Withdrawal symptoms: individual differences and similarities across addictive behaviors

The present study examined withdrawal symptoms and their intensities across a range of traditional and non-traditional addictive substances/losses (i.e., alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, food, and social/love relationship). Study one administered the Withdrawal Symptom Survey to Alcoholics Anonymous members and college students. Seven symptoms (irritability, restlessness, impatience, anxiousness, trouble concentrating, depression, and anger) were rated in the top 10 of symptom intensity by all experimental groups and six addictive substance/loss categories. Irritability had the highest rank orders and means across the addictions. Similarity of withdrawal response patterns across substances/losses was further demonstrated by high correlations between mean symptom pattern profiles across the addictive substances/losses. In addition, an individualʹs response to withdrawal from one substance was moderately predictive of the individualʹs withdrawal responses to other substances/losses. Study two compared responses/symptoms associated with feelings during an enjoyable evening with those associated with a broken relationship or food deprivation. The symptom patterns for relationship breakup and food deprivation replicated those of Study one and were independent of those associated with a positive situation. Findings support the conclusion that a high degree of similarity in withdrawal symptom patterns exists across addictive categories and relationship loss and that individual differences in symptom intensity operate across addiction/loss categories.