| There is a subtle but important difference between | | | | recreational reasons. |
| drug abuse and drug addiction. Someone can abuse | | | | It is important to pay attention to drug abuse |
| drugs without being addicted but the opposite is not | | | | because it has within it the seeds of the compulsivity |
| true. It is not possible to be addicted to drugs | | | | that leads to dependency and addiction. This is true in |
| without abusing them. | | | | most cases though not in all. There are people who |
| Some experts concerned with this subtle difference | | | | can abuse drugs but are impervious to becoming |
| have outlined different stages in the addiction | | | | dependent. |
| process. | | | | Drug addiction means that the drug abuse has |
| Stage one is the exploratory phase, stage two is the | | | | become a compulsive need for which there is only |
| recreational stage, stage three is the abusive stage | | | | one solution. At this point the person feels that there |
| and stage four is the dependent stage that we | | | | is no choice and that the urge is beyond their control. |
| normally associate with the word addiction. | | | | There are two kinds of addictions: physical and |
| Drug addiction implies a loss of choice. The need for | | | | psychological. Often they occur simultaneously |
| the drug is paramount. Drug abuse implies the | | | | because the body is not naturally divided at mind and |
| implementation of a choice to abuse a substance. | | | | body. Someone who is addicted on both a |
| This choice is born out of a desire to use the | | | | psychological and a physical level will need professional |
| substance to help ease circumstances or situation. In | | | | help with both the physical and the psychological |
| this way it is one step further on the road to | | | | symptoms. Often the psychological addiction will |
| addiction because it is no longer being used for purely | | | | prove the most stubborn and profound. |