David Lazarus: Kicking a dependence on prescription drugs can be very hard. Here's how I'm doing it
There's a difference between being addicted to a prescription drug and being dependent on it.
"I'm dependent on caffeine, but I'm not addicted," said Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University. "It's not like I'd ever steal to get more coffee."
The National Institute on Drug Abuse says addiction "is characterized by an inability to stop using a drug; failure to meet work, social or family obligations; and, sometimes (depending on the drug), tolerance and withdrawal."
Physical dependence, meanwhile, "can happen with the chronic use of many drugs - including many prescription drugs, even if taken as instructed. Thus, physical dependence in and of itself does not constitute addiction, but it often accompanies addiction."
It's a fair point
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