Man : Stuck On You (Addiction)
Addiction is the continued use of a mood
altering substance or behaviour despite adverse consequences, or a neurological
impairment.
§
impaired control over substances/behavior,
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preoccupation with substance/behavior,
§
continued use despite consequences, and
§
denial.
Habits associated with addiction are
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immediate gratification (short-term reward),
Physiological dependence occurs when the body
has to adjust to the substance by incorporating the substance into its 'normal'
functioning.
This state creates the conditions of
tolerance and withdrawal.
§
Tolerance is the process by which the body continually adapts to the substance
and requires increasingly larger amounts to achieve the original effects.
§
Withdrawal refers to physical and psychological symptoms people
experience when reducing or discontinuing a substance the body had become
dependent on.
Symptoms of withdrawal generally include
a. anxiety, irritability,
b. intense cravings for the substance,
c. nausea,
d. hallucinations,
e. headaches,
f. cold sweats, and tremors.
- Common Forms of Addictions
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Substance
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- Behavioral:
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Sexual:
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B. Characteristic of an Addict
There are many common characteristics among
the various addictive behaviors:
§ Obsessed (constantly thinks of) the object,
activity, or substance.
§
Engage in the behavior even though it is causing harm (physical
problems, poor work or study performance, problems with friends, family, fellow
workers).
§
Over do the activity over and over even if he/she does not want to and
find it difficult to stop.
§
Cessation of the activity, withdrawal symptoms often occur. These can include
o
Irritability
o
craving,
o
restlessness or depression.
§
Unable to control and overindulgence of the behavior (loss of control).
(Drinking 6 beers as wanted only one, bought 8 pairs of shoes when needed only
a belt, ate the whole box of cookies, etc).
§
Denies problems in the behavior, even though others can see the negative
effects.
§
Hides the behavior after family or close friends. (hides food under
beds, alcohol bottles in closets, doesn't show spouse credit card bills, etc).
§
Blackout during engaging in the
behavior (don't remember how much or what they bought, how much lost during
gambling, what they did at the party when drinking)
§
Depression is common phenomena.
§
Have low self esteem, feel anxious and do not have control over their
environment, and come from psychologically or physically abusive families.
C.
Signs of Addiction
o
Extreme mood changes –
happy, sad, excited, anxious, etc
o
Sleeping a lot more or
less than usual, or at different times of day or night
o
Changes in energy –
unexpectedly and extremely tired or energetic
o
Weight loss or weight
gain
o
Unexpected and
persistent coughs or sniffles
o
Unwell at certain
times, and better at other times
o
Pupils of the eyes
seeming smaller or larger than usual
o
Secretiveness
o Lying
o
Stealing
o
Financially
unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at
all at other times
o
Changes in social
groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations
o
Repeated unexplained
outings, often with a sense of urgency
o
Drug paraphernalia
such as unusual pipes, cigarette papers, small weighing scales, etc
o Stashes of drugs, often in small plastic, paper or foil packages
D.
Causes of Addiction
§
Social Environment
o The
environment, in which we grow up and are exposed to, may be held accountable
for some addictions.
o
Continuous exposure to alcohol and heavy drinkers might lead and permit
addictive behavior to alcoholism.
§
Handling stress
o
An attribute that addiction is a way of handling stress;
o
It is easy to justify a ‘pick me up’ after work as a way of relieving
troubles.
§ Self
Esteem
o
Self-esteem and body image may have a role to play in addiction;
o
Those suffering with anorexia may have started their addictive behavior
to change their self-image.
§
Brain Disease
o The
modern view of addiction is that it is a brain disease.
§
Personality
o
Personality can play a significant role in addiction, as many people
simply seem have personality leanings toward addiction.
E.
Treating Addiction
Admit of the Problem
-
o Take an assessment of your life; take steps to reclaiming your life and admitting you have a problem
- o Admit that we are powerless over drugs and that your lives have become unmanageable.
o
Commit yourself to permanent abstinence
Commit to change.
o Addiction is not an overnight treatment. Treatment takes time to be effective.
Commit yourself to permanent abstinence
o Get
the addiction out of your life. Remove any of the addictive substances from
your environment. If need go cold turkey.
o Addiction is not an overnight treatment. Treatment takes time to be effective.
Objectify your brain
o
Find and address the cause of addiction. Begin with ways to deal with
the problems. Relearn new living skills to replace the skills you learned as an
addict
o
Relapses happen. Brush yourself off and try again.
- Find a support systemo Join a support group for company and inspiration.o Let friends and family members know about your decision. Peer pressure will help you in your recovery.No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions.Commit yourself to permanent abstinence
No one is immune from addiction; it afflicts people of all ages, races, classes, and professions.
Patrick J. Kennedy
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