Drug and alcohol addiction

What is addiction?

Addiction to drugs or alcohol has a really specific pattern in order to become the addiction.

You probably wonder. Is the person I am seeking help addicted?

There is different factors on determining "Addiction" or "Social users".

Addiction is a substitution for an inability for the person to deal with different aspects of life.

Someone that needs alcohol or drugs to have fun. Someone that would a substance to be able to communicate. Someone that would need a pill to sleep. Someone that would needs is two beers to relax at night.

The above is just a few example of addiction. Now where is the line between someone that needs treatment or not.

The person has a problem. He is confronted to a situation in life that he has a hard time to deal with. It can be a problem in school, with his parents, his girl friend, his wife, his job etc. Also it can be a physical pain. The important thing here, is the person has no solution for those problems. The person becomes overwhelm by some aspect of life. The substance becomes a solution.

Drugs and alcohol is introduced to the person. He feels to a certain degree a release from that overwhelm. This is when the person becomes trapped in to it. Drugs or alcohol will become a solution to counter that overwhelm. Let's take a really common example of it. You have someone that is a young adult. This person has a communication problem. He is shy. He wants to have a girl friend. There is this problem that prevent him to start a conversation, to just go ahead and ask someone to dance etc. For sure you have seen an example of this in your life. Then this person has a few drinks and suddenly he can talk, ask someone to dance and so on. He just got a solution for his problem. So every time he'll go out. This will be his solution to "have fun", to meet with girls. This person goes in life and gets married. Then a problem comes up with his wife. He still cannot handle this problem with communication. Then he gets overwhelm with it. Then he has a drink and suddenly he can confront his wife. He just found a solution for his overwhelm. Every time in any aspect of life, he will have to confront a situation. Alcohol will be his solution. Any substance will bring the judgment of the person down. So this solution will bring more problem. Then the person will be more overwhelm. You end up with a person that has to use a substance to communicate, to have fun, to sleep, etc. This a really common example of how addiction works. For sure you have seen an example like this in your life. This applies to any substance.

Traditional drug rehab program modalities advocate that alcoholism and drug addiction are diseases. This is untrue. Drug and alcohol use is a choice, not unlike any other bad decisions we make in life. This fact of course becomes blurred over time as drugs and alcohol completely take priority over all other matters. Attending a long term drug rehab center helps drug addicted individuals by removing them from their environment for a period of time with less distractions. This provides the person a safe place that is far removed from drug connections and places. It is extremely difficult to help a person with a full blown drug or alcohol addiction without removing him or her from their environment. There is no quick fix for drug addiction and alcoholism. Recovery is often a long process, there should be little focus on time in the early stages of treatment. The skills one learns during intensive drug rehab must be integrated into everyday life, and this takes time.

The following are a few signs for someone who needs treatment:

• Increase or decrease in appetite;
• changes in eating habits,
• unexplained weight loss or gain.
• Smell of substance on breath, body or clothes.
• Extreme hyperactivity;
• excessive talkativeness.
• Needle marks or bruises on lower arm, legs or bottom of feet.
• Change in overall attitude / personality with no other identifiable cause.
• Changes in friends: New hang-outs, avoidance of old crowd, New friends are Drug users.
• Change in activities; loss of interest in things that were important before.
• Drop in school or work performance; skips or is late to school or work.
• Changes in habits at home; loss of interest in family and family activities.
• Difficulty in paying attention; forgetfulness.
• Lack of motivation, energy, self-esteem, discipline. Bored, "I don't care" attitude.
• Defensiveness, temper tantrums, resentful behavior (everything's a hassle).
• Unexplained moodiness, irritability, or nervousness.
• Violent temper or bizarre behavior.
• Unexplained silliness or giddiness.
• Paranoia -- suspiciousness.
• Excessive need for privacy; keeps door locked or closed, won't let people in.
• Secretive or suspicious behavior.
• Car accidents, fender benders, household accidents.
• Chronic dishonesty; trouble with police.
• Unexplained need for money; can't explain where money goes; stealing.
• Unusual effort to cover arms, legs. Change in personal grooming habits.
• Possession of Drug paraphernalia.

The above are the main signs of Addiction but not the only ones. Those signs are a guideline. Also you can refer to adolescent signs for addiction .

This is why in choosing a Drug rehab centers, you need to look at the rehabilitation aspect of the Drug rehab center. You need to make sure the drug rehab treatment will increase the ability of the person to be on top of his life without using substitutes.

10 Warning Signs of Prescription Painkiller Dependency

Thousands of Americans lean on prescription painkillers for the relief of pain and symptoms from ailments such as headaches, menstrual cramps, surgery recovery or lingering pain from an injury. Unfortunately however, for several, this reliance on medication can readily and unknowingly turn into physical dependence.
The scary fact is that the most frequently prescribed substances such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Methadone, Darvocet, Lortab, Lorcet and Percocet, while offering relief from pain, can also cause individuals' bodies to start "needing" the drugs in order to feel normal, and the result is the new, even more challenging situation of chemical dependency. Here are ten warning signs to look for if you think someone you know may be experiencing a dependency on these drugs.
1. Usage Increase - Over time, it is frequent for people taking prescription medications to grow tolerant to the effects of their prescribed dose. If somebody you know seems to be increasing his/her dose over time, this is an indication that the quantity they were taking is no longer providing them relief.
2. Change in Personality - Changes in an individual’s normal behavior can be an indicator of dependency. Shifts in energy, mood, and concentration may happen as every day responsibilities become secondary to the urge for the relief the prescription provides.
3. Social Withdrawal - Someone experiencing a dependency issue may withdraw from family, friends and other social interaction.
4. Ongoing Use - Recurring use after a medical condition has improved will result in the person needing extensions on his/her prescription. The individual might talk of how they are "still feeling pain" and need just a little longer on the medication in order to get better. He or she might also complain often about the physicians who refused to write the prescription for one reason or another.
5. Time Spent on Obtaining Prescriptions - A dependant individual will spend wide amounts of time driving great distances and visiting multiple doctors to obtain the substances. Seek for indicators that he or she seems preoccupied with a quest for medication, demonstrating that the drug has become their top priority.
6. Change in Daily Habits and Appearance - Personal hygiene may diminish as a consequence of a drug addiction. Sleeping and eating habits vary, and an individual may have a constant cough, runny nose and red, glazed eyes.
7. Neglects Responsibilities - A dependent individual may call in sick to work more frequently, and neglect household chores and bills.
8. Increased Sensitivity - Usual sights, sounds and emotions might become overly stimulating to the individual. Hallucinations, although perhaps difficult to monitor, may happen as well.
9. Blackouts and Forgetfulness - Another clear indicator of dependence is when the person frequently forgets events that have taken place and appears to be suffering blackouts.
10. Defensiveness - When trying to hide a drug dependency, abusers can become very defensive if they think their secret is being discovered. They might even react to simple requests or questions by lashing out.
Prescriptions to pain medication can be secure when taken according to the physician’s instructions and are carefully monitored. Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that they can also be very hazardous. Anyone who is prescribed pain medications should take extra precautions to avoid the debilitating effects a dependency can have and seek for the warning signs.
This information has been provided with the kind permission of Clifford Bernstein M.D., of The Waismann Institute.

Relationship between illicit drugs and crime

Percentage of Crime Attributed to Alcohol and Drug Abuse