Addiction Flashcards
What is addiction?
Addiction is the compulsion to use a substance or engage in behaviour despite its harmful consequences.
What characterizes addiction?
an inability to stop using that substance or engaging in the behaviour to the extent that there is a failure to meet work, social or family obligations.
What is tolerance in the context of drug use?
Tolerance is when an individual needs larger and larger doses of a drug to achieve the same effect as their initial experience.
What happens during withdrawal?
Withdrawal occurs when an individual experiences unpleasant feelings and symptoms after stopping a drug they have been taking for some time.
What is metabolic tolerance?
Metabolic tolerance occurs when enzymes responsible for metabolising the drug do this more efficiently over time, resulting in reduced concentrations in the blood.
What is cellular tolerance?
Cellular tolerance occurs when prolonged drug use leads to changes in receptor density, reducing the response to the normal dose of the drug.
What is learned tolerance?
Learned tolerance is when the user experiences reduced drug effects because they have learned to function normally under the influence of the drug.
What factors determine the severity of withdrawal symptoms?
the drug used,
the amount consumed,
the drug use pattern.
What is acute withdrawal?
Acute withdrawal begins within hours of drug cessation and gradually resolves after a few weeks, marked by intense physical cravings.
What is post-acute withdrawal?
Post-acute withdrawal can last for months or even years after stopping the drug and is characterised by emotional and psychological turmoil.
What is physical dependence?
Physical dependence can occur with the long-term use of many drugs and often follows heavy daily usage over several weeks or longer.
What do people who are physically dependent on a substance need?
People who are physically dependent on a particular substance need to take the drug in order to feel ‘normal’.
Does physical dependence mean addiction?
Physical dependence (tolerance and withdrawal) does not mean that an individual is addicted to the drug, but such dependence often accompanies addiction.
What is tolerance in the context of physical dependence?
Increased tolerance to the drug, requiring increased doses to obtain the desired effect.
What is withdrawal syndrome?
Physical dependence can be demonstrated by the presence of unpleasant physical symptoms referred to as withdrawal syndrome if the person suddenly abstains from the drug.
What is psychological dependence?
Psychological dependence occurs when a drug becomes a central part of an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and activities.
How can psychological dependence be demonstrated?
It can be demonstrated by a strong urge to use the drug, despite being aware of any possible harmful effects associated with its use.
What is a craving?
A craving is experienced as an intense desire to repeat the experience associated with a particular drug or activity.
What happens when an individual attempts to abstain from drug use?
they will experience intense cravings to use the substance or engage in the activity.
What feelings arise if cravings are not met?
If these cravings are not met, the person begins to feel very anxious, making ending the addiction extremely difficult.
Can cravings occur with non-physical addictions?
Yes, cravings can occur with non-physical addictions such as gambling or attending the gym.
Why does psychological dependence arise?
People commonly experience differences between what they think and what they feel, resulting from two different information-processing systems - rational and experiential.
What is the rational system?
The rational system operates according to culturally transmitted rules of reasoning. It is conscious, analytical, and relatively emotion-free.
What is the experiential system?
The experiential system is preconscious, automatic, and strongly associated with emotion, driving behavior based largely on feelings.
What happens when the experiential system takes priority?
Acting irrationally (as is often the case with psychological dependence) means that the experiential system has taken priority over the rational system.
