Describing Addiction

Question 1

What is addiction?

Answer 1

• Compulsion to use substance despite harmful consequences.
• Inability to stop to extent of failure to meet job/social/family obligations.

Question 2

What is tolerance?

Answer 2

• Taking more & more of substance to get same effect as first time.
• Explained by homeostasis (brains readjusts what it considers to be normal)

Question 3

What is metabolic tolerance?

Answer 3

• Enzymes metabolising drug do it more efficiently over time.
• Leads to reduced concentrations in blood & at sites of drug action, making effects weaker.

Question 4

What is cellular tolerance?

Answer 4

Prolonged drug use leads to changes in receptor density, reducing response to normal drug dose

Question 5

What is learned tolerance?

Answer 5

Has learned to function normally when under drug influence

Question 6

What is withdrawal?

Answer 6

• Experiencing unpleasant symptoms as result of prolonged drug use.
• Following tolerance - brain read to drug & when low levels, seeks it out to feel normal.
• Withdrawal symptoms opposite to drug symptoms.

Question 7

What determines how severe withdrawal symptoms are?

Answer 7

1. Drug taken - shorter half life = worse withdrawal
2. Amount consumed - high levels = worse withdrawal
3. Drug use pattern - frequent use = worse withdrawal

Question 8

What are the phases of withdrawal?

Answer 8

1. Acute withdrawal - within hours of not taking drug, intense physical cravings, resolves gradually in weeks
2. Post-acute withdrawal - lasts months/years after drug use, emotional & psychological turmoil as body readjusts itself

Question 9

What is physical dependence?

Answer 9

• Need drug to feel normal.
• Follows long term, heavy use of drug.
• Increased tolerance to drug.
• Unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when stop taking drug.

Question 10

What is psychological dependence?

Answer 10

• Drug is central part of thoughts/emotions/activities.
• Strong urge to use drug (cravings).
• Strong anxiety if cravings not met.
• Takes over thinking.

Question 11

Why does psychological dependence occur?

Answer 11

• Rational system - operates based on reasoning, emotion free, conscious.
• Experiential system - preconscious, automatic, emotional.
• Acting irrationally means experiential has taken over rational system.