Addiction

• Withdrawal syndrome occurs when an individual has been taking a drug for some time and starts to experience unpleasant feelings and symptoms when the drug is not in their system
• Withdrawal follows tolerance as the brain readjusts to the drug being in the system, and when it drops below the tolerance level, the brain automatically seeks out the drug to bring the level back up
• Physical withdrawal syndrome symptoms can include low mood, feeling nauseous, being achy, pain, flu-like symptoms, shaking, or tremors, depending on the individual and the drug type
• Withdrawal levels can vary in severity based on factors like the drug used (each drug has a half-life affecting withdrawal intensity), amount consumed, and drug use pattern
• Phases of withdrawal syndrome:

  • Acute withdrawal: begins within hours of drug cessation and gradually resolves after a few weeks, with intense physical cravings
  • Post-acute withdrawal: can last for months or years after stopping the drug, characterized by emotional and psychological turmoil as the brain reorganizes and rebalances itself
• Addiction is the compulsion to use a substance or engage in behavior despite its harmful consequences, leading to an inability to stop and failure to meet obligations
• Tolerance of a drug occurs when an individual needs larger doses to achieve the same effect and experiences unpleasant symptoms if they attempt to stop taking the drug
• Tolerance can occur through:

  • Metabolic Tolerance: enzymes metabolize the drug more efficiently over time, resulting in reduced concentrations and weaker effects
  • Cellular Tolerance: prolonged drug use changes receptor density, reducing the response to the normal dose
  • Learned Tolerance: users experience reduced drug effects because they have learned to function normally under the drug's influence
• Addiction is the compulsion to use a substance or engage in behavior despite its harmful consequences
• Physical dependence on a drug occurs when an individual needs larger doses to achieve the same effect and experiences unpleasant symptoms upon attempting to stop taking the drug
• Factors determining severity of withdrawal

  • Drug used
  • Amount consumed
  • Drug use pattern
• Cellular Tolerance

  Prolonged drug use leads to changes in receptor density, reducing the response to the normal dose of the drug
• Physical withdrawal syndrome

  • Can cause symptoms such as low mood, feeling nauseous, being achy, pain, flu-like symptoms, shaking, or tremors
• Learned Tolerance

  The user experiences reduced drug effects because they have learned to function normally when under the influence of the drug
• Homeostasis


  A state of acting and feeling normal maintained by the brain
• Phases of withdrawal syndrome

  1. Acute withdrawal - begins within hours of drug cessation and gradually resolves after a few weeks

  2. Post-acute withdrawal - can last for months or even years after stopping the drug, characterised by emotional and psychological turmoil
• Withdrawal syndrome

  1. Occurs when an individual has been taking a drug for some time and starts to experience unpleasant feelings and symptoms when the drug is not in their system

  2. Brain readjusts to the drug being in the system, and when it drops below the tolerance level, the brain seeks out the drug to bring the level back up
• Addiction is characterised by an inability to stop using the substance or engaging in the behavior, leading to a failure to meet work, social, or family obligations
• Symptoms of withdrawal are the opposite of the feeling and symptoms induced by the drug
• Metabolic Tolerance

  Enzymes metabolize the drug more efficiently over time, resulting in reduced concentrations in the blood and at the sites of drug action, making the effect weaker
• Tolerance

  When an individual has to take more of a substance to gain the same effect as their initial experience
• Physical dependence

  1. Can occur with long-term use of many drugs

  2. Often follows heavy daily usage over several weeks or longer

  3. People need to take the drug to feel "normal"

  4. Often accompanies addiction

  5. Accompanied by increased tolerance to the drug

  6. Demonstrated by withdrawal syndrome if drug is suddenly abstained from

  7. Person depends on the drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms and function normally
• People may feel unable to cope without a particular substance or activity, and the desire to use it again may become so intense that it takes over their thinking completely
• Cravings are experienced as an intense desire to repeat the experience associated with a particular drug or activity
• The experiential system is preconscious, automatic, and strongly associated with emotion, driving behavior based on feelings
• Psychological dependence arises due to differences between what people think and feel
• Cravings can occur with non-physical addictions such as gambling or attending the gym
• Intense cravings make ending the addiction extremely difficult
• Psychological dependence

  1. Occurs when a drug becomes a central part of an individual's thoughts, emotions, and activities

  2. Demonstrated by a strong urge to use the drug despite awareness of possible harmful effects

  3. Characterized by cravings for the drug or activity

  4. Intense desire to repeat the experience associated with the drug or activity

  5. Intense cravings when attempting to abstain or cut down usage

  6. Feelings of anxiety if cravings are not met

  7. Desire to use the substance or engage in the activity may take over thinking completely

  8. Cravings can occur with non-physical addictions such as gambling or attending the gym
• Acting irrationally, as is often the case with psychological dependence, means that the experiential system has taken priority over the rational system
• The rational system operates according to culturally transmitted rules of reasoning, is conscious, analytical, and relatively emotion-free