Colleen Young, Connect Director
@colleenyoung
@colleenyoung
Posts: 8108
Joined: Jul 23, 2014
Addiction & Recovery - Meet others & come say hi
Welcome to the Addiction & Recovery group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
This is a welcoming, safe place where you can meet people who live with and understand addiction and the journey of recovery. Together we can learn from each other and share stories about challenges and triumphs, setbacks and the things the keep you on track.
Pull up a chair and connect. Why not start by introducing yourself? What is your addiction experience? What helped you on the road to recovery? Got a question, tip or story to share?
Ellen
@helenfrances
@helenfrances
Posts: 74
Joined: Aug 30, 2019
Hi, @helenfrances – this is an excerpt from a Mayo Clinic article featuring a Q&A with an anesthesiologist for a trauma professionals enewsletter. This response relates directly to your question on dependence versus addiction:
Q: Is there a difference between physical dependence and addiction?
A: Yes. Physical dependence on an opioid occurs in humans and in lab animals. It happens when a patient has received opioids for approximately five days or more and develops withdrawal symptoms — such as tachycardia, goose flesh, diarrhea or diaphoresis — when the drug is withdrawn.
It is very different from addiction, which is drastic behavior an individual exhibits to obtain opioids, such as stealing medications, buying street drugs to treat pain or engaging in risky behavior in exchange for drugs.
The whole article has information that might be of interest on the opioid epidemic from the point of view of a pain specialist https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/trauma/news/treating-pain-responsibly-in-the-midst-of-an-opioid-epidemic/mqc-20438006.
Thank you, Lisa, for differentiating
dependence from addiction.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor, Lisa Lucier
Lisa Lucier
@lisalucier
@lisalucier
Posts: 3575
Joined: May 10, 2017
Hi my name is Jenn. I've been in recovery for 2 years. I was addicted to drugs (any and all) and alcohol for over 20 years. I'm able to sustain my recovery only because of Jesus Christ.
Hi, @zeph317 – thinking of you today. Wondering how you are doing and how your recovery is going lately?
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor
@lisalucier
Hi, @helenfrances – this is an excerpt from a Mayo Clinic article featuring a Q&A with an anesthesiologist for a trauma professionals enewsletter. This response relates directly to your question on dependence versus addiction:
Q: Is there a difference between physical dependence and addiction?
A: Yes. Physical dependence on an opioid occurs in humans and in lab animals. It happens when a patient has received opioids for approximately five days or more and develops withdrawal symptoms — such as tachycardia, goose flesh, diarrhea or diaphoresis — when the drug is withdrawn.
It is very different from addiction, which is drastic behavior an individual exhibits to obtain opioids, such as stealing medications, buying street drugs to treat pain or engaging in risky behavior in exchange for drugs.
The whole article has information that might be of interest on the opioid epidemic from the point of view of a pain specialist https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/trauma/news/treating-pain-responsibly-in-the-midst-of-an-opioid-epidemic/mqc-20438006.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor