At earlier stages of addiction, treating an emerging addiction tends to be easier, less costly, and less disruptive, at later stages when severe adverse effects on major life areas are manifest, more intensive treatment is required. It’s similar to taking care of a serious infection— painful, but necessary to facilitate healing and a return to…
Addiction begins with the mood-changing effects of substances. At first, people often experience positive effects by using drugs to change the way they feel. Through using they feel “good” or “better.” Many drugs of abuse produce distinct feelings of pleasure, some of which are especially striking and powerful. Using helps people temporarily avoid or lessen…
One of the shortcomings of mind- and mood-altering substances is that they always wear off. But the effects don’t just subside, returning one to the baseline state they were in prior to seeking chemical refuge. One of the inexorable dynamics of dope in any form—whether from the street like crack, prescribed by a doctor like…
Maintaining active addiction necessitates a set of defensive maneuvers to evade the natural corrective consequences of cognitive, behavioral, and ethical dissonance as the disease progresses. Addiction is especially insidious in how it convinces those of us who suffer from it that we do not have it. Those who become addicted almost always believe they can…
By themselves, addiction and chronic pain can be debilitating. When brought together, they comprise extremely complicated co-occurring disorders. Addiction is among the most serious public health problems in the United States. In 2010, an estimated 22.1 million persons aged twelve or older were classified with substance dependence or abuse in the past year—8.7 percent of…
This exercise will help you to identify dependent traits in yourself and in someone with whom you have a close relationship (this can be a spouse, romantic partner, or other significant relationship). Read the following list of characteristics and indicate which apply to you, to the other person, or to both of you. Characteristics: Problems…
Living with chronic pain and addiction generally results in a lack of hope, faith, and trust. You can become so beaten down by the weight of your pain and dependence on opiates that your worldview becomes pessimistic, the majority of your thoughts center on various forms of doom and gloom, and your relationship to others…
Many view addicts’ use of substances and related behaviors as a choice. People who have addiction may have made a decision at one time to use a drug, but they never made a decision to become addicted. The addict’s brain was different before the first use of a drug, and scientific evidence has shown many…
There is no way to predict with certainty whether a person will become addicted to drugs, but there are several known risk factors. These include: Genes: It is estimated that genetics accounts for 40 to 60 percent of a person’s vulnerability to addiction. Environment: Frequent exposure to drug use in home, work, school, or social…
As with many illnesses, to understand the progressive nature of the disease of addiction, we have broken it down into stages. People who have addiction started in stage I and will inevitably end up in stage IV if not treated. The progression from stage I to IV may occur rapidly or may take years or…