The diagnosis of substance dependence is closest to what people often refer to as drug addiction. When a person shows either tolerance or withdrawal from the substance, the person shows physiological dependence on the substance. When a person experiences less and less effect from the same dose of substance and needs greater and greater doses of a substance in order to achieve intoxication, this shows tolerance. On regards to people who smoke, 20 cigarette sticks would make a person who just recently smokes to get violently ill while people who have smoked cigarettes for years would have no problem with that amount of sticks. A person may not have enough awareness on the effects of the substance but can have high tolerance on it and may have a very high blood level of the substance . For example, people who are extremely tolerant to alcohol may have blood-alcohol levels far beyond those used in the legal description of intoxication but illustrate little signs of alcohol intoxication. The risk of tolerance varies greatly from one substance to the next. Alcohol, opioids, stimulants, and nicotine have high risks for tolerance whereas cannabis and PCP appear to have lower risks for tolerance.
When using the substance suddenly stops, people who are physiologically dependent on substances often show severe withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms may be so severe that the substances must be withdrawn gradually in order to prevent the symptoms from becoming overwhelming or dangerous. In order to relieve or avoid these withdrawal symptoms, these people may take the substances . For example, a person dependent on alcohol may have a drink first thing in the morning to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms.
Physiological dependence (i.e., evidence of tolerance or withdrawal) is not required for a diagnosis of substance dependence, however. Despite the experience of significant social, occupational, psychological, or medical problems as a result of the use , the diagnosis may be given when a person compulsively uses a substance .
When the craving of the substance is so strong, once a substance dependence person starts craving for the substance, they will do almost anything like stealing, lying, and prostituting themselves. Obtaining and ingesting the substance may be the center of the lives of these people. They may have attempted repeatedly to cut back on or quit using the substance, only to find themselves compulsively taking the substance again.
It has always been a fact that drug addiction or drug dependence is bad and carries many negative consequences. Staying away from addictive substances will always be the smart move. However, if you happen to know someone who has failed to stay away from it, there is still a way to help that person lessen the bad effects of drug addiction. The process of drug rehab is there to help. In this kind of situation, how does drug rehab can able to help? With a very high assurance on helping someone to stay away from drug addiction, drug rehab offers various kinds of procedures. What are you waiting for? Contact your local hospital and see what drug rehab procedures they can offer.
Substance dependence gives many negative consequences to the society and the effective way to solve these negative consequences is by going through a drug rehab.