What's the difference between getting used to a drug and becoming addicted to it?

It's important for healthcare professionals to be able to tell the difference between a patient who has gotten used to their medications and those who have become addicted.

If you take a medication for pain, after a while, your body may become used to the medication in your body and eventually it will need a stronger dose to relieve the pain. If you don't take the medication, you feel more pain and discomfort, but you only feel the physical reaction to not having the medication.

If you are addicted to a medication, if you miss a dose, you *need* to have the medication. You think about it, you have symptoms besides pain, such as sweats, shakiness, and so on. When you receive the next dose, these symptoms go away.