Drug Abuse And Addiction

Drug addiction and abuse is a double-edged sword. It is the cause of ruin for an individual’s life, and abuse increases the chances of addiction the more it is utilized. Many people do not understand an addiction to drugs, even when they are the victim of an addiction themselves. It is often thought that anaddict simply lacks the moral standing or willpower to say no, or to quit. This is rarely the case. Addictive drugs actually change the brain in ways to confuse the receptors and harbor compulsive tendencies.Drug addiction should be approached at the angle of a complex, chronic disease that requires diligence and patience to overcome and stay sober. Drug abuse will never be cured because it will be an every day challenge to stay clean, but drug abuse can be successfully treated. With help and treatment, those who suffer from addiction can lead healthy and productive lives.

More often than not, initial drug use is voluntary, but this does not ever make drug addiction a specific persons fault. There are many different scenarios where an individual can become addicted. Prescription drugs are one of the most addicting substances in the world because of the way the change a person’s brain in response to pain and pleasure. Even with recreational drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and club drugs, an addiction forms because of the affect that these substances have on a person’s self-control and impulsive behavioral centers in the brain. There is a question of the nature related to drug abuse: is a person more likely to do drugs because of the way their brain works, or does drug use simply occur by chance/environment?

There are two types of addictions – physical and emotional, body and mind. Each person is affected by sides of the double-edged addiction. A physical addiction can be arguably easier to treat because it is simply ridding one’s body of the drug and tending to the withdrawal symptoms that will follow. The tricky part comes with the emotional addiction and nearly inevitable changes to the brain. How do you coach a person back to real pleasures when they have experienced a strong cognitive dissonance relating drugs and pleasure? Of course the pleasure felt while one is on drugs lacks the true qualities of life, but yet, the individual is so “high.” These feelings create a confusion that is endless, at first. It is a dangerous feeling and when an individual starts to lose the feelings of reality, they start to lose control of themselves. Fortunately, there are amazing people out there who can offer counseling and discovery as to why the individual is attracted to such unrealistic pleasures and how to bring reality back to them in a way that the addict will understand and respect.

Drug Abuse And Addiction