Knowing the difference between drug abuse and drug dependency
When ever drug addiction is being discussed you will hear the terms “drug abuse” and “drug addiction” used a lot in the conversation. Unfortunately, one gets confused with the other and individuals use them improperly as a result. They wind up interchanging them and using them in the wrong context of the discussion. So what is the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction? Knowing the difference will help you with determining your drug rehab center options.
Drug abuse refers to continual drug use even though the individual is aware of the fact that the substance is having adverse emotional, mental, and physical effects on them. Even though their financial stability is beginning to collapse and their social life is crumbling, they continue to use the drug.
Drug addiction or drug dependence occurs when the individual has built up a tolerance to the substance and is now dependent on using it to function each day. There is also a need to take or use increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the desired effect or get “high.” Additionally, the person will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking or using the drug.
Further more, medical professionals define drug addiction as the occurrence of any 3 of the following in a 12-month period:
- building up a tolerance to the drug
- an inability to quit using the drug
- the individual is obsessed with using the drug and the acquiring of it on a regular basis begins controlling their life
- the individual uses increasingly larger amounts of the drug as the addiction becomes increasingly more severe
- withdrawal symptoms occur whenever they stop using the drug
Remember that understanding the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction is the key to determining your drug rehab center options so that you select a program that targets your specific needs and enables you to totally recover from it.
Use our drug abuse and addiction treatment referral service
Our referral service was designed and developed to help those individuals with a drug abuse or addiction issue. We list numerous drug rehab center options and can assess your needs with a basic interview so that we refer you to the most effective and successful one available. In so many words, we have done all the research for you so that you do not have to spend countless hours trying to come to a decision.
For more information regarding The Rehab Advisor and our drug rehab center options, please contact us at the toll-free phone number listed above. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can.