Defining an addiction is tricky, and knowing how to handle one is even harder - keep reading to find out what you can do if you think you or a friend has a drug or alcohol addiction. Telling the difference between abuse and addiction is hard. Addiction begins as abuse , or usage of a substance like marijuana or cocaine. You can abuse a drug without having an addiction. For example, just because Sara smoked weed a few times doesn't mean that she has an addiction, but it does mean that she's abusing a drug - and that could lead to an addiction.
Addiction means having no control over whether to use a drug.
A person who's addicted to cocaine has grown so used to the drug that he has to have it. Addiction can be physical, psychological, or both. Physical addiction is when a person's body actually becomes dependent on a drug. It also means that a person builds tolerance to a drug, which means he needs a larger dose of that drug to get the same effects. When a person who is physically addicted stops using drugs, he may experience withdrawal symptoms.