A Beautiful Boy: A Father's Addiction

In the book, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through his Son’s Addiction, the narrator, David, talks about his son, Nic, and his struggle of his methamphetamine addiction. Nic began to use pot, booze, and then LSD at the very young age of eleven. He then moved on to a bigger drug: methamphetamine. According to his father, Nic was a sweet, smart, beautiful boy who became a thief, a street person, a liar, and elusive. He was on a quick, downward spiral. David took much of the blame himself and thought if he made certain decisions in the past, Nic would have been a different person than he turned out to be. Nic and his father both knew that in order for Nic to be a better person, he would have to break the cycle of addiction. Nic refused. Nic would often break into his father and step-mother’s house and steal valuable objects and often write out checks to himself. David knew that something serious had to happen for Nic to clean up his act. He claimed he had to be desolate and desperate, but Nic had been banned there had been no change.
No matter how methamphetamine is taken, it enters into the bloodstream and goes straight to the brain. Methamphetamine increases the

amount of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is related to the reward, motivation, and experience of pleasure pathway in the brain. It also has control over the motor function of the person. Methamphetamine is able to release dopamine rapidly in the reward pathways of the brain in order to create the “rush” many users will experience. Repeatedly using methamphetamine can lead to addiction.
People who abuse methamphetamine usually experience anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood changes, and violent behavior. They may also experience psychosis, paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions. Chronic use of methamphetamine causes chemical and molecular changes in the brain. This usually leads to reduced motor skills and impaired verbal skills as well. Many studies have found that there have been drastic changes in the brain that have to do with memory and emotion which eventually affects motor and verbal skills as well.
Even for people who take small amounts of methamphetamine, they experience increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and increased body temperature. For people who take methamphetamine for a long time, it comes with many negative consequences for their mental and physical health. These include extreme weight loss, severe dental problems, and skin sores.
Typically, methamphetamine abuse can be prevented and treated. People can recover over time if they are willing to get help (which Nic refused) and if they have immediate access to a treatment center where their problems that result from their abuse from methamphetamine can be addressed.
It is possible for a person to die from using too much methamphetamine. Their body temperature will increase to the point where they will pass out. If this is not treated immediately, the user can die. The person can also die from a heart attack or stroke. This is caused by the drug's effect on norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter, which constricts the blood vessels, raises the heartbeat, and also increases blood pressure.
In, A Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through his Son’s Addiction, Nic started out his downhill spiral by drinking alcohol at the young age of eleven.

He was at risk for binge drinking due to the fact that men are more susceptible than women. Another factor for his binge drinking behavior might have been how Nic was getting the alcohol. He was also more at risk for conditions such as liver damage, brain damage, and heart damage. Nic was influenced by the society around him and he was peer pressured by others. The society he grew up in aspired to be adults a lot quicker than the usual. Nic grew up a lot faster for his age than the ordinary child/teenager. Binge drinking also creates a greater risk for dependence. In the future, this can lead to becoming dependent on other substances such as

drugs.
After Nic was done with alcohol, he moved onto marijuana. There has been a longitudinal study done by the UK researchers that lead to discover what it's called “normalization of Pot”. It was known as “normal” to people under the age of thirty five. The process of trying a drug becomes more evident of greater involvement as age increases. Teens are “drug wise” which means they know what they are doing, but the way they feel becomes more important than any consequences there might be. Many teenagers decide to rebel against their parents and some even go to the extremes of drug use. The lifetime prevalence is very high. The idea of drugs also has to do with the access (which grows with age) and availability of the drug. Drugs are driven by personal lifestyle and how society perceives the substances.
The perception of usage has to do with the idea of users being self-disclosed experts. They often learn by observing others which ties in into unrealistic optimism (Ex.: “I can quit whenever, I just don't want to”), and brain development associated with the innocence of puberty. So called self-disclosed experts are driven by medical ignorance and print media. Many people ignore the effects of the drugs and continue to take them. The media typically promotes the drug as well and claims it is not as bad as other things. People learn by observing others whether it is people of the same gender, people of the same peer groups, and/or celebrities. Depending on the age of the user, their brain development may be compromised. The innocence of puberty may also be affected due to the fact that children are trying to grow up a lot faster and are influenced by older children around them.
Self-identity and behavior of individuals can be determined by terms that describe them also known as the Labeling Theory. It has to do with stereotyping and the fact that society worships the idea of “if the behavior is bad, the person is bad”. When Nic started abusing methamphetamine, the world looked down on him and with it came an extreme amount of stigma thus proving the theory of labeling right once again.
A negative feedback loop plays a role in Nic’s life as well. It is a closed system where the consequences of the present decision affects the future. Methamphetamine mimics epinephrine. When it is first taken, the brain shuts down its own endorphin production due to the fact that there is a sudden flood of endorphins rushing through the nervous system from the drug itself. After the drug wears off, the user no longer feels the high. The user must continue to use the drug in order to achieve the euphoric feeling. Repeatedly using the drug alters the brain’s availability to release endorphins which begins the cycle again which is exactly what has been happening to Nic throughout his journey.
When it comes to class and society, Nic’s family belong to the working class. This allowed Nic more opportunities to clean up his act and to check into rehab. Nic was able to steal from his parents in order to afford his lifestyle which a lower class citizen wouldn't have the opportunity to do so. When the gender card is played, society sees men as the ones who can handle the drugs more effectively. Women tend to overdose more due to lack of knowledge of drug’s strength (most drugs are made for male consumption and their tolerance). Due to the fact that Nic was a caucasian American, society saw a chance for him to improve and recover. If he was a minority, the society would not be as willing to help him recover and treat his disease due to its beliefs. In other words - the chance of getting treatment is decreased due to the race factor (according to “men in prison” study and their effect on mental health).
As the case in many states, the penalties for possession, sale, and manufacture of methamphetamine vary. The fact that Nic is from California made his life a bit easier due to the fact that state laws are not as severe. Punishments in the state of california can range from a fine, a misdemeanor, or jail time for a felony. The greater the amount, the longer the prison sentence would be. According to california state laws on drugs, “the penalties increase if the individual who is charged with the possession of methamphetamine around children or a school zone and may be also charged with child abuse”. Nic has been very fortunate since he has never been prosecuted for his actions. Not only that he could have served life in prison, he didn’t know that he caused toxic effect on environment around him which adds additional 5-10 years in prison.
Afterall, due to the class, gender, and race, Nic was able to survive methamphetamine addiction with the help of his father, David, and society, even though there was a point in time where everyone looked down on him. If there were any other circumstances, the outcome for Nic may have not been the same. This just shows the true value of the things around us that we take for granted. As John F. Kennedy once said, “When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity” therefore we should always look for that opportunity even when we are at our lowest points in life.