What‘s the difference between addiction and compulsion?

Answer 1

Addiction is a chronic or recurrent condition proposed to be precipitated by one or more of the following: genetic, biological/pharmacological and social factors. Addiction is characterized by the compulsive use of substances or engagement of behaviors despite clear evidence to the user of negative consequences.

Decades ago addiction was a pharmacologic term that clearly referred to the use of a tolerance-inducing drug in sufficient quantity as to cause tolerance (the requirement that greater dosages of a given drug be used to produce an identical effect as time passes). With that definition, humans (and indeed all mammals) can become addicted to various drugs quickly. Almost at the same time, a lay definition of addiction developed. This definition referred to individuals who continued to use a given drug despite their own best interest. This latter definition is now thought of as a disease state by the medical community.

Physical dependence, abuse of, and withdrawal from drugs and other miscellaneous substances is outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR). Unfortunately, terminology has become quite complicated in the field. To wit, pharmacologists continue to speak of addiction from a physiologic standpoint (some call this a physical dependence); psychiatrists refer to the disease state as dependence; most other physicians refer to the disease as addiction. The field of psychiatry is now considering, as they move from DSM-IV to DSM-V, transitioning from "dependence" to "addiction" as terminology for the disease state.

Compulsion:

Compulsions are defined by:

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly.
The behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive.
In addition to these criteria, at some point during the course of the disorder, the sufferer must realize that his/her obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable or excessive. Moreover, the obsessions or compulsions must be time-consuming (taking up more than one hour per day), cause distress, or cause impairment in social, occupational, or school functioning (Quick Reference from DSM-IV-TR, 2000). OCD often causes feelings similar to those of depression.

Answer 2

Compulsion : as a part of obsessive compulsive disorder, compulsion is the act that you do to relieve the anxiety generated by your obsession. for ex., if you are obsessed that everything you touch is dirty, you think you are dirty, it causes a lot of anxiety in you, to relieve which you'll wash your hands repeatedly - this is the compulsive act. people with OCD know that what they are doing doesnt make sense but cant help it.
Addiction : has a deeper meaning than simple craving. ofcourse there is a craving for some substance or activity like gambling but the craving has to be such an extent that the person is dysfunctional, cannot hold a steady job, get good grades in school, cannot maintain friends, gets in trouble with law, spend a lot of time in acquiring the addicting substance, suffers from withdrawal effects when misses a dose and the withdrawal effects are reversed when the drug is used, and more and more drug is required to give the same 'high'.

Answer 3

Compulsion is the mental state that prompts the implementation if the physical component of usage.In othr words, it is the maddening desire to DO and then when you DO it is an irreversible physical phenomenon.i have been sober for over 13 yrs and didn't read about this in a book; i lived it. My alcoholism is now in remission and i have been healed of the obsession ( compulsive factor ) but i am not foolish enough to know it can't return and do things on a daily basis to keep myself healthier spiritualy, emotionally, mentally and physically.

Answer 4

An addiction is something that continues long enough to become habit forming while a compulsion is an uncontrolable and irresitable impule to act that usually is not caused by an outside source.

Answer 5

Addiction is the feeling of need to have something. It controls your mind and body until you get it. If someone is compelled to do something, they still have the choice of which decision to make. It's not like they must have it....they just want it and can come up with reasons why they should have it. Then there is dependence. That is something different all together. I have to take medications and if I don't my body reacts badly so I am medically dependent on my meds. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

A compulsion is an urge to do something and the feeling can easily be overcome. An addiction is a deep ingrained urge to do something, it may be a physical or mental craving which nearly impossible to resist.

Answer 7

They have similarities, in that a true addict can't stop their addiction without intervention and someone who is compulsive can't either. Compulsiveness can be medicated. There is no medication for an addict. Both can be beat or lessened by treatment behavioral intervention.

Answer 8

Addiction is caused by chemical reactions, compulsion is more of a psychological nature, like belief or brainwashing.

Answer 9

Addiction..I have to have it, I cannot live without it,,,,,Compulsion,...But it feels so Good.

Answer 10

Long term and short term