The Cycle of Addiction
What is Addiction?
When addiction exists, the drug use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the usage
Is addiction really a chronic, relapsing disease? Is it a moral failure?
Here’s a basic definition: Addiction is a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol or similar substances despite adverse social, mental and physical consequences. It is usually accompanied by psychological and physical dependence on the abused substance and the appearance of withdrawal symptoms when the addictive substance is rapidly decreased or terminated.
When addiction exists, the drug use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the drug use.
Today’s illegal drugs are far more addictive than common drugs of the past. For example, smoked methamphetamine, crack cocaine and the club drug Ecstacy can be addictive after very short-term use. A person may think they can experiment with these drugs just a few times and find it is much harder to quit when they want to.
Pharmaceutical(doctor-prescribed) drugs are addictive, particularly ones for pain, depression, and for sleep. Many abuse pharmaceutical drugs after a period of legitimate use or they start by using them recreationally, thinking that since they are medically prescribed they are safer.
When addiction sets in, these people have the same problem as a user of illicit drugs: they need a steady supply to prevent intolerable withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening symptoms. In some cases, prescription drugs can be harder to withdraw from than street drugs.
Often, an addicted person feels they must maintain their drug habit just to feel normal or to function in their daily life.
How Addiction Starts
Addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain for a person. Whatever the origin of the difficulty, the discomfort associated with it presents the individual with a real problem, feeling this problem is major, persistent and unsolvable. For any of these reasons, some people begin to use alcohol or addictive drugs. Once the person takes the drug, the discomfort is relieved. While the relief is only temporary, the drug appears to solve the problem. The relief is valuable and so the drug or alcohol becomes valuable. This value is the only reason the person uses drugs or alcohol again. There are two key factors that determine who becomes an addict and who does not. The first is peer pressure. If , at the time of the discomfort, a person is exposed to peer pressure in favor of drug or alcohol use, that pressure can make him favor drugs or alcohol as a solution to life’s difficulties. The second factor is the valuable relief the person felt when he used the drugs or alcohol. The bigger the problem, the greater the discomfort and the greater the value he assigns to that which brings about the relief.
The Cycle of Addiction Takes Hold
As drug or alcohol use destroys the individual’s self-control, they begin to do or say things they know deep down aren’t true or right just so they can cover up and continue their drug use. They eventually become trapped in a vicious cycle of using drugs, hiding the fact, lying about using and even stealing to support more drug use. At each turn, the addict is committing more dishonest acts, damaging more of his life and relationships. The person is basically, a good and honest person, the addicted personality is not. Feeling guilty, and turning to more drugs to find relief. Finally, every sober moment is filled with despair and misery. All this person now wants to do is escape these feelings by medicating them away. This is the downward spiral of addiction. Addiction is predictable. It will end in one of three ways: early death, prison or sobriety.
