What Is Opioid Dependence br Opioid dependence is a physiological state where the user needs to take the medication more frequently than what is prescribed in order to avoid the precipitating withdrawals of the addiction. In other words, they have become dependent on the drug even though they are aware of its detrimental effects. It comes hand to hand with opioid tolerance or the need for more opioid just to achieve the same desirable effects.