Addiction Insights: Consumer Types, Profiles, and Core Concepts
Understanding Addiction: Consumer Types, Profiles, and Concepts
Types of Consumers by Degree of Consumption
Consumers can be categorized based on their level of drug use:
- Experimental Consumer: An individual who, out of curiosity, tests the effects of a drug once.
- Occasional Consumer: An individual who uses drugs sporadically, not actively seeking them. They use drugs when the opportunity arises, without continuity.
- Usual Consumer: An individual who uses drugs regularly, where it has become a habit, and is concerned with procurement. They can usually continue their normal life.
- Drug Addict: For this individual, consumption is essential. Their life revolves around obtaining the substance, and there is a continuous or periodic need to consume it to avoid mental or physical withdrawal symptoms.
Psychological Profile of an Addict
Individuals struggling with addiction often exhibit specific psychological traits:
- Anti-normative behaviors
- Compulsivity and susceptibility to influence
- Lack of self-confidence
- Difficulty in relationships
- Low tolerance for frustration
- A strong desire for immediate gratification
Neurological Basis of Physical Dependence
The distinction between physical and psychic dependence is often rooted in neurological changes. Physical dependence is closely linked to alterations in neurotransmitters and memory effects within the limbic system.
Phenethylamines vs. Phenylamphetamines
While related, these substances have distinct characteristics:
- Phenethylamines: These are the precursors to many modern “designer drugs.”
- Phenylamphetamines (Synthetic Drugs/Entactogens): These are non-addictive compounds that temporarily alter a person’s consciousness.
Common Aspects of Behavioral and Substance Addictions
Many characteristics are shared between drug addiction and non-chemical (behavioral) addictions:
- Loss of control over an activity or relationship that began as playful.
- Co-occurrence or sequential appearance of addictive behaviors.
- Common social settings that facilitate the addiction.
- Underlying personality factors contributing to vulnerability.
- Development of pathological reactions.
Key Terminology in Addiction and Recovery
- Drug:
- Any substance introduced into a living organism that acts on the Central Nervous System (CNS), modifying behavior, mood, or perceptions.
- Usage:
- Refers to drug use that produces few negative consequences for the individual, either because it is infrequent or the amount consumed is minimal.
- Habit:
- Repeated consumption or drug use that, even if the dose does not increase, can lead to dependence.
- Abuse:
- Pathological patterns of use involving the deterioration of social or occupational functioning.
- Psychic Dependence:
- The ongoing need for administration to maintain a state of optimal well-being.
- Physical Dependence:
- The body’s need for the drug’s presence to maintain normal physiological functioning.
- Cross-Tolerance:
- The phenomenon where the use of one substance causes tolerance not only to that substance but also to others of the same or a different class of drugs.
- Acute Intoxication:
- A set of manifestations that occur after the administration of a substance, with features and speed of appearance specific to each substance.
- Overdose:
- A minimum degree of intoxication that affects consciousness and the functioning of vital signs, potentially leading to death.
- Abstinence Syndrome:
- A set of specific symptoms and signs for each toxic substance that appears when its administration is reduced or stopped after prior regular consumption.
- Detoxification (Detox):
- The process of eliminating physical dependence. At the end of detox, the body is free of drugs and without any physical need for them. This process typically takes about 15 days and marks a crucial point in rehabilitation.
- Dishabituation:
- The process by which psychic dependence is eliminated. This is often the longest and most challenging stage of rehabilitation.