What Is Psychological Dependence?

When the addictive substance is not supplied, an individual who has already formed a psychological dependence will experience physical withdrawal symptoms. Examine the symptoms, definitions and differences between psychological and physical addiction. The signs and symptoms of a physical and psychological dependency are difficult to separate at times.

In fact, treatment professionals map the course of your programs and therapies according to your type of addiction. They get to know your dependence and related factors for treatment before you start on your road to recovery. In the question of whether you suffer physical vs psychological dependence, you also must consider you possibly suffer both.

Principles Of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research

Along with this, you’ll feel strongly compelled to seek out and use your chosen substance. If you can’t get what you want, it can lead to some incredibly volatile emotions. These symptoms are not technically the same thing as physical “withdrawal” from a drug…. Unlike drug withdrawal, antidepressant discontinuation effects are not related to addiction but can physiological dependence on alcohol reflect physiological consequences of stopping a drug, just as when someone with diabetes stops insulin. Discover commonly misused drugs, symptoms of misuse, where to seek help, and more. In most cases, though, working with a therapist is the best course for addressing psychological dependence, whether it occurs on its own or alongside physical dependence.

Numerous drugs of abuse are described as having both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms and fostering both forms of dependence. Physical dependence describes changes to the body that could be measured in a medical lab test, as a result of addiction.

Break The Cycle Of Psychological Dependence At Amatus Recovery Centers

Despite this, chemical dependence must be treated as a whole for it to work. A psychological dependence affects the mind negatively in terms of mood, feelings, and thoughts. They’re arguably more difficult to pin down and treat because of this. A doctor can tell when a person has tremors or is sweating excessively.

Emotional dependence is just as severe as physical dependence, and addressing the mental aspects of dependence is part of an effective recovery program. 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 , 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 and eliciting drug-specific physical or mental symptoms if drug use is abruptly ceased . 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. More direct evidence supporting increased alcohol consumption as a consequence of repeated withdrawal experience comes from animal studies linking dependence models with self-administration procedures. Similar results have been reported in mice, with voluntary alcohol consumption assessed using a limited access schedule (Becker and Lopez 2004; Dhaher et al. 2008; Finn et al. 2007; Lopez and Becker 2005).

Treating Physical And Psychological Dependence

One might lead to another, which is why it’s important to treat both as they appear. There is a fine line between a physical dependence and a psychological dependence. But, a physical dependence can be thought of as the signs and symptoms a person displays that are tangible. Someone with a physical dependence on drugs and alcohol might show symptoms that others can notice. Whether or not withdrawal symptoms are present, addiction involves a psychological process that must be addressed in comprehensive therapy. While a prior delineation between psychological addictions and physical addictions indicated that psychological addictions were not quite as serious, this has been shown to be untrue.

But in a quality detox and rehab treatment program, you receive the help you need to free yourself from your dependencies. The psychological side of addiction represents the compulsion of the mind to drink or use based on a perceived need the substance fills. This facet of addiction can occur even if the person doesn’t display physical dependency symptoms. Depending on the addiction, it was previously thought to be either one or the other.

Comparing Psychological And Physical Dependence

If you or someone you know identifies with the symptoms of physical and psychological dependence, you might need addiction treatment. Our staff at Comprehensive Wellness Centers is here to help you every step of the way.

So, as we delve deeper into the mechanics of addiction, keep in mind that there are new treatments which will guide you through these stages and forward into full recovery. Quite literally, the substance becomes central to how the person lives their life, no matter what kind of trouble it creates. Outpatient treatment must follow a continuum of care that starts with a thorough needs assessment and ends with recovery monitoring.

How Addiction Affects The Brain

Words have meaning — and when it comes to something as serious as addiction, getting them right matters. You feel a sudden onset of panic because you’re about to give a huge presentation. You’re gripped with fear that you’ll fumble your words or screw up the slides because you didn’t get your caffeine boost.

This erroneous belief is pertinent to the disease model of addiction in that it purports that “addiction is not a choice” because people with substance use disorders do make decisions regarding their substance abuse. The word psychological can be defined as relating to, or arising from the mind or emotions. A psychological addiction then refers to how the individual can become mentally dependent on certain substances or behaviors. Even when the individual realizes the harm that alcohol and drugs are causing them they may continue to use because of these psychological symptoms – willpower alone is often not enough to overcome a psychological addiction. To put it another way, physical vs psychological dependence means mental vs physical symptoms. Also, a program at an addiction recovery center will deal with them separately.

Seizures are sudden and uncontrolled actions disturbing the brain wave pattern. Insomnia or lack of sleep is another physical addictive dependency attribute versus the psychological dependency attribute. Angry outbursts are another symptom of a physical addictive dependency versus psychological addictive dependency. Angry outbursts can be caused by frustration when the person is feeling helpless and they feel the substance they are on is too strong to overcome. The user would need to get professional help to deal with sobriety and help with the angry outbursts. Depression or a doubtful attitude can be problematic when trying to go to recovery to get help. This is a physical common addictive dependency versus a psychological dependency.

How Does Physical And Psychological Addiction Differ?

It is also true that when you suddenly stop drinking alcohol, you’ll generally experience physical withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling ill, nauseous and shaky. For some people, psychological withdrawal is also a problem, and they begin to experience very strong alcohol cravings.

• Certain substances may even cause life-threatening symptoms if the drug is suddenly stopped.
• Role of alpha-2 adrenoceptors in stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking and alcohol self-administration in rats.
• In fact, treatment professionals map the course of your programs and therapies according to your type of addiction.
• Seizures, rapid heart rate, and measurable changes to serotonin or endorphin levels might be symptoms of physical dependence.
• Addiction is the inability to stop drinking or using a drug, even in the face of the significant problems it causes with school, work, relationships, health, or the law.

Once the substances are out of the body, and the body begins to heal, the person may continue to suffer from the psychological consequences. Finding the right treatment facility and support system can make enduring the symptoms of withdrawal more manageable. For some, these first steps are the hardest parts of the recovery journey and require a full team of support while the brain and body heal. Those who have a physical dependence Transitional living on a substance will likely be put into a medically supervised detoxification process at the beginning of their treatment program, which will help alleviate their withdrawal symptoms. From there, they move into addressing the underlying causes of their substance use, which is the psychological side of addiction. Taking larger doses of a drug or substance is an effect of psychological dependence, not physical dependence.

Therapists may use a variety of approaches to help you address past wounds and maintain sobriety by learning healthier ways to think about yourself and deal with triggers. Common addiction therapy approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy. You’ll learn relapse prevention skills to help you resist urges and cravings and build a supportive network of sober peers.

It was once believed that the fear of withdrawal was the most significant obstacle in the way of recovery and that methods to ease withdrawal symptoms should be the primary focus of treatment. However, with time and research, we began to understand that addiction happens in the mind as much as in the body. Researchers observed that people who were addicted to substances that did not cause withdrawal symptoms were still unable to quit on their own, and that behavioral addictions were just as powerful as those created by substances. When people continue to use drugs or alcohol after becoming tolerant to them, they will develop a physical dependence where they experience withdrawal symptoms when they don’t take the drug. However, certain substances have a higher risk of physical dependence than others. For example, drugs like alcohol, benzodiazepines, methamphetamine, and opioids may result in physical dependence faster than drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.

Many substances, such as caffeine, nicotine, anti-depressants, can cause physical dependence. The condition is not, by any means, a result unique to illegal drugs. In fact, physical dependence can be a distraction from another problem—addiction. Physical dependence is sometimes simply called dependence, but this phrasing can cause confusion because addiction is sometimes referred to as dependence as well. Also, the alternative viewpoint that “addiction is a choice” is also incorrect because people with substance use disorders are motivated by many physical processes that affect their behavior in a number of ways. While detox is comprehensive, it focuses more on physical dependence.