Describing addiction

Question 1

What is addiction?

Answer 1

A disorder in which an individual consumes a substance or engages in a behaviour that is pleasurable but eventually become compulsive with harmful consequences

Question 2

What are the key features?

Answer 2

Dependence (physical and psychological)
Tolerance
Withdrawal syndrome

Question 3

what is meant by the term psychological dependence?

Answer 3

Mental/emotional compulsion to keep taking a substance/behaviour. It may increase their pleasure or lesson their discomfort

Question 4

What happens with the absence in g drug (psychological dependence)

Answer 4

Causes individual to feel anxious or irritable and this leads to a craving for the substance

Question 5

What is meant by the term physical dependence?

Answer 5

State of the body that occurs when withdrawal syndrome is produced from stopping substance/behaviour

Question 6

What’s meant by the term withdrawal syndrome?

Answer 6

collection of psychological and physical symptoms an individual will experience when they no longer have substance/ engage in particular behaviour

Question 7

What symptoms does withdrawal syndrome have?

Answer 7

Low mood, feeling nauseous, achy, in pain, tremors

Question 8

Why can withdrawal cause continuation?

Answer 8

Take substance/ engage in behaviour to avoid the symptoms

Question 9

What 3 factors contribute to the severity of withdrawal syndrome?

Answer 9

1.)The substance used/type of behaviour
2.) The amount of substance consumed
3.) drug use/behaviour pattern

Question 10

When does tolerance arise?

Answer 10

When you have taken the substance/maintained the behaviour for some time

Question 11

What happens to the response of the substance/behaviour when there is repeat exposure?

Answer 11

Reduced, need greater doses to feel the same psychological and physical effect

Question 12

3 examples of tolerance?

Answer 12

Cellular tolerance
Metabolic tolerance
Behavioural tolerance

Question 13

What is cellular tolerance?

Answer 13

When brain neurons adapt their responsiveness to higher levels of a substance

Question 14

What is metabolic tolerance?

Answer 14

MT takes place when a substance has been metabolised quicker, therefore leaves body quicker

Question 15

What is behavioural tolerance?

Answer 15

Learns, through experience, to adjust behaviour to compensate for the effect of the drug eg: walking more slowly to avoid falling over when drunk