answer: Drug dependence occurs when you need one or more drugs to function. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) used to distinguish between dependence and abuse. Abuse was considered the mild or early phase of inappropriate drug use that led to dependence. People viewed dependence as a more severe problem than abuse.
The APA replaced “dependence” and “abuse” with “substance use disorder” in the 2013 edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). This diagnosis focuses on the disorder involving the use of the substance.
