About Substance Addiction
About Substance Addiction — What is Substance Addiction? Substance 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. Substance 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 communityAddiction 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.
Is there a cure? The first question many people have about Substance Addiction is simply “Is there a cure?” The answer is, sadly, no, once you HAVE to use a drug you will always be addicted to it. There is currently no pill you can take to remove your cocaine addiction. In order to get a more complete understanding of why there is no cure, you first have to take a deeper look at addiction to learn how to live with it. What’s the difference between Substance Addiction and Substance Addiction?The next quest tion generally ask is how can I tell Substance Addiction from Substance Addiction. That’s a little more complicated: Click here to learn the differences between Substance Addiction and Substance Addiction.
Substance Addiction is a disease of the mind body and SPIRITLet’s establish one important point of understanding about Substance Addiction. We are body, mind and spirit, and because of that, Substance 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 Substance Addiction will play a major role in a person’s recovery.
Types of Substance Addiction When talking about Substance Addiction causes and factors leading to Substance Addiction, it is necessary to take a moment and look at the various types of drugs. As we mentioned before, these all have their characteristics. Cannabis Compounds: The most common drug in this category is marijuana, which produces a high for the user. Go to Substance Addiction causes marijuana For more about Substance Addiction, Marijuana
Depressants: Alcohol is the most common depressant, as everything slows, as evidenced by the documented testing of people’s reflexes while driving a car under the influence. Stimulants: Amphetamines come to mind quickly, but a more common stimulant is nicotine. For more info about Crystal Meth Addiction click here Crystal Meth
Hallucinogens: LSD was a popular drug in the 1960’s To find out more about LSD click here LSD
Designer Drugs: Ecstasy is popular with the rave set. For more information about Substance Addiction and Ecstasy click here EcstasyOpiates: Heroin and cocaine lead the list here. Click here for more about Substance Addiction and Heroin HeroinClick here for more about Substance Addiction and Cocaine CocaineInhalants: Glue sniffing or the improper use of other common, store-bought chemicals for the purpose of getting high is an everyday occurrence. Click here for more information on Inhalants
For more information on Prescription Substance Addiction click herePrescription Drugs
What Causes Substance Addiction? There are several factors and causes to consider about Substance 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 Substance Addiction. – Peer pressure is huge, both for teenagers and adults alike. Substance 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.
Substance Addiction causes permanent changes in brain chemistryBecause 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 Substance 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.
Relapse is commonAre there going to be setbacks? Yes. Human beings make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean a person can’t get back on course.
People who relapse need to be reinstated to the program, to get back to sanity and allow therapists to make necessary adjustments to their meds, or seek help in making modifications to their lifestyle. Perhaps an alternative treatment is called for. Again, everyone is different, and so treatment programs must meet the needs of the individual. The more you understand about Substance Addiction the more you realize why it is so difficult to treat.
Are Substance Addiction and Substance Addiction the Same? No. Understand that Substance Addiction and Substance Addiction are not the same, because not all people who take drugs become addicted. The most commonly used drug is alcohol, and alcohol addiction, like Substance Addiction, progresses in stages, as a person descends into drug or alcohol dependence, hits bottom, then ascends back up to good health. It’s a process. Not everybody that uses drugs is on the path to becoming an addict. Some people can abuse drugs, but not become addicted, while others try drugs or alcohol once and are immediately hooked. Alcoholics talk about the “click,” that experience of satisfaction when taking the first drink. Drug users experience a “high” or a kind of euphoria. In either case, they want to feel good, and the drugs make them feel good. But it gets out of hand. What are the signs of Substance Addiction or Substance Addiction?
The symptoms vary. Perhaps it’s just trying something with friends at a party, or maybe a person hurts and they want to numb the pain. It can start most any way, and some drugs are more addictive than others, but once the progression reaches the point where a person needs the drugs because of a physical dependence and compulsively works to get them, regardless of the impact on their friends and family, their job and their community, that person’s life is out of control. Drug addition does not discriminate. It affects men and women of all ages; seniors, career-aged, young adults, teenagers and even children. The affects of drug and alcohol addiction impact all of society.
This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read:
ABOUT…
Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot Substance 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.
Finally don’t miss the Spiritual and 12-step sections to fully explore how understanding THE SPIRIT can lead to recovery!