Physical vs Psychological Dependence: Understanding Addiction

Depression and anxiety can cause an individual to have heart palpitations, feel pain, and make them faint. Physical symptoms can make a person lose sleep, feel depressed, and feel anxious. One might lead to another, which is why it’s important to treat both as they appear. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), substance abuse is when a person uses psychoactive drugs in a way that could harm them.

See the website for more information about dependency subjects and treatment options. It is possible that you’ve already moved past the dependence stage, which is why early detection of these symptoms is key. Beating a dependence is much easier than overcoming an addiction.

Social Symptoms

Classifying something as being either wholly physical or purely psychological indicates a misunderstanding of behavior as well as the brain and body connection. People who suffer from addiction will typically experience both physical and psychological dependence. However, it is possible to become physically dependent on a substance without becoming psychologically addicted. Since addiction is such a complex disease, many people get confused about the difference between physical and psychological dependence.

• Professional detox centers may even be able to eliminate many withdrawal symptoms, making the process as easy and as comfortable as possible.
• If people have underlying undiagnosed mental health conditions, the psychological symptoms of addiction can be more pronounced and even dangerous.
• As addiction treatment is a lifetime undertaking, and there is no actual and final cure-all for substance abuse, it’s important to remember that you’ll always be in recovery.

You need to buy more and more drugs, leaving you with less and less money for life’s essentials. Consuming the drug or alcohol at an excessive level is a social symptom of an addict. There is also an overlapping of symptoms of psychological effects and physical effects.

Substances Associated with Psychological and Physiological Dependence

Through seeking out professional treatment, you confront your addiction head-on, and with full support. You are suffering from a disease that professional medical staff can help you to treat. Conversely, if you are a regular user of stimulant drugs, physiological dependence on alcohol it is entirely different. In sensitization, lesser amounts of a drug like cocaine can cause its effects to become intensified. In partial tolerance, you’ll need a little more of the drug every time you use it in order to achieve the same high.

• Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health.
• Additionally, physiological dependencies are most commonly formed with prescription medication that is not abused by the patient.
• It is possible to become psychologically dependent on a drug without feeling the effects of physical dependence.
• This is a physical common addictive dependency versus a psychological dependency.

This proves to be an unhealthy relationship between the substance and the person. Our center employs caring, professional medical staff with expertise in addiction who deliver these services in both inpatient and outpatient program https://ecosoberhouse.com/ formats. If you or someone you know identifies with the symptoms of physical and psychological dependence, you might need addiction treatment. Our staff at Comprehensive Wellness Centers is here to help you every step of the way.

The process of addiction in the brain

For some people, psychological withdrawal is also a problem, and they begin to experience very strong alcohol cravings. As your body gets used to whichever substances you’re taking, you’ll need more and more drugs to achieve the same effect. This then begins to have a greater impact on your body chemistry and brain function.

• Addiction affects people differently, although there are specific signs that help professionals and those with addiction issues recognise the issues.
• This condition can last for weeks, even months, and symptoms can range from mild to severe.
• Dependence isn’t necessarily an addiction because drugs can improve a person’s life.
• Firstly, physiological dependence does not necessarily mean you or a loved one has a substance use disorder.