From the author: I thank my colleague and co-author of this article, Viktor Sergeevich Eckert. Any addiction consists of several components: · Physical (biological) component - manifests itself in the form of changes in metabolism in the biological systems of the human body. “A substance (for example, alcohol) with long-term use becomes integrated into the body’s metabolism,” i.e. If you imagine the body as the engine of a car, then for its operation it becomes necessary not only gasoline, but also other substances. A person feels biological dependence most acutely when stopping the use of a substance, which is accompanied by a deterioration in overall well-being (physical and emotional). In case of prolonged use, this condition (withdrawal) poses a threat to the life and psyche of a person. The acute period of abstinence lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks. Psychiatrists-narcologists help to cope with this component of addiction, with the help of detoxification and drug rehabilitation. · The psychological component of addiction - manifests itself in the form of thoughts about using the substance and automatic actions to obtain it in any provoking situations (negative, positive, etc.) and various emotional states (sadness, depression, anxiety, boredom, joy). Thoughts about drinking look something like this: “I’ll drink a little and nothing bad will happen.” As a result, a dependent person very quickly switches to the systematic use of psychoactive substances. The consequence of psychological dependence is a change in a person’s personality and behavior. At first, this manifests itself in the differences between the same person in “sober” and “drunk” states. “When I drink, a completely different person wakes up in me.” Subsequently, the changes extend not only to the “drunk” state. A person becomes unreliable, prone to frequent mood swings (from depression to joy within a short period of time), plans for life become difficult to implement. The worst outcome is the disintegration of personality (relationships - work, family, friendships), a person begins to lead a primitive lifestyle (drank, slept and drank and slept again). The addiction of one of the family members destroys all loved ones. So-called co-dependent behavior appears - “constant thoughts about the addict”, to the detriment of one’s own interests and affairs. Psychologists and psychotherapists work with the psychological component of addiction using methods of psychological influence (consultation, individual and group correction, diagnostics). Addiction is identified. also psychiatrists-narcologists (by the presence of symptoms of the disease and by determining the substance used in biological environments) and psychologists (by the presence of symptoms of psychological dependence, co-dependence and recovery potential). There are also other components of addictive behavior - spiritual, social, etc. It is precisely because of the complexity of factors influencing the development of dependence on various substances that the problem remains socially significant and requires increased attention from all spheres of the state and humanity. -novocherkassk.ru/news/more/narkomanija-v-novocherkasske-oficialnaja-statistika-jeto-lish-vershina-ajsberga.html