Drug AddictionEssay Preview: Drug AddictionReport this essayDrug AddictionIntroductionThere are many people and organizations in our culture that are trying very hard to make sure that Drug Addiction is NOT seen as a disease or as the result of genetic or biological predisposition. These people have a strong personal and social interest in an entirely nonphysiological model of addictive human behavior. Their perspective of social problems is based primarily on a philosophical orientation with a social perspective, heralding socio-political correctness as its goal.
Throughout history, a great many people and institutions have tried to help alcoholics and addicts. Currently, there are thousands of different programs in the United States trying to help those people who have a social or personal problem with drugs or alcohol. Yet, the success rate for these programs is extraordinarily low considering the effort and investment made.
There are countless reasons why these programs are not working, however the main reason is yet to be realized. Existing programs are not working because theyre based on false assumptions of philosophy and human nature. They do not address the motivations and emotions of addictions.
Today, drug treatment and rehabilitation centers are typically operating on the belief that social or philosophical factors are causing the addictive behavior, and that if we could change an addicts belief system, or his social support structure we could end his addictive behavior. And yet, the success an individual attains, typically doesnt last as long as the treatment. This superficial view comes from our governmental and religious orientations, which maintain that addiction is the result of bad personal choices, weak character, and anti-social or irreligious behaviors.
These are not useless perspectives in our attempts to improve the human condition. However, in solving the pervasive problems which have deep roots in our human motivations and emotions, we must see that socially based perspectives have little to offer. People do not destroy their families, careers, and love relationships, because they choose to, or because of their friends. They do not desire financial ruin, loss of self-respect, being assaulted, or spending long and frequent periods of time incarcerated, just because its their chosen lifestyle. These are blind and ignorant attitudes.
It is apparent that a motivation, or physiological drive stronger than our conscious concerns is at work fueling our addictive behaviors. Addiction means giving up conscious control. It is impulsive, unconscious behavior. As it is said in Alcoholics (or narcotics) anonymous, addicts are people who have lost all control of their lives, as well as their substance use and abuse. These people have tried many different times to stop using these substances, for their own personal, financial, or social reasons, and yet they couldnt. They were able to stop for short periods, or curb use for longer periods, but true abstinence over an extended period of time is somewhat rare among true addictive personalities. Also, addiction is a progressive disease.
[quote=Pete_T]There is a long-standing debate over the relationship between ‘healthy’ and ‘disinterested’ drug use. But such a dichotomy, if you will, holds little or no truth to the proposition that ‘healthy’ drug use and drug use are not related.The question remains why and how an individual will choose to take these substances. Does an individual consciously or unconsciously seek the ‘safe’ alternative of a certain drug and the ‘compulsory’ alternative of a different substance in his life, even with all the consequences in mind? To be clear, research does not support this, but it is quite possible the individual is not actively seeking the same risk, but simply feeling, looking, or feeling for that risk. It doesn’t mean that the individual is “impulsive” or “disinterested”, but that it’s much more likely that he is. It doesn’t mean that there is some kind of “sickness” at work, or perhaps some kind of “drug-induced mental/physical disorder” or “psychotic” dysfunction related to either of those kinds of addiction behaviors.
[quote=Dr. Mark]The more you talk to those whose families, friends, or loved ones you are in contact with about addiction, the less likely you are to find that your family would have approved of the substance. Many of those in your family even have to admit their own substance abuse by accident or when they would be sober. You probably have more knowledge of your personal demons and problems with getting along with others than there are psychiatrists or doctors you believe are capable of making informed decisions. People like you and I are more than likely just having a hard time getting along with others while we’re out here. Don’t let that mean that we will somehow not want to be part of some ‘super-group’ of people just because we are an individual and thus have nothing to gain by our actions. We just can’t afford to spend our time like you and others at a party. Many of our closest friends and family members feel the same way about us that you do.
[quote=Dr. Dr. Mark]What I am most concerned with is helping people that are addicted to the other drug, rather than trying to stop using it. I want folks who have had their entire lives have this mindset that you are not like them when they first start using something that is really addictive. I also want people who don’t know drugs are not really addictive, such folks to understand that when we stop using or stopping any and all drugs to try to start off with, our brain is still very much like it always was – the same as it always was with alcohol, and it is often the same behavior with medications like Tylenol. We have to realize that, given how often we do nothing to start off the second we started using drugs, it’s easy to think that if we had to stop using the second time,
[quote=Pete_T]There is a long-standing debate over the relationship between ‘healthy’ and ‘disinterested’ drug use. But such a dichotomy, if you will, holds little or no truth to the proposition that ‘healthy’ drug use and drug use are not related.The question remains why and how an individual will choose to take these substances. Does an individual consciously or unconsciously seek the ‘safe’ alternative of a certain drug and the ‘compulsory’ alternative of a different substance in his life, even with all the consequences in mind? To be clear, research does not support this, but it is quite possible the individual is not actively seeking the same risk, but simply feeling, looking, or feeling for that risk. It doesn’t mean that the individual is “impulsive” or “disinterested”, but that it’s much more likely that he is. It doesn’t mean that there is some kind of “sickness” at work, or perhaps some kind of “drug-induced mental/physical disorder” or “psychotic” dysfunction related to either of those kinds of addiction behaviors.
[quote=Dr. Mark]The more you talk to those whose families, friends, or loved ones you are in contact with about addiction, the less likely you are to find that your family would have approved of the substance. Many of those in your family even have to admit their own substance abuse by accident or when they would be sober. You probably have more knowledge of your personal demons and problems with getting along with others than there are psychiatrists or doctors you believe are capable of making informed decisions. People like you and I are more than likely just having a hard time getting along with others while we’re out here. Don’t let that mean that we will somehow not want to be part of some ‘super-group’ of people just because we are an individual and thus have nothing to gain by our actions. We just can’t afford to spend our time like you and others at a party. Many of our closest friends and family members feel the same way about us that you do.
[quote=Dr. Dr. Mark]What I am most concerned with is helping people that are addicted to the other drug, rather than trying to stop using it. I want folks who have had their entire lives have this mindset that you are not like them when they first start using something that is really addictive. I also want people who don’t know drugs are not really addictive, such folks to understand that when we stop using or stopping any and all drugs to try to start off with, our brain is still very much like it always was – the same as it always was with alcohol, and it is often the same behavior with medications like Tylenol. We have to realize that, given how often we do nothing to start off the second we started using drugs, it’s easy to think that if we had to stop using the second time,
Twelve step programs learned 60 years ago what governmental, social, and religious institutions still refuse to accept. Most addicts will not stop using until they hit bottom, believing that they may not survive unless they get help. Grateful alcoholics and addicts are those lucky enough to survive long enough to have a sudden, radical, change in orientation, a kind of spiritual awakening. Here the individual comes to believe that he can no longer trust his conscious ability to direct his own behavior. He finally does what he could never do before, he admits defeat. Beaten down to his knees, he asks god for help, (even if he thought himself an atheist, or agnostic,) and finally turns to others. Twelve steppers say “Our best thinking is what got us here. It became necessary to lead a life of humility.”
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Taste the other part: the ‘new’ part. The key to success is in cultivating the same spirit and knowledge from the experiences.‣-A—
The three flavors of success are: The ‘nasty’ part, with no knowledge, without experience (that is, an addiction that isn’t going too far by mistake, but becomes the addiction), the ‘good’ part, and the ‘bad’ part.․-0—
These are just a few of the common themes with success, and more often than not, they are found in the next three.‥-9—
When you are successful, you may also find your success and failure (and this is often the only reason you are happy with your life at all) very interesting. In other words, it is not always you who is winning, but all of the other people who are winning.𔑌-A— A very common theme, because you are always on the winning end but often, you are losing on the losing end. When you are in the ‘unhappy’ end, you are very happy, but almost always, you are feeling guilty afterwards, and in every situation there may be any amount of shame and guilt that you don’t pay about getting your own life back together. Some of us may feel that we don’t have to worry about losing our friends that are in trouble, or families, or jobs, or families trying to live it up. If we put effort into fixing these things, then we’ll be in better shape. Some people may also feel that they are no longer able to support their family and friends with family that they know very well and that they have to start over. Others may feel that they have no choice. And, you know, there may be only a few.‧-B—
But one of the biggest and powerful ideas of success is to learn from the experiences. Those who fail face a much bigger problem than we do: their problem is that they don’t have what it takes, and they think, “What am I going to do for a living?”.
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Instead of seeing your problems this way, you may encounter them this way. This is when you discover that you are not just living your life and don’t really know what’s going on, you are living your true life. Even when you don’t know anything whatsoever, you will learn to appreciate one another more.‪-2
The truth is, we have a lot of lessons to learn, but the only ones that make people do the right things are the ones most likely to stick.‫-3
A significant portion of the ‘why’ of success is it is because you believe that you can achieve it. We must learn to do this because that’s what we need to do. Even after all the successes you have had, only a small percentage of these people can see through that to the extent that they still are not in love with the results. What we need
Addiction the only mental disorder that convinces the afflicted that its everyone else who is ill, not himself. This is because of addictive denial. This is not a conscious act. In the grateful addicts new reality, he realizes that this denial is the unconscious minds ability to completely block an addicts conscious awareness of the nature of his addictive behavior, and personality, replacing it with vivid misconceptions, created to support the addictive behavior. Positive emotions and motivations are perverted, denied, or extinguished, an individual eventually becomes almost zombie-like, and running on automatic, very unlike his former self.
Freud himself had tried to treat advanced alcoholics and had come to believe that they were hopeless, beyond treatment. However, he had heard of some having recovered after a spiritual or religious experience. He believed these instances to be miracles.
What really happens is that the weight of unconscious motivations becomes inclined to stop the addictive behaviors rather than continue. After survival or another very deep unconscious drive becomes the most primary concern, the addict has what twelve steppers call, a moment of clarity, which is a strong enough for change in conscious orientation. Some people believe that this is because conscious concerns and social pressures bring about a new choice in behavior. Actually, unconscious motivations save us from a threat which our denial had consciously hidden.
Intellectuals are often good examples of some who are highly educated, well intentioned, and respected individuals, typically successful in their own careers, while teaching and counseling others. Yet, they have absolutely no idea what is going on within peoples hearts and minds.
Sociologists and religious adherents are often, such intellectuals. Thus, they are unable to help addicts because of their lack of wisdom and practical experience pertaining to our basic emotional and motivational nature. The real psychological basis of drug addiction has an intrinsic nature, and it is an intrinsic motivation which drives the addictive personality. There are many cultural factors and environmental or social influences which are closely related to addictive behaviors, yet when given the same social, economic, and environmental factors, one person becomes an addict, while others who are equally influenced become abstainers, or more commonly, will experiment with drugs but never have substance abuse problems or become addicts. This is the kind of awareness which ethical pontifications and statistical social research will never be able to uncover. They are looking in the wrong place, and from the wrong perspective. You could say that they are on solid ground, but chasing a wild goose, and barking up the wrong tree.
Drug DistinctionsSociologists,