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Definition paper on addiction
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Stages of addiction
Addiction is defines as, “being abnormally tolerant to, and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming (especially alcohol or narcotic drugs)”. (www.webstersdictionary.org) Addiction, or “chemical dependency” is a disease that affects several people worldwide. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), In the United Sates alone 22 million Americans have a substance abuse or dependency problem, only 2.5 million of them seek treatment. Chemical dependency is not a process takes place over night, it occurs after repeated misuse of a chemical/substance. This repeated misuse goes from/creates a transition from the early, middle and later stages of addiction.
The first stage towards addiction, is use at this stage is an individual becomes “one step closer” to heading downward into the journey of illness, pain, and inactivity. When use takes place, this is as it sounds: the individual consumes this chemical substance (be it alcohol or drugs) for the first time. The first stage is usually harmless, however it is the individuals reaction to the first stage which matters most. If the individual gets some sort of “rush” or feeling of extreme relief or emotion they begin to believe that the substance consumed has benefitted them. For example, one of the men from Alcoholics Anonymous said, “I didn’t feel like I belong”, he continued to speak of how he did not fit in with other groups of individuals and how uncomfortable that made him feel. After having his first drink of alcohol he mentioned that feeling being relieved, gone, and he no longer felt socially unaccepted. This is also r...
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It is imperative for a counselor to identify these qualities and know how to navigate an addict through these phases. Addiction has psychological, neurological, and spiritual elements that are important to understand in order to provide quality counseling. Psychologically, an individual suffering from addiction will often practice various methods of self-deception: denial & repression, rationalization, hiding, delaying tactics, breakdown, and collusion. Habits are formed in three stages. During stage one, a person learns that a specific behavior either provides pleasure or pain relief. Stage two is when a person actively seeks the effects of that behavior in everyday life, causing the formation of the habit. Finally, in stage three, a person is now dependent on the effect of the behavior and develops feelings of distress when the behavior and feeling are not easily
Many of the problems associated with early sobriety do not stem directly from psychoactive substances. Instead they are associated with physical and psychological changes that occur after the substances have left the body. When a person regularly uses psychoactive drugs, the brain undergoes physical changes to cope with the presence of drugs in the body. When the drugs are removed from the body, the brain craves the drugs that it has become accustomed to and as the brain attempts to rebalance itself without the presence of psychoactive drugs the person often experiences feelings of confusion, pain, and discomfort. The symptoms that are experienced immediately after stopping drug use are called acute withdrawal. But often the symptoms do not stop at acute withdrawal. After the body makes initial adjustments to the absence of drugs, the changes that have occurred in the brain still need time to revert back to their original state. During this period, a variety of symptoms known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) begin to occur. In the book Uppers, Downers, All Arounders, published by CNS Productions, authors Darryl Inaba and William Cohen define PAWS as “a group of emotional and physical symptoms that appear after major withdrawal symptoms have abated” (Inaba & Cohen, 2011).
There are many different definitions in which people provide regarding addiction. May (1988) describes that addiction “is a state of compulsion, obsession, or preoccupation that enslaves a person’s will and desire” (p. 14). Individuals who suffer from addiction provide their time and energy toward other things that are not healthy and safe. The book
People argue whether drug addiction is a disease or a choice. Today, I will be discussing this argument in hopes to have a better understanding as to why this topic is so controversial. Throughout my research, I easily found information on this topic and I am still not sure I have found any answers.
The multi-causal model of drug abuse takes into account social and individual causes of addiction, both distant and immediate, that lead to a disposition to using drugs, drug use and the social and individual consequences. Why a person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol is different for everyone. Some are genetically predisposed, some learn it from their environment (i.e. family or friends), and still others use it to avoid a trauma they have experienced. The case history describes a client that had both social and individual causes for her alcohol use and subsequent dependence.
George F. Koob defines addiction as a compulsion to take a drug without control over the intake and a chronic relapse disorder (1). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association defined "substance dependence" as a syndrome basically equivalent to addiction, and the diagnostic criteria used to describe the symptoms of substance dependence to a large extent define compulsion and loss of control of drug intake (1). Considering drug addiction as a disorder implies that there are some biological factors as well as social factors.
Addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Addiction is normally thought of as drug abuse and alcoholism but people can also be addicted to things such as gambling and sex as well. The controversy on if addiction is a disease or a choice is a continuous debate. Everyone has an opinion on this topic, one side believes it’s a disease, while the other believes it is a choice. Although addiction has been assumed to be a lack of willpower and a weakness, addiction is actually a complex disease that changes the wiring of the brain. Addiction is a brain disease expressed in the form of compulsive behavior (Leshner.) Both devolping
National Institute on Drug Abuse (2009). NIDA InfoFacts: Treatment Approaches for Drug Addiction . Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/treatmeth.html
"Teen Alcohol and Drug Abuse." Cigna, a Global Health Insurance and Health Service Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of substance abuse in the elderly community. There is concern that as the population ages in the United States, there will be a significant increase in the number of older adults being treated for substance abuse problems. This paper seeks to understand the issues and concerns that are consequently involved with substance abuse among the elderly.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web.
Gwinnell, Esther, and Christine Adamec. "drug addiction." Health Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
Addiction is a very strong word that brings along many negative connotations. When we think of an addiction we imagine someone who depends on a certain substance, most likely alcohol to have their needs met. Addiction is defined by the Webster dictionary as, "a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Even though our society sees addiction and only applies the word to drug addicts and alcoholics, there is a much wider range of subjects that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is. An addiction is a dependency on any kind of materialistic object that you use on a day to day basis that brings
Smith, Melinda, Segal, Jeanne, and Robinson, Lawrence. "Overcoming Drug Addiction." : Drug or Substance Abuse Treatment, Recovery, Help. Help Guide, Apr. 2013. Web. 23 May 2013. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_abuse_addiction_rehab_treatment.htm