Submitted by 4ucklehead t3_1000138 in Futurology
NetflixAndZzzzzz t1_j2f3lgz wrote
Reply to comment by nauseacomaneci in Will we ever cure addiction? by 4ucklehead
If someone is chemically dependent, but they abstain from using the chemical, are they addicted to it?
nauseacomaneci t1_j2fakxl wrote
It depends on why they are abstaining from the substance! I am copying my reply to your other comment as it is relevant here, too:
"Chemical dependence is a necessary but insufficient precondition for addiction. Addiction is a biopsychosocial disorder & one needs a particular constellation of biological, psychological, & sociological symptoms or risk factors to be diagnosed...
...Being chemically dependent on something doesn't necessarily mean you're addicted to it.
Take the example I wrote about elsewhere in this thread. I am chemically dependent on my antidepressants. Meaning, if I stopped taking them, I would experience deleterious physical symptoms. However, I am not "addicted" to these medications as such, because, for one, I am not abusing them [I take them as prescribed], & taking these medications does not impact my ability to live my life or meet social or familial obligations, &c.
So, chemical dependence needs to be present to diagnose a substance use disorder, but chemical dependence on its own is insufficient to meet the criteria of substance use disorder."
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