Drug Abuse And Drug Dependence: The Differences

Drug use has certain terms which have been mistaken by so many people to mean the same thing. The truth of it is that they are not the same and there are features that set them completely apart. These features when fully understood enable us to distinguish between the terms.

Drug Abuse: This is the inappropriate use of a drug, other than the legitimate medical purpose especially the psychoactive ones. Simply put, it is the use of drugs without a doctor’s prescription. So many drugs can easily be abused because of easy access to them, especially ‘over the counter’ drugs. For example, when one walks into a patent medicine store demanding for tab paracetamol or an antibiotic capsule, tablet, injection, syrup or pessary without a written prescription from the physician and without full knowledge of the dosage, side effects, contraindications, drug interactions, indications, etc of the drug he is requesting for, he is practising drug abuse. Even though he understands the dosage but as far as these drugs are not prescribed by a medical doctor he is abusing them. Drugs that are commonly abused include pain killers, anti-pyretics, anti-inflammatory, topical drugs, eye drops, suppositories, aerosols, etc.

Drug Dependence: it is a state of periodic or persistent intoxication, detrimental to the individual, to society or both. Drug dependence is characterized by the following:
1.A strong desire, drive, need or compulsion to continue the use of the drug.
2.Physical and emotional dependence on the drug.
3.The development of tolerance and as such the tendency to increase the dosage in order to produce a desired effect.
4.There is withdrawal syndrome when the drug is stopped.

These afore-mentioned characteristics differentiate drug dependence from drug abuse as in drug abuse there is no strong desire, drive or compulsion to continue the drug; the drugs are only taken for the purpose of curing an ailment though may sometimes be wrongly applied.

Some of the drugs of dependence include Narcotics, opiates such as morphine, heroin; amphetamines, cannabis sativa (Marihuana, hashish), cocaine, volatile substances such as premium motor spirit (petrol), tube parching fluids, etc. These drugs have the capacity to alter the individuals’ psychosocial pattern of life and make them detrimental to themselves as well as to the society at large. They affect negatively the individual’s thought process and make them commit crimes they would naturally not commit – Rape, robbery, murder, suicide, etc.