Drug Addiction or Alcohol addiction is a dependence on alcohol or drug, prescribed and street drug. When as person is addicted, you will not be able to control your drug use and you continue using the drug despite the harm it causes.
Drug or alcohol addiction creates an intense craving for the drug. You may want to quit, but most people find they can't do it on their own.
While not everyone who uses drugs becomes addicted, a big percentage of people who use drugs do so again and again. Studies have shown 95% of the people who use methamphetamine one time will use the drug again.
What starts as casual substance abuse leads to Drug Addiction. Drug addiction can cause serious, long-term consequences including problems with physical and mental health, relationships, employment and the law.
Addiction Levels - A rule of thumb.
There are three levels of addiction to consider when considering drug or alcohol Addiction Treatment or rehabilitation.
Level One is someone who has used drugs or alcohol consistently for a short period of time, realizes it has become a problem and is able to stop on their own.
Level two is someone who has suffered some type of consequence as a result of drug or alcohol addiction and is able to use some type of outpatient Drug Rehab or addiction counseling.
Level three is someone suffering addiction who, regardless of the attempts to stop continues to abuse drugs or alcohol. This level of drug or alcohol addiction and abuse requires a 30 day drug or alcohol addiction Treatment of rehabilitation program.
These types of 30 day drug addiction or alcohol treatment programs usually have two philosophies of treatment. One being traditional twelve step program, and the other known as a dual diagnosis program that employs twelve step methods with a psychiatric twist. The latter addiction programs states the underlying psychiatric disorder is causing the drug addiction or alcohol addiction
Addiction to drugs or alcohol usually begins with casual or social substance abuse. For a very small percentage of people, this is as far as it goes. For most people, substance abuse becomes a habit and the abuse becomes more and more frequent. As time passes, a drug or alcohol addict may need larger doses to feel the same effects. Eventually a person needs drugs or alcohol just to feel normal. As the substance abuse increases, people find that it becomes increasingly difficult to go without the drug. Stopping may cause intense cravings and make a person feel physically ill (withdrawal symptoms).
What is addiction, drug addiction and alcohol addiction?
Common usage of the term addiction now includes psychological dependence. In this context, the term is used in drug addiction and substance abuse problems, but also refers to behaviors that are not generally recognized by the medical community as problems of addiction, such as compulsive overeating.
The term addiction is also sometimes applied to compulsions that are not substance-related, such as problem gambling and computer addiction. In these kinds of common usages, the term addiction is used to describe a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences, as deemed by the user himself to his individual health, mental state, or social life.
An addiction is an obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction (e.g. alcoholism, nicotine addiction), problem gambling, ergomania, compulsive overeating, shopping addiction, computer addiction, video game addiction, pornography addiction, television addiction, etc.
In the medical field, an addiction is a chronic neurobiological disorder that has genetic, psychosocial, and environmental dimensions and is characterized by one of the following: continued substance abuse despite its detrimental effects, impaired control over the abuse of a drug (compulsive behavior), and preoccupation with a drug's use for non-therapeutic purposes (i.e. craving the drug) Addiction to drugs or alcohol is most often accompanied by irresponsible, unethical and quite possibly deviant behaviors (for instance stealing money and forging prescriptions) that are used to obtain a drug.
Tolerance to a drug and physical dependence are not defining characteristics of addiction, although they typically accompany addiction to certain drugs. Tolerance is a phenomenon in pharmacology whose professionals in the field apparently choose not to look at the mechanics of the physical effects of drugs or for that matter alcohol, which is directly linked to physical and psychological dependence, or suppress the true information of how drugs work for monetary gain. The supposed phenomenon of tolerance exists when the dose of a drug needs to be continually increased in order to maintain its desired effects. For instance, individuals with severe chronic pain taking opiate drugs (like morphine) will need to continually increase the dose in order to maintain the drug's analgesic (pain-relieving) effects.
Physical dependence is also a pharmacologic property and means that if a certain drug is abruptly discontinued, an individual will experience certain characteristic withdrawal signs and symptoms. Many drugs used for therapeutic purposes produce withdrawal symptoms when abruptly stopped, for instance oral steroids, certain antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and opiates. Alcohol, although considered not to be by many, is in fact a drug and operates much the same way.
Addiction Symptoms
Drug or alcohol addiction symptoms and behaviors include:
• The addict feels as if they have to use regularly such as daily or even several times a day
• Failed attempts to stop the substance abuse.
• Quantity of the substance readily available.
• Spending money on drug or alcohol and all that is associated with its abuse rather than on necessities.
• Doing degrading things that lower ones self esteem.
• Driving or doing other risky activities when you're under the influence.
• Focusing more and more time and energy on getting and using the drug
Addiction symptoms in teenagers
Indications that your teenager is suffering from drug or alcohol addiction include:
- Problems at school. Frequently missing classes or missing school, a sudden disinterest in school or school activities, and a drop in grades may be indicators of drug use.
- Physical health issues. Lack of energy and motivation may indicate your child is using certain drugs.
- Neglected appearance. Adolescents are generally concerned about how they look. A lack of interest in clothing, grooming or looks may be a warning sign of drug use.
- Changes in behavior. Teenagers enjoy privacy, but exaggerated efforts to bar family members from entering their rooms or knowing where they go with their friends might indicate drug use. Also, drastic changes in behavior and in relationships with family and friends may be linked to drug use.
- Spending money. Sudden requests for money without a reasonable explanation for its use may be a sign of drug use. You may also discover money stolen from previously safe places at home. Items may disappear from your home because they're being sold to support a drug habit.
AddictionWatch.com
When in need of alcohol addiction treatment or looking for the right addiction treatment center, it is important to consider all the facets of alcohol addiction or substance abuse and realize there drug Rehab programs out there that do not necessarily have the best interest of you or you’re loved oneat heart.
Most alcohol addiction Treatment Centers offer one of four types of drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation programs that vary in cost, length and most importantly success. These alcohol addiction programs offer many different kinds of treatment for the recovery of addicts, like inpatient treatment, outpatient rehab, detox facilities, and sober living homes. Inpatient addiction treatment is generally designed for addicts who require more intensive treatment from their addictions where they will reside with supervision and counseling from certified addiction treatment professionals.
Outpatient alcohol addiction treatment is usually for those addicts who have less severe addictions and might achieve success in a Drug Rehabilitation program with a few addiction counseling sessions a week for several hours, then return home at the end of the day. Detox is the first step in recovering from alcohol addiction and benzodiazepines and offered at some addiction treatment centers, but only those with medical equipment and staff on hand to handle the safe detoxification of addicts in a comfortable environment.
For more information about alcohol addiction and alcohol addiction treatment centers, please feel free to explore our website. If you have questions about your drug use or that of a loved one, please call us at 1-866-989-4499. We are here to help!
