What Is Drug Addiction?

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Definition

Drug dependence means that a person needs a drug to function normally. Abruptly stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms. Drug addiction is the compulsive use of a substance, despite its negative or dangerous effects.

A person may have a physical dependence on a substance without having an addiction. For example, certain blood pressure medications do not cause addiction but they can cause physical dependence. Other drugs, such as cocaine, cause addiction without leading to...

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5 Signs of Prescription Drug Addiction

Handofpills

Use or abuse? Recent studies have found that prescription drugs are now the second most commonly abused type of drug in the United States. Experts say the overprescribing of narcotic painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants--along with the rise of...