Final answer:
Substance abusers typically experience addiction and dependence, which leads to tolerance and may result in severe withdrawal symptoms. Effective rehabilitation often requires psychotherapy, support groups, and possibly pharmacotherapies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Virtually all substance abusers, regardless of their personality differences, experience both addiction and dependence. Addiction is defined as the compulsive use of substances like drugs, despite the negative consequences, which often leads to dependence. Dependence can be either physical, manifesting as withdrawal symptoms such as pain, tremors, and seizures when the drug use is stopped, or psychological, characterized by an emotional need for the drug to alleviate psychological distress. Tolerance is also a common issue, where users need ever-increasing amounts to achieve the same effects, potentially leading to overdose and death.
Substance abuse disorders bring significant challenges to rehabilitation efforts. Rehabilitation often involves a multifaceted approach including psychotherapy, support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and sometimes the use of pharmacotherapies. Methadone, for instance, can be used in the treatment of heroin addiction to reduce cravings and mitigate withdrawal symptoms without promoting further addiction.