From
Recreational Use to Addiction
Is
the “recreational user” any different from the “chronic user”?
When does drug abuse escalate into dependence and addiction? How does
addiction happen? These are all good questions. They are highly
applicable when trying to piece together how you or someone you know
became addicted. Knowledge about addiction is vital for effective
treatment of addiction. The cliché “Knowledge is Power” rings
true ever so sharply.
There
are certainly varying degrees of drug use and some drugs are more
dangerous and addictive than others. “I am a recreational drug
user” is code for “I use drugs because I find life too
uncomfortable or unbearable without them.” Any use can lead to
increased tolerance and chronic use. And it doesn’t take too long
for the lines to blur between chronic use, abuse, dependence, and
addiction.
Can
I Quit? Will I Quit?
A
question a user can always ask is “Can I quit?” or “Will I
quit?” If a person can’t or won’t quit, they are in the
stranglehold of drugs to a greater or lesser degree. If this is not
entirely clear, consider that a person can be physically dependent,
psychologically addicted, or both. So even if they are not using a
drug that causes severe physical dependence, their experiences when
they attempt to quit are so uncomfortable or unbearable that they
keep using. How does addiction happen?
Problem
= Solution = Problem
Those
who venture down the road of drug use often begin with some life
problem for which they seek a solution. They look around and see
others, including their friends, using drugs as a solution. They
perceive drug use as cool and want to be accepted. So they try drugs
which offer a temporary escape from their troubles. They keep this up
and sooner or later the drugs become the problem. They may end up
addicted.
Prescriptions
One
easy way to get addicted is to be prescribed drugs for medical or
psychological reasons. The list of addictive prescription drugs is
very long and includes opioids (painkillers) such as oxycodone
(OxyContin) and hydrocodone (Vicodin), depressants and tranquilizers
(Ambien, Xanax, Zyprexa), stimulants (Ritalin, Concerta),
antidepressants (Paxil, Zoloft), and many other types of drugs.
A
person can get addicted rather easily to painkillers and psychotropic
drugs. OxyContin got the nickname “Hillbilly Heroin” and Ritalin
became known as “Kiddie Coke” as their abuse became widespread.
Drugs by their very nature can be addictive and cause all manners of
dangerous and deadly side effects.
Use
of painkillers for medical purposes should be closely supervised.
Psychotropic drugs, while they may provide a perceived temporary
relief, cause harmful effects such as confusion, dizziness,
depression, weight gain, insomnia, heart failure, hostility,
paranoia, aggression, suicide, and death – to name a few.
Prescription drugs have been found to cause more deaths from overdose
than all street drugs combined. One study found that 45% of overdose
deaths were from prescription drugs while 39% were from amphetamines,
cocaine, meth, and heroin.
Drug
Use in the Environment
More
people are exposed to drugs in the home than you may realize. This
can take many forms, such as parents or siblings who drink heavily,
smoke dope, abuse prescription drugs, or are addicts. It is difficult
or impossible to hide this from children. Kids are very astute. They
see what is going on and try to emulate the behavior of adults or
peers. They are also exposed to drugs in school, in the neighborhood,
at friends’ houses, etc.
A
vital step for an adult would be to get clean and set a positive
example. Youth must also be educated in the facts about drug and
alcohol abuse. One primary reason people get into drugs and
subsequently get addicted is that they simply didn’t know
what the drugs would do to their body and mind. When educated and
armed with the truth, young people are far more prone to making
rational decisions.
Alcohol
Dependence
Alcoholism,
also called alcohol dependence, is a slow and painful process. It
doesn’t happen overnight. Rather it is a gradual progression from
heavy use and binge drinking into acute physical dependence. Over
time, the alcoholic cannot easily quit due to severe reactions. It is
even deadly for the long-term alcoholic to abruptly quit without
proper medical supervision. Seizures, DTs (delirium tremens), and
temporary psychosis can occur unless detoxification is professionally
administered.
Is
Marijuana OK?
Kids
should be educated about all drugs. These include prescription drugs,
inhalants, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin, etc. Marijuana
is much more potent today than years or decades past due to
sophisticated growing techniques. The content of THC
(tetrahydrocannabinol) is considerably higher. Media and magazines
are heavily promoting the “safety and efficacy” of marijuana. The
two Super Bowl teams this year are from Washington and Colorado –
the two states that have legalized pot.
Kids
need to understand the nature of drugs and that pot is a drug that
affects brain chemistry like any drug. Is it as bad as meth or PCP or
heroin? No – unless it is laced with those drugs. Marijuana users
develop tolerance and often graduate to harder drugs in order to get
high. They can easily become addicted.
Self-Esteem
& Identity Issues
People
who use drugs often have self-esteem issues they are attempting to
rectify through “chemical escape” which can put them squarely on
the road to addiction. These very issues then contribute to keeping
the addiction going. A personal lack of identity is replaced by
“doing what others do” or “being accepted”. They feel they
wouldn’t have any decent friends if they didn’t join in the drug
use. Some addicts on the other hand habitually use drugs when they
are alone.
Dopamine
& Brain Chemistry
It
is widely known that drugs affect brain chemistry in various ways.
Opiates act upon receptors (cell structures) in the brain. Cocaine
and meth for example flood the brain’s receptors with dopamine. But
dopamine is just one neurotransmitter that is affected by drug
intake. The brain uses an estimated 100 different neurotransmitters,
although that figure could be considerably more. There is quite a bit
about the brain that is not even known.
The
brain (or mind) could be likened to a computer server for a large
corporation. If you overload it with a stream of false information or
too much current, it will spit out false answers, overload, and cease
to function properly – or cease to function at all.
Just
like one must properly care for a computer server and only enter
correct data, the body and brain use food and nutrients to achieve
the delicate and natural balance of glandular (hormonal) and chemical
interaction. The addict or alcoholic has “tricked” the body into
thinking it needs dopamine through artificial means, much to its
detriment. Drugs also drain the body of vital nutrients. Replenishing
the B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals
is a vital part of holistic and medical detoxification.
Biochemical
Reactions
A
drug user can spill over into addiction and trigger biochemical
reactions that have a profound influence upon the very personality of
the individual. Apathy, lethargy, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and
a “nothing really matters” attitude are very often biochemical in
nature, meaning they are brought to prominence and fueled by
continued drug use. This very mindset makes it even more difficult to
deal with addiction. Only through a combination of detoxification,
communication, education, cooperation, and understanding can these
negative mental attitudes be successfully dealt with.
Propensity
for Addiction
Some
people have inclinations and a propensity for addiction. There are
many contributing factors to this such as the person’s environment,
stress levels, physical or sexual abuse, as well as personality
characteristics. Researchers keep looking for the “addiction gene”
or the “addict brain” but I have found that simply addressing
each person as an individual has been an extremely workable approach.
But
it is true that some people are more prone to addiction than others.
Some became addicted when they had nothing else upon which to focus
their attention. Youth that have no goals or who have been led to
believe they have no prospects for the future are examples of this.
Harmless as it may seem, even boredom can be a culprit when
tracing back how someone got in heavy drug use.
Lies
& Lack of Knowledge
A
lot of drug abuse and addiction boils down to the LIES people are
told by their “friends” and drug dealers. They are told “this
drug is pure and safe” or “one hit won’t get you hooked” or
“this will solve your problems” and they believe what they are
told. Education in the truth about drugs really is the solution to
prevention, while effective treatment must include detoxification.
Knowledge
of the body, knowledge of the mind, knowledge of self – these are
all part of dealing effectively and emphatically with the insidious
nature of substance abuse and addiction.
