9781422282526

14 OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS

About 54 percent of Americans drink coffee every day.

Dependence is a physical condition in which someone’s body relies on a particular thing (a drug in this case) in order to be “normal.” For example, someone with diabetes is dependent on a medicine called insulin. Of course, that doesn’t make the person a “drug addict,” it just means that the person’s body does not make enough insulin on its own, so medication is used to keep the person healthy. Picture someone who says, “I can’t start my day without my cup of coffee.” If the person doesn’t get her coffee, she will probably feel irritable and have trouble concentrating; she may have a headache or feel unwell. That person is dependent on the caffeine in coffee, and if the caffeine is taken away, she will experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can be unpleasant but minor, as with caffeine dependence, or it can be terribly painful and even life-threatening (as it is with both heroin and alcohol). Addiction is an umbrella term that relates to the compulsive need for the particular chemical. People who are addicted to a drug will continue

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