Drug Addiction Chemical Dependency

Dependency to drug or chemicals

Drug addiction or chemical dependency involves regular taking of psychoactive drugs to the point where the user does not have any effective choice with him. The addictive nature of drugs varies from substance to substance and from individual to individual. Often drugs like codeine and alcohol typically require more exposures to addict their users than drugs like heroin and cocaine, which create fast addiction. Drugs are something that affects your brain and behavior. Often people start taking drugs out of sheer curiosity but this proves to be dangerous.




The term "Chemical Dependency" is often used in conjunction with and at times interchangeably with the terms: chemically dependent, chemical dependence, alcoholism, addiction, substance abuse, substance dependence, drug habit, and drug addiction.

The term chemical dependency, refers to a primary illness or disease which is cha

racterized by addiction to a mood-altering chemical. Chemical dependency includes both drug addiction and alcoholism (addiction to the drug alcohol). A chemically dependent person is unable to stop drinking or taking a particular mood-altering chemical despite serious health, economic, vocational, legal, spiritual, and social consequences. It is a disease that does not see age, sex, race, religion, or economic status. It is progressive and chronic and if left untreated can be fatal.

When a person is chemically dependent, they have lost the power of choice over using mood-altering chemicals. They may be able to stop for awhile, but they will return to its use again and again despite their best intentions and exertions of logic and willpower. For these reasons, chemical dependence (alcoholism and drug addiction) is said to be a cunning, baffling, and powerful disease.

Chemical dependency is characterized by continuous or periodic: impaired control over drinking and/or drug use (prescribed or illegal), preoccupation with the mood-altering chemical, use of the addictive substance despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking--most notably denial.