ABSTRACT
The distinction between habituation and addiction must be made by describing and enumerating those characteristics of the behavior of addicts which are unique and common and which do not occur among non-addicts. It is particularly necessary that a definition of addiction take into account the similarities and differences between habituation and addiction and sharply differentiate between them. There are few reliable general statistics on relapse among American drug addicts, and estimates can be made only by indirect means. In summary, then, there are two principal aspects of addiction which distinguish it from non-addiction and from habituation. First, the addict desires the drug continuously, intensely, and consciously. Second, this craving, once established, becomes independent of the physiological conditions of tolerance and physical dependence, and predisposes the individual to return to the drug even after a lapse of years.
