What is drug addiction?
What is Drug Addiction and how can you avoid it? Drug addiction is a chronic disease affecting the brain, and just about everyone is different. Drugs affect different people in different ways. One person can take and abuse drugs, yet never become addicted, while another merely has one experience and is immediately hooked.
Drug addiction is characterized by a person having to use the drug(s) repeatedly, regardless of the damage it does to: - Their health - Their family - Their career
- Their relationships with friends and the community
Addiction is not limited to drugs and alcohol.
Addiction is not limited to drugs and alcohol. People can be addicted to many things, such as food, gambling, shopping, or most anything that gets in the way of a healthy lifestyle. When things get out of hand, and people behave compulsively, regardless of the consequences.
When the person is no longer in charge of their life, regardless of the triggering mechanism, they are addicted. The addiction can take over a person’s entire life. Nothing else matters. Drug addiction is a disease of the mind body and SPIRIT What is drug addiction; it is a disease of the spirit!. We are body, mind and spirit, and because of that, drug addiction is as much a disease of the spirit as it is of the body and mind. Unlike other chronic diseases, like diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, the spiritual component of drug addiction will play a major role in a person’s recovery. Drug Addiction causes permanent changes in brain chemistry Because of the change in the brain’s chemistry and function, it’s very difficult for people who are addicted to stop using; that's what is so difficult about drug addiction. Treatment centers around the country have found that a combination of medications, along with behavioral therapy is the most effective way of helping the patient manage the disease. Treatment centers will tailor-made a program to meet the needs of patients seeking help. We are body, mind and spirit. Medicine can effectively treat the body and the mind, but medicine alone does not treat the spirit.
There are several factors and causes to consider about drug addiction. First there is a genetic component, that is, what is passed on to you through your family. - If your blood relatives had a predisposition to become addicted, chances are you have that same tendency. - Personality contributes to drug addiction. - Peer pressure is huge, both for teenagers and adults alike. Drug addiction occurs when the pathways in the brain, the brain’s communication system, are altered by repeated use of a substance. Some of the brain’s nerve cells, called neurons, use chemicals called neurotransmitters, which are released into the gaps, called synapses, between nerve cells. Take it to an extreme. There is normal brain chemistry activity, but when that activity is affected by the drug, the internal communication is altered, creating an otherwise abnormal affect. If you were to abuse the pain medication by going way over the prescribed limit and frequency, because you need that drug, you are becoming addicted. Addiction is a chronic condition, making the chances for relapse great. The drug takes over and the person loses control and will do anything to get the drug, regardless of the consequences. What might have started as a decision to use the drug for a proper, medical purpose now becomes a spiraling, out-of-control experience for the user. Otherwise intelligent, rational people lose their ability to make good decisions. The drug has taken over. Drug Addiction causes permanent changes in brain chemistry Because of the change in the brain’s chemistry and function, it’s very difficult for people who are addicted to stop using; that's what is so difficult about drug addiction. Treatment centers around the country have found that a combination of medications, along with behavioral therapy is the most effective way of helping the patient manage the disease. Treatment centers will tailor-made a program to meet the needs of patients seeking help. We are body, mind and spirit. Medicine can effectively treat the body and the mind, but medicine alone does not treat the spirit. Are there going to be setbacks? Yes. Human beings make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean a person can’t get back on course. For more about what is drug addiction link to Intervention
HOW TO USE THIS SITE:This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read:
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.
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