Addiction vs. dependence

Hi there,

Can anybody explain the differences between addiction and dependence??

This is how the National Institute on Drug Abuse tries to explain their distinction between drug addiction and physical drug dependence:

 

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/frequently-asked-questions/there-difference-between-physical-dependence

 

"Is there a difference between physical dependence and addiction?

 

Yes. Addiction—or compulsive drug use despite harmful consequences—is characterized by an inability to stop using a drug; failure to meet work, social, or family obligations; and, sometimes (depending on the drug), tolerance and withdrawal. The latter reflect physical dependence in which the body adapts to the drug, requiring more of it to achieve a certain effect (tolerance) and eliciting drug-specific physical or mental symptoms if drug use is abruptly ceased (withdrawal). Physical  dependence can happen with the chronic use of many drugs—including many prescription drugs, even if taken as instructed. Thus, physical dependence in and of itself does not constitute addiction, but it often accompanies addiction. This distinction can be difficult to discern, particularly with prescribed pain medications, for which the need for increasing dosages can represent tolerance or a worsening underlying problem, as opposed to the beginning of abuse or addiction."

Thank you Fi, so as far as my understanding goes, we are dependent, not addicted to benzos, right?

Thank you Fi, so as far as my understanding goes, we are dependent, not addicted to benzos, right?

 

Right !

My doctor, after suggesting I try a w/d, recently told me I'm physically dependent upon, not addicted to Xanax. best wishes

It's just semantics and our journey to this place.

 

Street talk - addiction is the recreational users who got it illegally and those suffering "dependence" are the ones with scripts who the doctors got hooked. Actually many street talkers have no clue what dependence means.

 

I usually say I'm "addicted" even though I did not know I was and only took Xanax as a doctor prescribed med. Mostly I don't talk to anyone about it and just let them think I'm strange.

 

Just my spin of course. I played with words for a living back in the day.

 

 

It's just semantics and our journey to this place.

 

Street talk - addiction is the recreational users who got it illegally and those suffering "dependence" are the ones with scripts who the doctors got hooked. Actually many street talkers have no clue what dependence means.

 

I usually say I'm "addicted" even though I did not know I was and only took Xanax as a doctor prescribed med. Mostly I don't talk to anyone about it and just let them think I'm strange.

 

Just my spin of course. I played with words for a living back in the day.

 

I believe the distinction could be much more important than simple semantics. For example, in situations where persons voluntarily enter long term care facilities or where persons are involuntarily placed into custody like jails or prisons, I would hope that a diagnosis of a physical dependence upon a drug is recognized as a valid reason to continue following the prescribed treatment plan of that person's doctor. 

Yes. I would hope that would be the case Fi. My experience in a rural, southern area colors my world.

Yes. I would hope that would be the case Fi. My experience in a rural, southern area colors my world.

 

I think I understand. Unfortunately our experience(s) are not confined to only rural, southern areas.  My sincere best wishes Lilyann

No. It's very fortunate that some areas are progressive and would look at issues from different angles. I just would expect a big lag in any of those new ways of looking at things being accepted by most in an area like this. I hope that makes sense.

https://www.northpointwashington.com/blog/whats-real-definition-addiction-heres-whats/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=sociallyin_04%2F12%2F19+-+Infographic+-+Traffic+-+Sociallyin+-+FB%2FIG&utm_content=Ad2&fbclid=IwAR19isHk9OTVoL4xAPQRYMSDSQvb2oNlzh0f0_JfDdUjGA7ES5yuhGJcjfE

 

Here is what I was talking about with it being semantics. It depends on who is using the words and how.

DON’T HARM THEM TWICE: WHEN THE LANGUAGE SURROUNDING BENZODIAZEPINES ADDS INSULT TO INJURY

 

"Add to that the experience of being labeled and treated as an “addict,” or as someone who has a “substance use disorder”—sometimes by the very people who did this to you—and the blow is even more bitter, while the outcomes can be dire. People who blindly follow an ignorant clinician’s advice and treat their benzodiazepine dependency like an addiction—by rapidly tapering or admitting themselves to a facility for detox—may find themselves in an incapacitating and even life-threatening situation that can persist for years"

 

 

https://www.benzoinfo.com/2016/09/05/dont-harm-them-twice-when-the-language-surrounding-benzodiazepines-adds-insult-to-injury-part-1/

 

 

That's an excellent article. I do wish the medical community would come to some consensus with the terminology. I'm in the U.S., and (as mentioned in the article), the terms are used very erratically. In the general public, it's impossible to know how the words are intended.