one of the first things noticed by people with a dependency. When physical dependence takes over someone’s life, it’s usually evident to those who are closest to them.

Physical vs. Psychological Addiction

To understand addiction in-depth, it’s important to look at the main types of addiction (psychological and physical addiction). However, other forms of drug dependence can cause significant withdrawal symptoms. For some substances, such as alcohol, suddenly stopping it can be dangerous. In these cases, treatment involves gradually tapering off the drug over a set period to reduce withdrawal effects. 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.

Even substances such as caffeine are a beloved part of many routines can produce withdrawal symptoms when stopped abruptly. If you decide to forego your morning coffee all of a sudden, you might notice symptoms that indicate your dependency, such as fatigue and a headache. What this means is that as the brain revises its chemical production 2, it becomes more tolerant to the effects of alcohol or drugs. This is especially likely to happen what is physiological addiction if someone is taking a substance daily and has incorporated it into their routine. As anyone who has taken a drug or binged on alcohol can attest, these substances create powerful feelings of euphoria, and can only do so by disrupting the natural balance of chemicals in the brain. With regular use of a substance, biochemical and structural adaptations take place in the brain.

Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

• Once you’ve realized that you need tools and guidance, choosing a treatment program that provides what you need will get the recovery process underway.
• Tolerance occurs when the body becomes used to the presence of a substance and no longer responds to it the way it did at first.
• Physical dependence is cyclical and requires specialized effective evidence-based treatment.

So, if we're going to try to dissect which drugs cause what effects on the body, it's important that we understand the underlying causes for those effects and that we use the proper language. Withdrawal, tolerance, and addiction are different, though obviously related topics. Their interplay is key for understanding the addiction process, but their more subtle points can often be lost on those observing addicts unless they are well trained.