Prolonged drug use.

Describing the condition.

Physical addiction occurs when you actually become dependent on a particular substance (even smoking is physically addictive). You can begin a physical dependence by becoming tolerant to your pain medications and increasing your doses to manage your pain. Over time you are no longer using your medications to treat your pain, but your use has become prolonged so that you are now physically dependent. When a physically addicted person stops using a substance like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, he or she may experience withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can include flu-like symptoms, diarrhea, shaking, and generally feeling awful.