Physical dependence refers to a state resulting from chronic use of a drug that has produced tolerance In physiology, physiological tolerance or drug tolerance is commonly encountered in pharmacology, when a subject's reaction to a drug decreases so that larger doses are required to achieve the same effect. Drug tolerance can involve both psychological drug tolerance and physiological factors. Characteristics of drug tolerance: it is reversible, [1] and where negative physical symptoms[2] of withdrawal Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and/or alcohol. In order to experience the symptoms of withdrawal, one must have first developed a chemical result from abrupt discontinuation or dosage reduction.[3] Physical dependence can develop from low-dose therapeutic use of certain medications as well as misuse of recreational drugs such as alcohol. The higher the dose used typically the worse the physical dependence and thus the worse the withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can last days, weeks or months or occasionally longer and will vary according to the dose, the type of drug used and the individual person.[4] From the point of view of the dependent person, "dependence is duress," argues addiction researcher Griffith Edwards Griffith Edwards, CBE was born in India and received his M.D. from Oxford University, since which time he has focused on the study and treatment of alcohol and other drug dependence and related aspects of addictions. He has been a major international figure influencing the development of the discipline of alcohol and drug studies, promoting.[5]
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