PSY 105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Caffeine, Insomnia, Nicotine
Document Summary
In the field of drugs and addiction, we can distinguish two different types: physical dependency and psychological dependency. To understand this differentiation, it is important to take into account the three factors that one struggles with when someone starts using drugs: tolerance, dependency and withdrawal syndrome. Tolerance is the adaptation process that the body undergoes when it accepts and supports the presence of the substance. Thus, immediate damage to the body is avoided, but at the same time, also the pleasant effects. For this reason, a person who has been consuming a drug for a long time needs more to have the same effect. Regarding dependency, it is about feeling the need to consume and it can be physical or psychological. Withdrawal syndrome is the clinical picture that appears when there is a physical dependency. The main difference between physical and psychological dependency is that one is a physiological and organic dependency and the other is mental.
