What term is used for the physiological adaptation of the body to a substance?

The term that describes the physiological adaptation of the body to a substance is tolerance. Tolerance occurs when an individual requires increasingly larger doses of a substance to achieve the same effect that they initially experienced with smaller amounts. This process reflects the body’s adaptation to the presence of the substance, leading to changes in the brain and body that diminish the drug’s effects over time.

In the context of addiction, tolerance can result in the user increasing their dosage, which can escalate the risk of dependence or addiction-related issues. Other concepts such as dependence, withdrawal, and relapse pertain to different aspects of addiction; for example, dependence refers to the physical or psychological reliance on a substance, withdrawal describes the symptoms that occur when a substance is reduced or stopped, and relapse indicates a return to substance use after a period of abstinence. Each of these terms captures a different dimension of substance use and addiction, but tolerance specifically focuses on the adaptation process itself.