Experimental use
Regular use
Abuse
Dependency
Addiction
The most important thing to know about the difference between
these two conditions is that substance abuse can lead to addiction
Abuse Addiction
Casual exhibits more serious symptoms
Not clinical Clinical
Recurrent use Binge intoxication
Recurrent use (voluntary) Compulsive self-administration
Tolerance (not strictly Tolerance
required)
No chemical dependency Chemical dependency
No Withdrawal symptoms Withdrawal symptoms
Healthy and normal Brain’s neurons adapt to repeated
drug exposure
Alters the brain briefly Alters the brain permanently
Addiction - Behavior Perspective
substance use
More likely to take the substance again
Addiction
Relieve negative feelings such as stress,
- anxiety, isolation or depression
Addiction
Compulsive substance seeking is a
key characteristic of addiction, as
is the loss of control over drug use.
As use becomes an ingrained behavior,
impulsivity shifts to compulsivity,
and
Each stage is
particularly associated
with one of the brain
regions—basal ganglia,
extended amygdala,
Chapter 2, The Neurobiology of Substance Use, Misuse and Addiction, The
and prefrontal cortex.
Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health
Addiction - repeating cycle with three stages.
continued…
Drug vs Medicine