Drug abuse is a process which involves excessive intake of drugs. The person abusing drugs neglects his responsibilities at school, work, or home. Weight changes or unusual eating patterns, change in normal sleep patterns, frequent infections or infections which don’t heal, memory lapses, frequent minor illnesses like headaches, nausea etc. are the physical signs and symptoms of a person who is abusing drugs. Anxiety, depression, mood swings and impaired judgment etc., are the psychological symptoms.
Dug dependance is substance addiction which is the physical or psychological need for a drug. Drug dependance is the compulsive use of drugs despite its dangerous effects and in this condition a person needs drugs to function normally. Abruptly stopping the drug leads to withdrawal symptoms. Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence and the people who use drugs for pain relief may become dependent on it. Drug dependance is of three types physical, psychological and cross dependance. Drug dependance can increase the risk of various cancers. Hepatitis, pulmonary malnutrition, or respiratory infections, are caused by drug use by injection.
Primary difference between drug addiction and the drug dependance is that addiction involves physical craving for the drug, while the drug dependance involves an emotional and psychological need for the drugs. When a person is addicted to the drugs it becomes very difficult for him to stop using the drugs but in the drug dependance it is not always necessary to actually take the drug. The best way to prevent drug addiction is to use drugs only as prescribed by your doctor. But it is essential to take treatment from a mental health care professional in the case of drug dependence because it is a psychological problem.