Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about drug addiction.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash drug addiction

or in the psychiatry section of the 0.0 to

finals more medicine book. And you can find questions to train your knowledge on this content

and help you remember the information for longer at members.0.0.com. So let's get straight into it.

Drug addiction involves the compulsive use of substances, often leading to harmful, physical,

psychological and social consequences. There's a debate about whether it's a disease or a choice.

It's a long-term condition typically involving relapses after stopping.

Let's talk about tolerance and dependence.

Tolerance refers to a loss of the same effect when taking the same dose.

The person may keep increasing the dose to achieve the desired effects. Tolerance occurs with most psychoactive substances over time.

Dependence refers to a physiological and psychological need to keep using the substance.

Dependents may occur due to physiological changes, notably with alcohol, opiates and benzodiazepines,

and psychological factors, for example cravings and compulsions to use the drug.

Withdrawal symptoms occur due to physiological adaptations to the drug.

For example, benzodiazepines work by stimulating GABA receptors.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that has a relaxing effect on the brain.

Long-term use of benzodiazepines results in the body reducing its natural production of GABA

to balance the stimulating effects of the drug.

When the drug is withdrawn, there is underactivity of the GABA system

causing withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, insomnia and even seizures.

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