In many other cases people are sold non-prescription drugs and told they are buying illicit substances. The street drug market is unsafe and unreliable. If a person continues to use a drug, there is a risk that the person will begin to develop an attachment to the drug or to the rituals involved in using it. As this attachment gets stronger the user is drawn into a condition called psychological dependence. This is perhaps the most difficult idea to grasp, but within it lies the heart and soul of the disease of chemical dependency or addiction.
Psychological dependence is a craving that requires drug use for pleasure or relief of discomfort.
It is often such a gradual process that the person is unaware that a real change in his drug involvement has occurred. Psychological dependence is a necessary step in the process of becoming addicted. By recognizing the first signs of psychological dependence, a person may be able to avoid further progression into the addiction cycle. If each person examines his own drug use by applying the signs of psychological dependence he may come to this recognition. Teaching these signs to others as tools for self-assessment may help them explore the realities of their drug use.