Licit Drug Withdrawal: Symptoms and Treatments

Abstinence is the deprivation of previously abused substances that lead to addiction. The long-term and excessive use of a drug causes different biochemical and neurophysiological changes. After addiction is established, deprivation causes withdrawal, whose symptoms, duration and degree vary among substances. Common symptoms include anxiety, depression, tremors, impaired thinking, and changes in autonomic nervous system functioning (tachycardia, sweating, vomiting). The most widely used licit drugs of abuse are alcohol and nicotine, and although both are considered psychoactive substances, abstinence from each differs in both neurophysiological and behavioral terms. When substance use is deemed abusive and intervention is necessary, treatment includes medical care and medication to decrease symptoms, avoid complications, and prevent patient craving. A number of prescription drugs are available for the treatment of addiction and withdrawal from alcohol and nicotine. Although treatment for more severe cases may help significantly, most individuals abandon treatment and relapse. Thus, new approaches and experimental tests have been developed in order to expand knowledge about the systemic effects of abusive drugs and alternatives to rehabilitation treatments. In this respect, this chapter intends to review the state of the art in the study of addiction and abstinence from alcohol and nicotine, and propose alternatives for addiction and abstinence treatment. Drug Abuse: Addiction and Recovery 2 w w w .openasebooks.com Lu ch ia ri A C