Question:
Hi All: Could someone (or maybe more than one someone) answer a question for me? In simple terms, what's the difference in physical addiction to nicotine and psychological addiction to it? I've looked it up on the web, but I can't find anything that's written in a way that I can truly understand. If any of you all know, please share that knowledge w/ me. Thanks, in advance.
An update: doing fine w/ my quit. Feel great, rarely think about smoking and, if I do, the thought is fleeting. Got my final month's supply of Chantix today. My last four weeks will start on 4/4/07. Gosh....the time has gone by so quickly. I love not smoking!!!!!!!
Bye for now.....
Answer:
Hi Trish!
Physical addiction: A state of physiological ( the bodies) adaptation to regular intake of a psychoactive (nicotine) substance, manifested in development of tolerance and emergence of a withdrawal or abstinance syndrome when administration of the drug is suspended or the drug is displaced from its site of action.
The withdrawal syndrome may be relieved in whole or in part by readministration of the drug.
Psychological Addiction: A condition in which repetitive use of a psychoactive (nicotine) substance produces a subjective sense of need for that drug, either to produce pleasure or to avoid negative effects associated with abstinance from the drug. The sense of need is sometimes referred to as an intense craving for, or a compulsion to take, the drug.
These definitions are not my own, Psychiatric Dictionary; Robert J. Campbell
I hope they make sense to you, if not, feel free to ask any questions.
Sapphire
Answer:
In my words:
Physical Addiction:
Body adapts to nicotine. Body needs more and more nicotine to create the same feelings. No nicotine=withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological addiction:
Withdrawal symptoms=cravings, to end the withdrawal symptoms.
Sapphire
Answer:
Trish,
What Sapphire said!
Here's another defination:
Psychological Addiction can be defined as compulsive use of a substance. It is also characterized by loss of control. The addict tends to focus very much on the drug. In fact, the addict's whole life revolves around the drug: obtaining the drug, using the drug, and when the next fix will be.
Physical Addiction refers to developing withdrawal symptoms during abstinence. In other words, if an addict is using drugs and suddenly stops, it is normal for that person to go through withdrawal. Experiencing withdrawal means the person has developed a physical dependence.
Memaw
Answer:
Hi Trish! Glad your quit is still going well!
It seems like the time flies (sometimes) for me, and ask me again tomorrow, and it seems like forever.
What the other folks said on addictions and a little bit more for you to take away with you.
I'm gonna push beyond just nicotine, so maybe to enhance understanding though...somebody correct me if I'm wrong...
With a physical addiction, the body has not only gotten used to having something 'extra' like nicotine, but has adapted to it, requiring it for 'normal' operating procedures. When that substance is withdrawn, the body goes through another round of 'adaptation', which can be quite harsh as we know, off of nicotine. You can get an 'alphabet soup' of effects as our different 'sub-systems' in our body all freak out at the loss. You might have had some physical trauma's getting away from nicotine. I did.
With some substances, 'cold turkey' to physical addiction can even get serious enough that it can kill you.
Psychological addiction on the other hand...doesn't just deal with substances we ingest. It can be to anything we get as a 'habit'; TV, computer use, or all sorts of things we do can be psychologically addicting, and it doesn't necessarily mean negative things either. In a sense, our minds get 'adapted' to these things in our lives and they are a part of it.
Quite literally, those things are part of the way we think. Withdrawal from psychological addictions can be a much longer process, relative to physical withdrawal.
The upside, as we have learned here, is that we can get past the physical addiction to nicotine relatively quickly and we can find the strength to battle the psychological addiction for the rest of our lives, if need be.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
DeadFish