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I am drugs.~Salvador Dali
Drug Addiction
Every day, men and women emerge from the self imposed cages of alcoholism and drug addiction to reclaim their families, friends, jobs, lives... Every Day. You can too.
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Ask Yourself
- Have I missed work or school because of a hangover?
- Have I looked in a friend's medicine cabinet for pills?
When does drug abuse become drug addiction? No one becomes addicted with the first use of a drug. Drug abuse and drug addiction can be thought of as points along a continuum. Any use of a mind-altering drug or the inappropriate use of medication (either prescription or over-the-counter drugs) is drug abuse, but the point when drug abuse becomes drug addiction is less clear. Different drug abusers may reach the point of addiction at different stages. Scientists continue to investigate the factors that cause the switch between the two points.
Recovery from drug addiction can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment. As with other chronic illnesses, relapses to drug use can occur during or after successful treatment episodes. Addicted individuals may require prolonged treatment and multiple episodes of treatment to achieve long-term abstinence and fully restored functioning. Participation in self-help support programs during and following treatment often is helpful in maintaining abstinence.
Definition
Drug dependence (addiction) is compulsive use of a substance despite negative consequences which can be severe; drug abuse is simply excessive use of a drug or use of a drug for purposes for which it was not medically intended.
Physical dependence on a substance (needing a drug to function) is not necessary or sufficient to define addiction. There are some substances that don't cause addiction but do cause physical dependence (for example, some blood pressure medications) and substances that cause addiction but not classic physical dependence (cocaine withdrawal, for example, doesn't have symptoms like vomiting and chills; it is mainly characterized by depression).
Drug abuse can lead to drug dependence or addiction. Drug dependence may also follow the use of drugs for physical pain relief, though this is rare in people without a previous history of addiction.
The exact cause of drug abuse and dependence is not known. However, the genetic make-up of the individual, the pharmacology of the particular drug, peer pressure, emotional distress, anxiety, depression, and environmental stress are all factors which seem to be involved.
Peer pressure may lead to use or abuse, but at least half of those who go on to addiction have depression, attention-deficit disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder or another psychological problem.
Children who grow up in an environment of illicit drug use may first see their parents using drugs. This may put them at a higher risk for developing an addiction later in life for both environmental and genetic reasons.
source: U.S National Library Of Medicine
Addiction Treatment
No single treatment is appropriate for all individuals. Matching treatment setting, interventions, and services to each individual's particular problems and needs is critical to his or her ultimate success in returning to productive functioning in the family, workplace, and society.
Addiction And Mental Health
Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way. Because addictive disorders and mental disorders often occur in the same individual, patients presenting for either condition should be assessed and treated for the co-occurrence of the other type of disorder.
