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Addiction: Substances
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Addiction is one of the most costly public health problems in the United States. It is a progressive syndrome, which means that it increases in severity over time unless it is treated. Substance abuse is characterized by frequent relapse, or return to the abused substance. Substance abusers often make repeated attempts to quit before they are successful.
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Addiction is defined as an overuse of any substance that changes the natural chemical balance of the brain. It is basically agreed upon that addiction encompasses both biological, psychological, and behavioral factors.
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The terms ‘abuse’ and ‘addiction’... have been defined and re-defined over the years. Addiction used to be a term used to describe only those conditions in which terminating use leads to unpleasant physical signs of withdrawal. These are particularly prominent in regular users of such ‘hard drugs’ as heroin and cocaine, and in alcoholics. The most commonly accepted current modern system of diagnosis is that published by the American Psychiatric Association, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) , (Washington DC, 1994). This uses the term substance dependence instead of ‘addiction’ and defines it as follows:
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Selfhelp Magazine Selfhelp Magazine has many good articles on addiction. Most deal with substance abuse (and are listed on the Substance Abuse page here in Psych Web). Others deal with non-chemical addiction or the addiction concept in general. For example:
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Physical addiction is when a person's body actually becomes dependent on a particular substance (even smoking is physically addictive). It ... means building tolerance to that substance, so that a person needs a larger dose than ever before to get the same effects. Someone who is physically addicted and stops using a substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes may experience withdrawal symptoms. Common symptoms of withdrawal are diarrhea, shaking, and generally feeling awful.
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The definition for addiction has two aspects: substance addiction and process addictions. Substance addictions include addictions to alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and nicotine. A process addiction is defined as an addiction to an action such as gambling, shopping, working, sexual activities, eating, and cleaning.
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