Defining Addiction

Question 1

What are the 3 stages of addiction?

Answer 1

1. Initiation
2. Maintenance
3. Relapse

Question 2

What is physical dependence?

Answer 2

• A result of long term use
• A physiological need for a drug which is marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued
• Normal day to day functioning can become reliant on the substance
• Often accompanied by tolerance

Question 3

What is psychological dependence?

Answer 3

• When a person must continue to take a drug in order to satisfy an intense mental and emotional craving for the drug
• Individual feels they can’t cope with work and social life without a particular drug
• Absence of the drug causes the individual to feel anxious, irritable, depressed and have cravings
• The addiction is in the mind and becomes the central focus to a persons life

Question 4

What is tolerance?

Answer 4

• The diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger doses before experiencing the same effect
• The bodies adjustment to chronic use

Question 5

What are the 3 ways tolerance can occur?

Answer 5

1. Metabolic- where enzymes responsible for breaking down the drug become more effective reducing its effect
2. Neuroadaptation- where changes at the synapse occur which may make receptors less sensitive or fewer in number, reducing the effects of drugs
3. Learned- the result of practice as the person has learned to function normally whilst under the influence of the drug

Question 6

What is withdrawal?

Answer 6

• Unpleasant physical or physiological effects following discontinued use of a drug
• Can include shakes or tremors, vomiting, blood pressure and heart rate changes depending on the drug
• These effects are the consequence of the body reacting to cessation of the drug
• Often leads onto relapse as users find withdrawal symptoms intolerable

Question 7

What are the 2 types of withdrawal?

Answer 7

1. Acute- happens within hours but usually stops within weeks
2. Post acute withdrawal- brain slowly reorganises and balances (could take months/years)

Question 8

What is the DSM IV criteria for disorders of substance misuse?

Answer 8

1. Tolerance
2. Withdrawal symptoms
3. Increasing doses
4. Unsuccessful attempt to cut down intake
5. Considerable time spent obtaining, using or recovering from the use of the substance
6. Important social, occupational or recreational activities are given up
7. Continuing use despite recognition that this causes physical or psychological problems

Question 9

What 1 or more behaviours must the individual experience within a 12 month period for a diagnosis of substance abuse?

Answer 9

1. Interference with obligation in their major role (home, work, school)
2. Recurrent use in potentially hazardous situations (drink driving)
3. Legal problems related to drug use
4. Continued use despite social or interpersonal problems caused by substance use