Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 467
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 467 – PASSAGE – 3
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 467
READING PASSAGE – 3
DRUG ADDICTION
A. Drug addiction or substance dependence refers to the compulsive need to use a drug or drugs in order to function normally. When these substances are not obtainable, typically the user suffers some type of symptoms associated with withdrawal. In medical terminology, particularly in psychiatric care, current or past history of use is often termed poly-substance abuse.
B. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) defines substance dependence as occurring when a person persists in using alcohol or other drugs despite any problems related to their use. It further states that both compulsive and repetitive use may result in tolerance to the drug’s effects as well as withdrawal symptoms when use is reduced or stopped. Substance abuse can be diagnosed as having physiological dependence, meaning that the body itself craves the drug while the patient shows signs of tolerance and withdrawal. It can also be diagnosed as not having any physiological dependence. It is important to note that DSM IV does not use the word addiction anywhere within the text.
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C. A number of drugs are known to cause addiction. These can be legal or illegal; may be available only through prescription or purchased over the counter. Drugs are classified as stimulants, sedatives, and opiates. Stimulants, considered relatively mild, include cocaine, caffeine and nicotine. These drugs can include a psychological dependency, particularly in that people need them to be able to function properly.
For instance, many who drink coffee feel that they are not at their best without it and need to have a cup of coffee to be able to start functioning. The level of psychological addiction is typically moderate to severe. Sedatives are also known as hypnotics. These typically depress the central nervous system and promote relaxation and a tranquilising effect. Both psychological and physiological dependence is associated with this class of drugs and this dependence ranges from mild to severe.
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Abrupt withdrawal of these could be fatal. Drugs in this classification include alcohol, barbiturates, and tranquilisers such as Xanax and Valium. Opiates and opioid analgesics are the next class. These both present physiological and psychological dependence which are mild to severe. Abrupt withdrawal from these drugs can also be fatal. These drugs include opium, morphine, codeine, heroin and opioid analgesics. Addictive drugs also include a large number of other substances that are considered to have no medical value and are not available for purchase either by prescription or over the counter. One such substance is marijuana.
D. There are several theories to explain addiction. Some consider genetic predisposition, self- medication, and social/economic development as factors that can lead to addiction. There appears to be strong association between poverty and poly-substance abuse. However, each person abuses substances for any number of reasons and these reasons are typically idiosyncratic to the individual. Each substance has an addictive potential and this varies with substances as well as with individuals. Dosages, frequency of use, pharmacokinetics of a substance, route of administration (injected, inhaled, swallowed, etc.) and time of usage, are all critical factors that lead to the development of an addiction.
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E. An article in The Lancet compared the harm and addiction of 20 drugs, using a scale from 0 to 3 for physical addiction, psychological addiction, and pleasure to create a mean score for addiction. Selected results of the type and extent of dependence induced by various substances can be seen in the table below. Mean dependence averages out the results for all three dependence types.
| Drug | Mean | Pleasure | Psychological Dependence | Physical Dependence |
| Heroin | 3.00 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Cocaine | 2.39 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 |
| Barbiturates | 2.01 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Alcohol | 1.93 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Benzodiazepines | 1.83 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Amphetamine | 1.67 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Tobacco | 2.21 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Cannabis | 1.51 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 0.8 |
| LSD | 0.90 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Ecstasy | 1.13 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 |
Questions 29-35
Reading passage 3 has five paragraphs, A-E. Which paragraph contains the following information?
29. Ways of addictive substance intake
30. Economic status at the root of substance abuse
31. Classification of addictive substances
32. Non-medicinal substances unavailable in medical stores
33. Reasons for substance abuse
34. The bodily dependence that the drugs induce
35. Addictive potential of various substances
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Question 36-40
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading passage 3?
True – if the statement agrees with the information
False – if the statement contradicts the information
Not Given – if there is no information on this
36. Drug addiction has been clearly defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Dis- orders.
37. Sudden denial of sedatives and opiates to an addict may cause more severe and life threatening problems than denial of stimulants.
38. Tolerance level solely determines the addictive value of a drug.
39. Tobacco is much more harmful and addictive than alcohol.
40. An LSD addict might find it relatively easier to come out of its addiction.
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ANSWERS
29. D
30. D
31. C
32. C
33. D
34. B
35. E
36. FALSE
37. TRUE
38. NOT GIVEN
39. NOT GIVEN
40. TRUE
IELTS Academic Reading Test