How Do I Know If I Will Become Addicted
Unfortunately, even with the wealth of information becoming available about the disease of addiction, it is still impossible to point out exactly who will and who will not become addicted. Instead, it is a bit of an educated guessing game by taking all risk factors into account. So that being said, if you are having difficulty using drugs or alcohol responsibly, or are at high risk for addiction, it is best to remain sober.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, contact one of our experienced counsellors for a free initial consultation. Help is available.
Why Do Some People Become Addicted To Drugs While Others Do Not
No single factor can predict whether a person will become addicted to drugs.
A combination of genetic, environmental, and developmental factors influences risk for addiction. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction.
Environmental, genetic, and developmental factors may include:
Can drug addiction be cured or prevented?
The good news is that drug use and addiction are preventable. Results from the National Institute on Drug Abuse -funded research have shown that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective for preventing or reducing drug use and addiction. Although personal events and cultural factors affect drug use trends, when young people view drug use as harmful, they tend to decrease their drug taking. Therefore, education and outreach are key in helping people understand the possible risks of drug use. Teachers, parents, health care providers, and prevention specialists have crucial roles in educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction.
As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally is not a cure. However, addiction is treatable and can be successfully managed.
People who are recovering from an addiction will be at risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives. When a person relapses, this is an indication that more or a different treatment is needed.
Intervention Can Help Us Become Aware Of Our Complexes And Reduce Their Impact
Even after years of abstinence from drugs, a person can still be affected by their past may it be through childhood trauma or the life they led when they were caught up in addiction. In his Complex Theory, Jung also stresses the point that we usually think we are way more conscious of whats going on for us on a psychological level than is actually the case: We are not really masters in our house. We like to believe in our will-power and in our energy and in what we can do; but when it comes to a real show-down we find that we can do it only to a certain extent It is, however, possible to become conscious of the complex through intervention and by doing so to reduce its impact significantly .
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Can Drug Addiction Be Cured Or Prevented
As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally isnt a cure. However, addiction is treatable and can be successfully managed. People who are recovering from an addiction will be at risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medicines with behavioral therapy ensures the best chance of success for most patients. Treatment approaches tailored to each patients drug use patterns and any co-occurring medical, mental, and social problems can lead to continued recovery.
More good news is that drug use and addiction are preventable. Results from NIDA-funded research have shown that prevention programs involving families, schools, communities, and the media are effective for preventing or reducing drug use and addiction. Although personal events and cultural factors affect drug use trends, when young people view drug use as harmful, they tend to decrease their drug taking. Therefore, education and outreach are key in helping people understand the possible risks of drug use. Teachers, parents, and health care providers have crucial roles in educating young people and preventing drug use and addiction.
What Happens To The Brain When A Person Takes Drugs
Most drugs affect the brain’s “reward circuit,” causing euphoria as well as flooding it with the chemical messenger dopamine. A properly functioning reward system motivates a person to repeat behaviors needed to thrive, such as eating and spending time with loved ones. Surges of dopamine in the reward circuit cause the reinforcement of pleasurable but unhealthy behaviors like taking drugs, leading people to repeat the behavior again and again.
As a person continues to use drugs, the brain adapts by reducing the ability of cells in the reward circuit to respond to it. This reduces the high that the person feels compared to the high they felt when first taking the drugan effect known as tolerance. They might take more of the drug to try and achieve the same high. These brain adaptations often lead to the person becoming less and less able to derive pleasure from other things they once enjoyed, like food, sex, or social activities.
Long-term use also causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well, affecting functions that include:
- learning
- memory
- behavior
Despite being aware of these harmful outcomes, many people who use drugs continue to take them, which is the nature of addiction.
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Some Drugs Are More Addictive Than Others
Just as there are vast differences between the people doing drugs, there are also big differences between the types of drugs out there. For example, you may use;powdered cocaine;and never become addicted to it, but if you were to sample crack cocaine or heroin, you might get addicted the first time you try it.
Why Do People Get Addicted To Drugs
Often as concerned loved ones, we find ourselves asking things like, Why do some people get addicted to drugs, and others do not? Its a valid question, and many people who use drugs dont think they will become addicted. The truth is, anyone can become addicted to drugs, and there a variety of factors that put them at greater risk. Common risk factors, or potential causes of drug addiction, include:
- Stressful early life experiences, such as being abused or experiencing trauma
- History of physical or sexual abuse
- Genetic vulnerability
- Prenatal exposure to alcohol or other drugs while in the womb
- Lack of parental supervision or monitoring during adolescence
- Association with drug-using peers, or peer-pressure from friends or social circles
- Mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety
As you can see, there are a mix of genetic and environmental influences that can make a person more vulnerable to addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, genetics account for about half of a persons likelihood to develop an addiction. So, environmental risk factors also play a big role: things like stress, trauma, abuse, lack of education, low-income neighborhoods, high school parties.
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The Biochemistry Of Addiction
The brain responds to addiction based on a number of factors, such as the type and number of drugs used, the frequency of use, and the stage of addiction that has developed. If someone uses Cocaine, for example, they will notice a feeling of euphoria. This occurs because Cocaine is Psychoactive and impacts the area of the brain that controls pleasure and motivation. There is a short and powerful burst of dopamine, the chemical that causes many to feel euphoric. This feeling can be so intense that a strong desire to continue using may form.
The more someone abuses a drug, the more they may continue using it unless they get help overcoming a life-threatening addiction. Once the chemical has affected the brain, individuals can feel physical symptoms as well as the impact of the chemical throughout their nervous system. Symptoms can include a rapid heartbeat, paranoia, nausea, hallucinations, and other disturbing sensations the individual has little control over. He or she may become consumed with abusing the substance to maintain their habit no matter the cost. As a result of this powerful grip of substance abuse, individuals can begin acting in unrecognizable ways; this may concern friends and family.
Top 10 Rehab Questions
Why Are The Brains Of Teens And Young Adults So Prone To Addiction And Its Deadly Consequences
It is well-established that teenagers and young adults tend to be more vulnerable to addiction;and other forms of reckless behavior compared to other age groups. And when they do become addicted, the consequences are often more severe.
A group of neurologists convened recently to discuss these problems at The Addicted Brain and New Treatment Frontiers: Sixth Annual Aspen Brain Forum. The forum was presented by Science Translational Medicine and the New York Academy of Sciences.
According to the 2015 Monitoring the Future survey, 35 percent of 12th;grade students admitted to drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. Almost 40 percent said they had been drunk in the past year. And six percent said they smoke marijuana every single day.1;Thats more than the number who smoke tobacco cigarettes , which has been on the decline for several years now.
Since neurologists specialize in the brain, the bodys most complex organ, the science behind their discussions tend to be highly specialized and complex. But in a briefing by The New York Academy of Sciences, certain conclusions about addiction among teens and young adults can be made based on new research, and new ideas about how to prevent and treat addiction among teens and young adults also are emerging. Here are five takeaways from the forum.
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How Do People Overcome Drug Addiction
Although drug addiction creates physical and chronic changes in the brain, there is good news. The brain can be re-wired again. Substance addiction is actually very treatable and manageable. Of course, this cant happen overnight. Much like it took time for the persons brain to re-wire in favor of drug use, it takes time for the brain to re-wire back to a healthier state.
Overcoming addiction requires modified routines and thought processes. It means replacing drug use with healthy behaviors like exercise and cooking. It also involves re-framing a persons outlook and definition of drug use it is not a matter of survival, but a process of destruction. This requires education, combined with cognitive therapy to get to the root of their drug-using behaviors.
Over time, the brain can be taught to crave healthier behaviors and to dismiss drug cravings by considering the outcomes and alternatives. It can be taught to seek and prioritize meaningful relationships and activities, rather than drugs and alcohol. It can be taught this through abstinence, ongoing therapy, active management, cognitive reframing, and professional support.
How Easy Is It To Develop A Drug Addiction
John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. He is the medical director at Alcohol Recovery Medicine.;For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the;National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism;of the National Institutes of Health .
The potential for developing a drug addiction depends on a variety of factors. However, research does suggest that drug and alcohol use disorders are not uncommon. One survey conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 4% of adults have experienced a drug use disorder during the past year and around 10% have a drug use disorder at some point during their lives.
Statistics from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health suggest that 51.6% of U.S. adults over the age of 26 have used illicit drugs at some point in their lives. Based on such statistics, you might estimate that around one in five people who try drugs develop an addiction at some point. It is important to note that this is only an estimateyour own individual level of risk is moderated by a number of factors.
Varying factors can include the biological make-up of your body, how sensitive you may be to a certain drug, and the chemical make-up of the drug itself.
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So Why Do People Become Addicted
People seek specific, essential human experiences from their addictive involvement, no matter whether it is drinking, eating, smoking, loving, shopping, or gambling.; People can come to depend on such an involvement for these experiences untilin the extremethe involvement is totally consuming and potentially destructive.
Addiction can occasionally veer into total abandonment, as well as periodic excesses and loss of control.
Nonetheless, even in cases where addicts die from their excesses, an addiction must be understood as a human response that is motivated by the addicts desires and principles. All addictions accomplish something for the addict.;They are ways of coping with feelings and situations with which addicts cannot otherwise cope.
What is wrong with disease theories as science is that they are;tautologies; they avoid the work of understanding why;people drink or take drugs in favor of simply declaring these activities to be addictions, as in the statement he drinks so much because hes an alcoholic. Addicts seek experiences that satisfy needs they cannot otherwise fulfill.
Any addiction involves three components;
- the person,
- the addictive involvement or experience
In addition to the individual, the situation, and the experience, we also need to consider the overall cultural and social factors that affect addiction in our society.
The Individual
Addicts display a range of other personal and situational problems.
The Experience
Life Phases
Why Addiction Has Very Little To Do With The Physical Dependence
I never realised I was an addict until I became physically dependent on heroin. I focused solely on the physical addiction. But looking back I was addicted to drugs from the age of 16 or maybe even before. As hinted at before, physical addiction is only a small part of the problem; psychological addiction is the major part of any substance dependency. Even today, after having been drug-free for over 5 years, I still experience triggers or thoughts of using even though Im well over the physical addiction. Hence I conclude that addiction is first and foremost a psychological problem, a mental illness even, or to say it with Carl Jung a complex! And therefore addiction is maybe indeed linked to childhood trauma.
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Why Do We Care In The First Place
Its natural for us as human beings to be curious about the underlying causes of health issues so we can treat and when possible, prevent negative outcomes. But its also important to note that with new studies in addiction literature being published all the time, the way we conceptualize and understand the condition needs to be adoptive and flexible in order to remain relevant. Different theories come and go as our collective understanding of addiction becomes more comprehensive and integrative. Scholars who study addiction have taken particular interest in etiology the study of cause, or manner of causation of a disease or condition as this dictates the direction of future treatment methods, allowing us to effectively reach more people in need.
Addictive Substances: Top 10
The list of addictive substances and activities is extensive.
Among the common addictions, opioid abuse is rising. According to SAMHSA, the top 10 most common addictions are:
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Easy Access To Heroin Enables Use
Prescription opioids are more expensive and harder to access than heroin. Many people who become addicted to prescription opioids switch to heroin because its cheaper and easier to find on the street, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
About 80 percent of people who are addicted to heroin started by taking prescription opioid pills. Dr. Stephen Mudra, Chief, Primary Pain Management, North Florida/South Georgia Veteran Health System
For example, heroin usually costs between $5 and $10, but one OxyContin tablet can cost about $80 on the street.
Heroin availability has drastically increased in the past decade, according to the 2017 Drug Enforcement Administration National Drug Threat Assessment. The drugs availability also keeps the cost down.
Why Do People Become Addicted To Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
Reflection essay on Addiction And Theories|Nursing
Ksir, C., Hart, C., Ray,O. Drugs, Society and Human Behavior, Twelfth Edition. McGraw Hill Publisher
Read Chapter 2 of the text, note the definitions and the major theories about how drug use leads to drug abuse/addiction.
What is your favorite theory of Addiction?
Why do people become addicted to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs ?
Write a definition of addiction/dependency:
Nature of addiction/dependency etiology: what happens to a person who is addicted/dependent on ATOD
Bio-Psycho-Social Model: write your favorite explanations of why someone might become addicted to AOD, based on specific theories in each of the following categories
Biological causes/factors of addiction/dependency
Social causes/factors of addiction/dependency
The Biopsychosocial Approach
Biological, psychological, and social factors exist along a continuum of natural systems, as depicted in the list here.
Systematic consideration of psychological and social factors requires application of relevant social sciences, just as consideration of biological factors requires application of relevant natural sciences. Therefore, both the natural and social sciences are basic to medical practice. In other words, psychological and social factors are not merely epiphenomena: they can be understood in scientific ways at their own levels as well as in regard to their biological correlates.
Recognize that relationships are central to providing health care
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Acknowledging How My Own Childhood & Upbringing Couldve Led To My Addiction
Apparently, I was emotionally abandoned from an early age. According to the attachment theory, the first 18 months of a childs life are the most important and can have a massive effect on how that child may grow up. It seems likely that if a child isnt given enough secure attachment from an early age, this could harm them as they grow up. I can now see that my mother is still sometimes emotionally vacant towards me. This emotional abandonment at an early age could have caused the anxiety I experienced when I reached my teens, where I started to use drugs as a way to cope with my emotional problems.
