Difference Between Addiction and Dependence

Although individuals use the phrases, addiction and dependence interchangeably, there lives a disparity between the two words addiction and dependence. Addiction is the outcome of a situation where the substance usage of a person becomes disruptive to his everyday existence. The disposition of the disruption differs. It may influence the connection with other individuals in life, at a place of work, and the obligations that a person possesses in life. This can be as well psychological and also natural. Hence, dependence is a little more varied than addiction. It is when an individual requires a particular quantity of a substance for natural well-being. Without using it, the body possesses an unfavourable response. This article offers fundamental knowledge of the two words and underlines the disparity between addiction and dependence.

Table of Contents

What is Addiction?

An addiction can be described as a natural and psychological situation that ends up in a very intense urge on the aspect of the person that cannot be withstood. Although a lot of individuals tend to condemn addicted persons to be fragile as a result of their incapacity to restrain their desires, a lot of times, it is not the case. It may be a severe neurobiological ailment that causes the individual to engage in different socially non-permitted patterns of conduct, like theft, just to fulfil his desire. This does not imply that an individual attains a form of unconsciousness; instead, his desire is too strong that another ethical responsibility becomes secondary. Addiction does not possess any age range, even though it often begins at a younger age and progresses afterwards. An individual who is addicted exhibits obsession behaviours of requesting more and more. This unsatisfied urge only progresses when the individual becomes numb to the harmful outcomes of addiction to himself and the individuals around him. This is not to say that the individual is not conscious of the harm that it provokes. Hence she or she does not possess the ability to regulate it. This emergence and indication of the habit that develops into an addiction could be a result of natural, environmental, and genetic socio-factors.

What is Dependence?

Contrary to addiction, which emphasizes the interplay of both natural and psychological effects for its expansion, dependence only describes the natural state connected. It is a situation where drugs need to be consumed for physical well-being. Without the vital dose, the person may possess a harmful biological response. The cause for this is that as the body has evolved to become familiarized with the drugs, the disposal develops a peculiar condition that comes out as a harmful response. These unhealthy responses include nausea, racing heart, diarrhoea, and sweating. Hence, these responses are not psychological. When a particular drug has been used for an extended period, the body starts to develop a tolerance towards the drugs causing it to be essential to take an increased dose for the response that was formally experienced. Retreating from drugs can as well be an unfortunate experience, mainly at the beginning phase, as there is a natural longing for drugs.