Understanding Drug & Alcohol Addiction and its Effects

The Cycle of Addiction

No one intends to become a drug addict or an alcoholic. Most addicts are usually intelligent, creative people who never saw themselves developing such problems.

Some however, found they were unable to deal effectively with life’s problems. As an escape, they turned to drugs or alcohol as a way of dealing with unwanted situations.

The person usually takes drugs because in order to compensate for some personal deficiency or to get relief from some life situation. They may suffer from depression, have chronic pain or find themselves unable to cope with loss. Still others discover drugs by hanging around with the “wrong crowd” in an effort to make friends. Regardless of the reason, the person decides to seek “help” in the form of drugs or alcohol.

Drugs are essentially pain-killers. They lessen emotional and physical pain. They give the user a temporary escape from their problems. When a person is can’t cope with something in their life and they take drugs as a result, they feel they have found a way to deal with the problem.

The more a person uses drugs or excessive alcohol, the more likely they are to become hooked.

They are now addicted. They become difficult to communicate with. They start to exhibit strange behaviors that people recognize as “addict” behavior. The more the person uses to try to counter this effect, the more desperate he becomes.

Excessive drug use can affect your personal relationships, your job, your bank account, and anything of previous value to the addict. Your whole focus becomes centered on using drugs and getting more. You’re willing to sacrifice everything to avoid the pain of withdrawal.

At this point, the average drug user does one of three things:

• He continues using drugs and becomes more and more lost, and addicted. He usually dies.

• He gets arrested for drug abuse and goes to jail or prison. (Which, by the way, is no place to try and recover from drug abuse.)

• He tries to quit drugs in any variety of ways, including entering a program. Unfortunately, the success rate of traditional drug rehab treatment is extremely low. Relapse is common. This destroys the addict’s confidence and leads him to feel he will remain a slave to drugs forever.

HOWEVER, there is a way out