Describing Addiction Flashcards
1
Q
3 key features of addiction
A
dependence, tolerance and withdrawal syndrome
2
Q
physical dependence
A
- you can only know if someone has a physical dependence once they try to abstain
- if they quit and they experience withdrawal symptoms, they have a physical dependence
3
Q
psychological dependence
A
- compulsion to experience effects of the drug
- the drugs increase pleasure or reduce discomfort
- a person with this dependence will continually take the drug or engage in the addictive behaviour, turning it into a habit and ignoring the negative consequences
4
Q
tolerance
A
- a person has developed a tolerance if they take an amount of a drug and feel reduced effects
- they will be inclined to take increasing amounts of the drug in order to feel the same effects
5
Q
behavioural tolerance
A
- when a person learns through experience that they need to adjust behaviour to compensate for the effects of the drugs
- e.g. a person with an alcohol addiction will learn to walk slower when intoxicated so that they are less likely to fall down
6
Q
cross-tolerance
A
- when a person develops a tolerance to one drug and this in turn reduces their sensitivity to another, such as drugs which are trying to stop the addiction
- this is seen in surgery, when people with a tolerance will need higher doses of anaesthetic to put them to sleep
7
Q
withdrawal syndrome
A
- collection of symptoms which result from abstaining from a drug
- they are typically the opposite of the effects which the drug has, e.g. causing anxiety, restlessness, irritability, weight gain, etc.
8
Q
physical dependence and withdrawal
A
- a person with a dependence will experience withdrawal symptoms whenever they are unable to get the drug
- this happens fairly often, so they become familiar with the symptoms and their main motivation for continuing to take the drugs is to avoid experience withdrawal
