Addiction and Dependency Are Not the Same

There are several false impressions regarding drug use and abuse, but the most widespread misunderstanding is the difference between a physical dependence on a drug and a chemical addiction.  Often times pain patients are stigmatized as addicts or drug seekers because of their use of opioids, when in reality their need for pain relievers is necessary for their day-to-day function.  Many do not realize that there are biological and physiological differences between those who suffer from a drug dependency and those who struggle with a drug addiction.  Many patients with chronic pain experience this misconception from their friends, family, physicians, and even themselves. 

To put it in simplest terms, an addiction can be defined as a neurobiological disease while a dependency is the body’s adaptation to a particular drug.  Those who are prone to developing addictions are generally genetically predisposed, or have psychosocial or environmental factors that are responsible for their addictive tendencies.  Often times, the line between addiction and dependency can be blurred.  Many of those who have an addiction to a drug will still experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking their medication.  However, those suffering from an addiction have compulsive behaviors that compel them to satisfy a need for a particular stimulus, while a dependency is the body acclimating to receiving regular doses of a specific medication.

To delve deeper into the difference between addiction and dependency, it is important to understand the terminology of each condition.  An addiction is characterized by poor control over or compulsive drug use, a craving for the drug, or continued use of the drug despite severe physical, mental, or social consequences or harm.  A dependency is extremely different, and is solely a physical state of the body’s adjustment to a certain drug.  When medication is stopped or reduced too quickly for those who are dependent on a drug, their body starts experiencing painful withdrawal symptoms, like nausea, muscle aches, anxiety, insomnia, sweating or diarrhea.  Both an addiction and a dependency can occur with almost any kind of drug, including opiates like Vicodin, OxyContin, Suboxone and other prescription painkillers.

If you or a loved one are struggling with finding an appropriate path to pain relief or are suffering from an addiction to opiates, we urge you to contact your medical physicians.  For more information on choosing a drug detox program for yourself or a loved one, please feel free to contact our office directly.  The Waismann Method is a safe and proven treatment for opiate dependency that utilizes the most advanced medical techniques available.  The rapid opiate detoxification procedure is carried out in a full-service hospital in Southern California by board-certified anesthesiologists while patients remain under deep sedation, so they experience minimal conscious withdrawal or suffering.

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