Once it was thought that a person was a drug addict or alcoholic only if he needed the drug daily, or if he went through withdrawal symptoms (vomiting, seizures, cramps, death) when he abruptly stopped using the substance. It was thought that alcoholics and drug addicts were unemployed, poor, and from the inner city.

These are misconceptions. Many drug addicts do not use drugs or alcohol daily and do not experience physical withdrawal when they stop using. The majority of addicted people are employed and appear to be functioning normally.

Another former misconception dealt with the differences between physical and psychological addiction. Physical addiction was thought to be the determining factor in addiction, and little attention was paid to psychological addiction. For example, many people believed that cocaine was not a dangerous drug because it was psychologically, but not physically, addictive.

[For more drug information, visit our Drug Education website.]

The current cocaine epidemic in this country has broadened the understanding of addiction. It is now known that all addictions are characterized by physical and psychological changes. Addiction is far more than physical or psychological dependency: it is a primary disease.