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Drug Addiction DiseaseDrug Addiction Disease How the disease came about, or why the disease came about are not the issue for this discussion. The focus is simple--drug addiction disease IS a disease. That seems trite on the surface, but people look at drug addiction differently than they view heart disease, or cancer, or the common cold. There is always blame attached to drug addiction. There is always an accusatory finger to be pointed at the one who suffers from drug addiction disease. Society in general is ready to sympathize with smokers who contract lung cancer from years of using tobacco. Law suits against cigarette manufacturers have rendered verdicts calling for countless millions of dollars in awards for smokers, even though cigarette labels clearly carry warnings about the health hazards of smoking. Nicotine addiction is at the core, and so many smokers feel powerless against its grips. Cancer and emphysema are common in this country, but people blame the cigarettes and the cigarette makers, not the people who smoke them.
That is not necessarily true for drug addiction disease. Many in society assert that the user is to blame. There is not the same kind of sympathy for drug addicts. People who become addicted to illegal drugs are not given the same kind sympathy as the smoker. Users of street drugs are viewed as walking on the dark side of life, and those addicted to street drugs are viewed with a distain reserved for felons. They are not viewed as people suffering from a "disease". The reasoning for society not being sympathetic to the addict is simple: People get hooked because they chose to take the drug in the first place. It’s their fault! John Q. Public can take the moral high ground because he didn’t take drugs and somebody else did. Maybe John Q. took the drugs but didn’t get hooked.
People seeking a thrill might try a street drug like crack cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin because of the “rush,” the “high” they produce and chronic users are those who have developed a need far beyond merely wanting a thrill. They don't consider that they could get drug addiction disease. Prescription medications that are abused, such as OxyContin, are coveted because the effect is intense and even greater than the heroin they get on the street. Even if they don’t want a thrill, people can still become addicted to prescription medications just because they take more than the prescribed amount to feel better. They don't consider that they could get drug addiction disease. Even drugs that are legal, readily available without prescription and socially acceptable can be highly addictive for the right person. Alcohol is the most common drug that is abused and as far back as 1956, the American Medical Association recognized alcoholism as a disease. If one never takes a drink, the alcoholism will not set in, but addiction is not quite that simple. If a person has a compulsive mind, for instance, it may not necessary be alcohol, but somewhere along the line there may be drug use, or some other action that leads to addictive behavior. It may start in the mind and end up as a physical dependency. What is the drug of choice? What are the circumstances that lead to addiction? The factors surrounding a person’s history and medical history all play a part. Drug addiction disease starts innocently It may start innocently enough, but people get out of control. What started as a lark ends up as an albatross around their neck. It hangs there and the user can’t get rid of it. Regardless of how the disease started, the person is no longer in control of it and cannot break free of the disease’s power. People may have a few drinks, or enjoy a couple of trips to the buffet table, but sooner or later their body says it’s time to stop. With the addict, that “thing” that says stop isn’t there. They don’t get enough and continue, even long after another person has stopped. It’s the inability to stop that causes so much pain and suffering. People lose their jobs, their marriage, their friends, everything, just because they can’t stop. Addiction impairs judgment A rational person has the ability to understand that driving a car while “high” or “drunk” is not a good idea. Sane people will connect the dots. But for the addict, that ability to reason is under the influence of the drug. They get mad if you try to take away the car keys. It’s YOUR fault. They don’t have a problem, YOU do. There is always blame to be given, but those suffering from drug addiction disease need treatment, just like diabetics and heart patients. Left unchecked, any chronic disease can kill, and drug addiction is a chronic disease. They may not understand that fact. They may not want to be treated. But without treatment, the consequences could well be life threatening, not only for the addict but for other people in the community. Besides the obvious health risks, the accompanying crime statistics directly connected with drug abuse and addiction are staggering. People don’t seek treatment Whatever the drug of choice, intervention and treatment are necessary for the addict to return to a healthy lifestyle. The problem for the addict is that society has attached a stigma to the disease. Bad people are drug addicts. Weak people are drug addicts. Undesirable people are drug addicts. People become addicts; good people, nice people. The well-educated, the blue collar, the rich, the poor, all colors and types are all potential addicts. They can all contract the disease. No one is exempt.
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Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot drug addiction in: Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community... The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail. More Addiction Recovery ResourcesClick here for the lastest Books and DVD's for Addiction Recovery
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