Psychological Dependence vs Physical Dependence

Substance use disorder (the medical term for drug addiction) involves psychological aspects and changes to the body’s processes. Your brain will physiological dependance respond differently to regular stimuli due to its altered state. Examples of withdrawal symptoms include hand tremors, gastrointestinal issues, depression, and anxiety. Your options now involve continuing to use, talking with your doctor to change your medication, or choosing an addiction treatment program. Because physiological dependence is a warning sign, you’ll need to know how to spot it.

Social Media and the Link to Drug Addiction

Those with severe psychological addiction become consumed with their drug of choice. These substances become the central focus of their life, to the detriment of relationships, jobs and overall health. The definition of physical dependence refers almost exclusively to the physical ramifications of addiction characterized by the symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. Mental dependence is when a person relies on a substance or behavior to cope with emotional challenges. For example, a person may drink alcohol when they feel stressed but otherwise feel no compulsion to drink. Many people who use the term “dependence” are referring to physical dependence.

Are Some Substances More High Risk?

The findings, thus, revealed that video games are closely connected with acute stress (the fight-or-flight response). A release of glucose into the bloodstream seems to be related to this stress reaction 13. Moreover, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is exacerbated by continual notifications, which seems to place a significant amount of pressure on people to be online all the time. Hence, it’s likely that young people have trouble unwinding before bed because they worry about losing out on new texts or material. These special features of the usage of social media give us yet another cause to anticipate a connection between it and bad sleep 3.

Addiction Treatment Programs

• Cardiovascular issues may be at risk due to chronic sympathetic arousal.
• If it is not a prescription medication, your doctor may be able to help you reduce your use of the substance with the least side effects.
• Other common substances that cause dependence are nicotine and pain relievers, particularly narcotics.
• Along with the detrimental effect on mental health, excessive screen time is also responsible for multiple physical health deteriorations 1.
• Overusing digital screens during one’s adolescence and young adulthood may result in their mind relating to outside stimuli rather readily and cause a lack of attention.
• Although these are effective for pain relief, they have a high risk of causing physical dependence if a person uses them for longer than prescribed.

Addiction is considered “highly treatable.” But it can take a few tries for the therapy to be fully effective. Tried and tested methods such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) help countless people overcome lingering psychological dependence while introducing them to healthier ways of coping with cravings. This might come in the form of home visits from a nurse, or travelling to your GP’s office for regular checkups. If you’re experiencing any mild withdrawal symptoms, you’ll have the chance to receive medications such as anti-sickness tablets, or low-intensity painkillers.

Treating Physiological Dependence

• This can often occur when the person requires long-term pain medications for chronic pain.
• These drugs can produce a “high” similar to marijuana and have become a popular but dangerous alternative.
• As we stated earlier, we’re an outpatient Suboxone clinic that is dedicated to help as many patients as we can to overcome their addiction and begin to live life at its fullest once again.
• They’ll use this information to build a personalised treatment plan targeting both physical and psychological dependence if needed.

However, every experience is subjective and unique to the individual, which is why it’s important to understand all the key signs of dependence. When someone is physically dependent on a substance, it means that their body has adapted to the presence of drugs or alcohol after regular use. Comprehensive addiction treatment programs often combine various approaches for the best outcomes. These might include individual counseling, group therapy, family therapy, and holistic treatments like mindfulness and nutrition counseling.

• You can also experience both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
• However, seeking help through a professional addiction treatment center can help individuals to detox in the care of those who know what treatments to offer and when.
• For example, some people have a dependence on their blood pressure medication.
• However, it’s important to note there are still wide variations in the way doctors use these terms.
• Dependence can happen with many drugs, even when a person takes them as per their doctor’s instructions.
• At the heart of addiction lies the brain’s reward system, a delicate balance of neurotransmitters that evolved to reinforce behaviors crucial for survival.
• Emerging research in areas like epigenetics and neuroplasticity offers new insights into how addiction develops and how we might intervene more effectively.

Additionally, people may build up a tolerance to the substance, meaning that they require more of the drug to feel its effects. It may be done by family and friends in consultation with a health care provider or mental health professional such as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, or directed by an intervention professional. It involves family and friends and sometimes co-workers, clergy or others who care about the person struggling with addiction. However, most addictions have far more reaching consequences, affecting individuals on both a mental and physical level. Identifying whether you have a physical or psychological dependence on drugs and alcohol can help you find the best course of treatment.