Drug Dependence is Not Always a Form of Drug Abuse
What is the difference between drug abuse and drug dependency? The answer lies in the use of certain substances.
Drug abuse is a pathologic disorder wherein a person has the overindulgence to take or use certain drug/s. This is another type of substance abuse aside from alcoholism. This abuse pertains to either prescription or non-prescription drugs used for non-medical or non-therapeutic purposes. These drugs that are usually abused are psychoactive drugs and/or performance enhancing drugs.
Most dependents or abusers are unaware of the consequences of taking these substances. Chronic use of these substances may lead to disorders in health, problems in social life, and physical and/or psychological dependency. This is where a drug rehab comes in – to help others with this problem.
Drug dependence, however, could be developed if patients with legal prescriptions have developed tolerance to prescribed medicines. As a person becomes tolerant to a substance, the usual dose will no longer have an effect. But the tolerance could either be physiologic or psychologic in nature. This creates a need for a higher dose of the drug or a stronger type of drug such as pain killers.
One classic example was a drama actress who went into drug rehab not for drug abuse but for drug dependency. This actress had developed tolerance to basic anti-migraine prescription medicines which she was taking orally. This actress ended up running to the hospital every time she experienced severe pain brought about by chronic. In the end, this actress was advised to undergo drug detoxification at a nearby center.
Drug abuse and drug dependency can be physical or psychological. For whatever reason does a person depends or abuses drug, chronic use of these chemical substances leads to negative physical symptoms especially upon abrupt discontinuation. The person experiencing such symptoms needs medical intervention. To avoid these negative effects also known as withdrawal symptoms, a drug dependent is recommended to submit himself to detoxification in a recognized center.
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