World Definition Addiction

What makes somebody an addict? How come some people can use drugs and alcohol without developing dependence whilst others despite all the harm to themselves and others can not stop. Not everyone who uses drugs or alcohol becomes addicted on them. The majority of people can control their alcohol and or drug consumption. But there are few minorities who develop what is recognized as ‘addiction'.

Dependence according to the World Health Organization- WHO:

Addiction, drug or alcohol: Repeated use of a psychoactive substance or substances, to the extent that the user is periodically or chronically intoxicated, shows a compulsion to take the preferred substance (or substances), has great difficulty in voluntarily ceasing or modifying substance use, and exhibits determination to obtain psychoactive substances by almost any means. Typically, tolerance is prominent and a withdrawal syndrome frequently occurs when substance use is interrupted. The life of the addict may be dominated by substance use to the virtual exclusion of all other activities and responsibilities. The term addiction also conveys the sense that such substance use has a detrimental effect on society, as well as on the individual; when applied to the use of alcohol, it is equivalent to alcoholism. Addiction is a term of long-standing and variable usage. Many regard it as a discrete disease entity, a debilitating disorder rooted in the pharmacological effects of the drug, which is remorselessly progressive.

Criteria for Dependence

In 1964 a WHO Expert Committee introduced the term ‘dependence' to replace the terms ‘addiction' and ‘habituation'. In unqualified form, dependence refers to both physical and psychological elements. Psychological or psychic dependence refers to the experience of impaired control over drinking or drug use while physiological or physical dependence refers to tolerance and withdrawal symptoms. In biologically oriented discussion, dependence is often used to refer only to physical dependence. • 1 - A strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the substance; • 2 - Difficulties in controlling substance-taking behavior in terms of its onset, termination, or levels of use; • 3 - A physiological withdrawal state when substance use has ceased or have been reduced, as evidenced by: the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance; or use of the same (or closely related) substance with the intention of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms; • 4 - Evidence of tolerance , such that increased doses of the psychoactive substance are required in order to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses (clear examples of this are found in alcohol- and opiate-dependent individuals who may take daily doses sufficient to incapacitate or kill no tolerant users); • 5 - Progressive neglect of alternative pleasures or interests because of psychoactive substance use, increased amount of time necessary to obtain or take the substance or to recover from its effects; • 6 - Persisting with substance use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequences, such as harm to the liver through excessive drinking, depressive mood states consequent to periods of heavy substance use, or drug-related impairment of cognitive functioning; efforts should be made to determine that the user was actually, or could be expected to be, aware of the nature and extent of the harm. The source of above information is with the permission of World Health Organization – WHO. For the direct link to this source click on: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/terminology/definition1/en/index.html