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These psychoactive substances include many drugs that affect mental or cognitive processing, such as alcohol, illicit drugs, and even some legal medicines. Substance abuse sometimes leads to substance dependence, meaning the user’s physical or psychological reliance on the substance. Dependence is mainly characterized by the symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. While it’s possible to have a physical drug dependence without a substance use disorder, usually, addiction isn’t far behind.
- Just because a drug is not considered physically addictive doesn’t mean it’s not addictive at all.
- The feelings of happiness, well-being, relaxation, and sexual stimulation cause you to desire the experience again and again.
- Taking either a cold or warm bath is another way to ease the pain of withdrawal symptoms by soothing the discomforts of sweating or chills.
It’s not quite the same as physiological dependence, because it requires a trigger for you to crave that substance. This article will review the facts, discuss the differences, and explore the similarities between both forms of addiction. If you or a loved one are going through any of these conditions, do not go through it alone. Feel free to contact us at Sana Lake Recovery Center for all your recovery needs.
Benefits of Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
While it may be tough to recover from addiction, it is completely possible with the right help and attitude. More so than the physical withdrawal symptoms, it is the cravings and psychological dependence that lead a person to use Marijuana again. It is also psychological dependence that is more likely to lead a person to enter treatment. Some addictions affect a person mentally, some cause physical symptoms, and sometimes addictions can become both physical and psychological. It is important to understand if an addiction is physical, mental, or both in order to identify the best course of treatment. North Jersey Recovery Center believes that addiction is a disorder that affects both the body and mind.
Drugs like alcohol pose potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, including delirium tremens and seizures. Other drugs cause withdrawal symptoms as mild as fatigue and sleeping problems. The kind of withdrawal experienced from a physical addiction largely depends on the addicted person, and the kind of drug he or she is addicted to. Only drugs containing addictive substances, such as nicotine, can cause physical addictions. However, other addictions can form as a result of substance abuse – even if the drug itself doesn’t have addictive properties. In all cases of drug or alcohol abuse, there are symptoms and physical effects on the body and mind.
Physical Dependence
Someone with an alcohol dependence may have an emotional reaction to something as simple as ice clinking against a glass. For example, they feel a constant need to drink alcohol, even if they know it will lead to negative consequences. Over time, a person won’t be able to function without using the substance. If they stop using the substance, their body will go through withdrawal. At Promises Behavioral Health, you’ll receive physical and psychological care in an environment of compassion and empathy.
With the right treatment plan, you can manage physical and psychological dependence and work toward long-term recovery. We teach patients why a physical vs psychological dependence matters and how to deal with both positively. Contact us now to see how we can help you or a loved one overcome chemical dependency. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) are offered in many addiction treatment centers. So, medication prescribed by a doctor can still result in a physical dependence.
Mental Health Treatment at The Ranch PA
Addiction leads to harmful consequences for the sufferer; affecting their work, social, and familial responsibilities. Alternately, building a tolerance to the drug used, in which more of the drug must be used to achieve the same effect, is physical dependence. Furthermore, withdrawal from the drug used occurs when its use is suddenly stopped and creates physical difficulties for the substance user. Chronic use of drugs leads to these detrimental physical effects. Although physical dependence does not necessarily create an addiction, it often accompanies it. Whether someone is suffering from the effects of physical or psychological addiction, holistic addiction treatment is the best course of action.
This can happen when drugs are more important than other things in your life. You need to buy more and more drugs, leaving you with less and less money for life’s essentials. Constipation and diarrhea are two effects that physically manifest themselves. Having diarrhea can cause dehydration which can lead to other health problems.
The higher the dose of the drug, as well as the length of time you’ve been using it, the more negative the physical effects will be. Over time, the body becomes tolerant of a substance that is being abused, developing an addiction. If the psychological dependence on alcohol person suddenly stops taking the substance in question, they may experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. In other words, long-term drug abuse causes the brain to change, causing it to become dependent on the drug in question.
Addiction is said to affect a person’s sleeping patterns as well as other parts of their day-to-day life. Lack of sleep (insomnia) is a physical trait when it comes to comparing physical vs psychological addiction. Depression is a common withdrawal effect of dependence and drug addiction. It is considered a physical symptom of drug addiction (specifically withdrawals). In general, mood swings (anger, sadness, etc.) are part of the withdrawal process.
Physical addiction occurs when your body becomes so dependent on a substance or drug your cells cannot function without it. The withdrawal effects—nausea, vomiting, headaches—are the body telling you it needs more of the substance to return to its new (artificial) state of normalcy. Although someone who’s dependent on drugs and alcohol might not have an addiction, it’s more likely to turn into addiction through long usage. In terms of physical dependence vs psychological dependence, someone can be dependent without actually having an addiction.
