Final answer:
Detoxification is the medically supervised process of withdrawing from addictive substances; it is crucial due to the life-threatening nature of withdrawal symptoms in cases of severe addiction. Rehabilitation includes therapy and support groups, while tolerance describes the need for increasing drug doses to achieve the same effects.
Step-by-step explanation:
Detoxification is the process of safely and effectively withdrawing a person from an addictive substance, usually under medical supervision. Drug withdrawal can be a life-threatening process, especially in cases where the individual has a history of high doses of certain substances such as alcohol or barbiturates. Medical supervision during detoxification ensures safety and assists in managing the physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that can occur.
Drug dependence is a condition where the cessation of drug use produces withdrawal symptoms, which can be both physical (e.g., tremors, pain) and psychological (e.g., anxiety, depression). To support individuals dealing with drug addiction and dependence, rehabilitation programs offer various treatments including psychotherapy, mutual aid fellowships like Alcoholics Anonymous, and sometimes the use of medications like methadone to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms without creating a new addiction.
Tolerance occurs when a drug user requires increasingly larger doses of a drug in order to experience the same effects. This is often a sign of developing dependence on the substance.
Prescribed substances like methadone help individuals with heroin addiction by mimicking the effects of the addictive substance, thus reducing withdrawal symptoms without the high associated with heroin use.