What does behavioral tolerance mean?

Behavioral tolerance refers to an individual's adaptation to the effects of a substance, leading to changes in behavior that help conceal or counteract the intoxication effects. This often includes learned responses that enable a person to function normally despite the presence of the drug in their system. For instance, someone may develop skills that allow them to appear sober, even while under the influence, by adjusting their movements or speech patterns.

The other options describe different phenomena related to substance use but do not accurately capture the essence of behavioral tolerance. A decrease in withdrawal symptoms pertains more to physical dependence and its management. Physical adaptation to multiple drugs highlights cross-tolerance or the body's physiological adjustments, while the inability to control drug intake pertains to addiction. Each of these reflects various aspects of substance use disorders but does not denote the specific behavioral adaptations that constitute behavioral tolerance.