Differences Between Drug Dependence & Drug Abuse

Drug dependence can be as debilitating and life altering as drug abuse. While there are subtle differences between the two, both almost always require treatment from qualified medical personnel.

Significance

• With both drug dependence and drug abuse, your life revolves around drugs. The differences between the two are physiological and psychological.

Function

• When drug abuse leads to addiction, you physically crave the drug you are addicted to and feel as though you require it to function.

  With drug dependence, you have an emotional and psychological need for the drugs. Any physical need for the drug is either secondary or not present.

Identification

• Drug abuse often, but not always, leads to addiction. Once a drug addiction is in place it can be very difficult to stop using the drug. This is due in large part to the physiological reaction that your body has to the absence of the drug.

  Drug dependence often does not have a physiological component akin to addiction. Instead, the absence of the drug from your possession can lead to panic attacks, fear or general anxiety. It isn't always necessary to actually take the drug; sometimes you just need to have it close at hand.

Misconceptions

• It is not unusual for people to assume that a dependence on a drug or its physical proximity is indicative of addiction and drug abuse. Many who suffer from a psychological dependency on a drug in reality rarely take the drug itself. Merely having it in their pocket is enough.

  There is also a belief that those who take medication for long periods of time, such as heart medication, have a dependency on the drug. This is not strictly true. Dependency is largely psychological as opposed to being a medical necessity.

Prevention/Solution

• The best way to prevent drug addiction is to use drugs only as prescribed by your doctor.

  Because drug dependency is a largely psychological matter, you should seek treatment from a mental health care professional if you feel that you are becoming psychologically dependent on medication.