Understanding drug dependence or addiction

People use drugs for different reasons – including for pain relief, to deal with things like stress or sadness, or for fun and to celebrate.  

Some people who use drugs are not dependent on them, and have a good deal of control over their use. Some people have much less control, and some have very little control at all.

What is drug dependence?

Drug dependence, commonly called addiction, can be physical, psychological or both. Someone may be experiencing drug dependence when:

• They need a drug to function normally
• They find it very difficult to stop, even when it’s causing them harm.

Drugs and your brain

Chemicals in your brain allow you to move through the world and to interact with it – to think, to understand things, to move, to feel happy, sad, content, love.

Some drugs work on these chemicals, especially one chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is in your brain to get you to do life affirming things like eating or having sex again and again.

It does this by giving you a reward when you do them – it gives you pleasure. Dopamine = pleasure. To put it a different way: you do something, it feels good, you want to feel good again, so you do it again.

If you use a drug repeatedly, it can mess with the levels and production of dopamine and other chemicals and change the way your brain works.

When this happens, the need for that drug can take over and other things get left behind.

It is easy to underestimate how much you are taking and how much control the drugs have over you.

How does drug dependence or addiction develop?

Whether it is prescription drugs like pain killers or benzos, or illegal drugs like heroin or ice, there’s no exact time or set of circumstances when you can spot exactly when drug use goes from something you’re in control of and becomes dependence.

A common way this can happen looks something like this:

• You start by using for one reason every now and then.
• Gradually over time, you use more to get the same effect or more often.
• You use to get over the comedowns, and then you’re back in a session, with another comedown.
• Dependence can sneak up on you and the drugs start to take over.
• The drug becomes more important to you, and you think a lot more about drugs than you used to.
• You start going into withdrawal when you don’t use.
• After a time, you can find it difficult to think clearly, feel good or control your behaviour without that drug.

Signs of drug dependence or addiction

Here are a few signs to look for that you or someone you care about could have a dependence on a drug:

• Always needing more of a drug to get the same effect
• Taking more of a drug or for longer than planned 
• Spending a lot of time and effort getting drugs
• Going into withdrawal when you stop using/using to avoid withdrawal
• Thinking a lot about cutting down or stopping but it doesn’t work out
• Giving up or cutting back on important things like family, work or sport
• Keeping on using even though it’s causing you a lot of problems.

Some common ways drug dependence can start cause problems in your life include:

• Ignoring family responsibilities or pulling away from family or friends
• Having more fights with your family or friends
• Not paying bills or building up debts
• Lying to those around you about how much you are using
• Putting getting stoned before family or friends
• Using during the week to get over the weekend
• Reduced performance at work or study
• Missing work or appointments or other commitments.

Getting help for drug dependence or addiction

It can be difficult to do, but if your drug use is causing you a lot of problems in your life, it might be time to start thinking about how much you use, and what you want to do about it.

If you decide to try to stop or cut down using a drug, it’s a good idea to seek some support rather than trying to do it on your own. The more support you can get, the better your chances of things working out well.

Talking to someone you trust is important. It’s best if it’s someone you know who will take your worries seriously and will be practical about it – not someone who will judge you or who you might end up arguing with.

It’s a good idea to speak to a doctor or an alcohol and other drug worker before you try to make changes to your drug use, so they can help you manage any withdrawal symptoms you might have. A doctor might prescribe other medicines to help come off other drugs.

Things to remember

Many people who try do get control over their drug use, or stop using completely. Sometimes it can take weeks, months or longer to fully get over your drug use, so you need to plan.

It can take many attempts, and might mean trying different things until you find what’s right for you. Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t work out the first time.

The more information you get before you start to make changes to your drug use, the better you’ll manage those changes.