Why
are sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so often reach to substances
such as drugs to help them through an avarage day? It is so obvious! Who
wouldn't they want to hide? When it is not enough to hide physically because
that still lets your thoughts in...It is normal to reach for something that can
be harmful to you and those around you.
Educate yourself! Reach out! Help is available
if you ask for it!
How it Happens
No one wants to be a drug addict or alcoholic, but
this doesn't stop people from getting addicted. The most commonly asked question
is simply - how? How could my son, daughter, father, sister, or brother become a
liar, a thief, someone who cannot be trusted? How could this happen? And why
won't they stop?
Drug Addiction At Its Roots
The first thing you must understand about addiction
is that mind-altering drugs are basically painkillers. For drugs to be
attractive to a person, there must first be some underlying unhappiness, sense
of hopelessness, or physical pain.
The Cycle of Addiction
A person has some problem, sense of unhappiness or
hopelessness, or physical discomfort. It could be a teenager experiencing his
first romantic rejection, or a grandmother with arthritis, or it could be a man
in his prime, wondering why he keeps failing on the job. Or it could be someone
at any age in between.This person drinks or tries drugs. The alcohol or drugs
APPEAR to solve his problem. He feels better. Because he now SEEMS better able
to deal with life, the drugs become valuable to him.The person gradually
increases his usage of his drug of choice. He is then trapped. Whatever problem
he was initially trying to solve by using drugs or alcohol fades from memory. At
this point, all he can think about is getting and using drugs. He loses the
ability to control his usage and disregards the horrible consequences of his
addiction.The addict will now attempt to withold the fact of his drug use from
friends and family members. He will begin to suffer the effects of his own
dishonesty and guilt. He may become withdrawn and difficult to reason with. He
may behave strangely.The more he drinks and uses drugs, the more guilty he will
feel, and the more depressed he will become. He will sacrifice his personal
integrity, possibly lying and stealing to finance his drinking or drug habit.
His relationships with friends and family and his job performance will go
drastically downhill.
Addiction and Tolerance
The drugs and alcohol are now the most important
thing in his life. He has thrown away his job, his life-savings, his dreams and
ambitions, all in an effort to maintain the painkilling and emotion killing
effects he once obtained from the drugs. But ironically, his ability to get
"high" from the alcohol or drugs gradually decreases as his body adapts to the
presence of foreign chemicals. He must take more and more, and he now has to
have them to be able to function at all.
As he continues to drink or use drugs, his body
continues to adapt to the presence of the drugs. This is when the newly created
addict begins to experience drug cravings. He will experience an overwhelming
obsession with getting and using his drugs, and will do anything to avoid the
pain of withdrawing from them.
He has crossed an invisibile and intangible line.
He is now a drug addict or alcoholic.
Progression of Addiction
As his alcoholism or drug addiction progresses, he
will become increasingly haggard and ill-tempered. He will be riding on a drug
or alcohol induced emotional roller-coaster which may actually be mistaken for
mental illness. He may seem very "up" and enthusiastic when he is high, but when
the drugs wear off, he becomes depressed and lethargic. He may go into a
drug-induced depression. At this point, the addict is stuck in a vicious
downward spiral. He faces the problem of having to find money to buy drugs and
to attempt to appear normal to his friends, family and employer. Whether he
wants to stop or not, he is now trapped. By now, the drugs he abuses will have
changed him both physically and mentally.
Long-term alcoholism and drug addiction can cause
one's personality to change. This is called the Biochemical Personality. Some of
the characteristics are:
Mood swings
Unreliable
Unable to finish projects
Unexpressed resentment and secret
hatreds
Dishonesty
Lies to family, friends, employers
Withdraws from those who love him. Isolates
self
May appear chronically depressed
May begin stealing from family and
friends
Drug
abuse has a wide range of definitions, all of them
relating to the use, misuse or overuse of a psychoactive drug or performance
enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. Some of the most
commonly abused drugs include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, caffeine,
cannabis, cocaine, methaqualone, nicotine, opium alkaloids, and minor
tranquilizers. Use of these drugs may lead to criminal penalty in addition to
physical, social, and psychological harm.
Some drugs that are subject to abuse
have central nervous system (CNS) effects, which produce changes in mood, levels
of awareness or perceptions and sensations. Most of these drugs also alter
systems other than the CNS. But, not all centrally acting drugs are subject to
abuse, which suggests that altering consciousness is not sufficient for a drug
to have abuse potential. Among drugs that are abused, some appear to be more
likely to lead to uncontrolled use than others, suggesting a possible hierarchy
of drug-induced effects relative to abuse potential.
Drug
addiction, substance dependence or chemical
dependency is the compulsive use of psychoactive drugs, to the point where the
user has no effective choice but to continue use. The phenomenon of drug
addiction has occurred to some degree throughout recorded history ("opium"),
though modern agricultural practices, improvements in access to drugs, and
advancements in biochemistry have exacerbated the problem significantly in the
20th century with the introduction of purified forms of active biological
agents, and with the synthesis of hitherto unknown substances, such as
methamphetamine. While "addiction" has been replaced by "dependency" as a
clinical term, the terms are used interchangeably here.
The addictive nature of drugs varies from
substance to substance, and from individual to individual. Drugs such as codeine
or alcohol, for instance, typically require many more exposures to addict their
users than drugs such as heroin or cocaine. Likewise, a person who is
psychologically or genetically predisposed to addiction is much more likely to
become dependent.
Drug addiction has two components: physical
dependency, and psychological dependency. Physical dependency occurs when a drug
has been used habitually and the body has become accustomed to its effects. The
person must then continue to use the drug in order to feel normal, or its
absence will trigger the symptoms of withdrawal. Psychological dependency occurs
when a drug has been used habitually and the mind has become emotionally reliant
of its effects, either to elicit pleasure or relieve pain, and does not feel
capable of functioning without it. Its absence produces intense cravings, which
are often brought on or magnified by stress. A dependent person may have either
aspects of dependency, but often has both.
"Chipping" is also a term used to describe a
pattern of drug use in which the user is not physically dependent and sustains
'controlled use' of a drug. This is done by avoiding influences that reinforce
dependence, such that the drug is used for relaxation and not for
escape.
Scientists have long accepted that there is a
biological basis for drug addiction, though the exact mechanisms responsible are
only now being identified. It is believed that addictive substances create
dependence in the user by changing the brain's reward functions, located in the
mesolimbic dopamine system—the part of the brain that reinforces certain
behaviors such as eating, sexual intercourse, exercise, and social interaction.
Addictive substances, through various means and to different degrees, cause the
synapses of this system to flood with excessive amounts of dopamine, creating a
brief rush of euphoria more commonly called a "high".
Although the high may last only a few minutes,
it also produces more longer-lasting effects in the brain. Dopamine signals
occurring normally in the reward system (traveling from the ventral tegmental
area to the nucleus accumbens) lead to the activation of proteins designed to
calm the initial reaction and foster a continued desire to pursue the behavior
responsible. Addictive substances create a greater than normal dopamine release,
and the subsequent reactions of the brain are greatly exaggerated as well. The
amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex associate the use of the drug with
intense pleasure and well-being; an association that is strengthened with each
exposure, and which over time comes to dominate normal thoughts and desires.
When cravings for the drug are no longer controllable, the user is considered
addicted.
Some in the medical field believe,
that what we call addiction is self medication for PTSD.
There is to
be a genetic component to addiction. It is a little researched but well known
secret in practicing medical circles that many addicts are self medicating for
what we commonly call anxiety problems. PTSD is thought to be a common cause as
is ADD/ADHD, and bipolar. Some research is being done on the subject, more needs
to be done.
The mechanisms by which different
substances activate the reward system vary among drug classes.
- * Depressants: such as alcohol and
benzodiazepines, and narcotics such as morphine and methadone, work by mimicking
endorphins—chemicals produced naturally by the body which have effects similar
to dopamine—or by disabling the neurons that normally inhibit the release of
dopamine. These substances (sometimes called "downers") typically facilitate
relaxation and pain-relief.
- * Stimulants: such as amphetamines and nicotine
increase dopamine signaling, either by directly stimulating its release, or by
blocking its absorption. These substances (sometimes called "uppers") typically
cause heightened alertness and energy.
The most common drug addictions are to legal
substances such as:
- * Alcohol
- * Nicotine in the form of tobacco, particularly
cigarettes
- * Caffeine in the form of tea, coffee, and
caffeinated sodas.
Many prescription or over the counter drugs can
become addictive if abused. Steroidal medications, for example, are extremely
addictive. In addition, a large number of other substances are currently
considered to have no medical value and are not available over the counter or by
prescription. Depending on the jurisdiction, these drugs may be legal only as
part of a government sponsored study, illegal to use for any purpose, illegal to
sell, or even illegal to merely possess.
Addiction Triggers
by Archibald Hart,
Ph.D.
The two major drives that
underlie the addictive process, excitement seeking and tension reduction, are
often “set off” by a particular starting stimulus. We can call this the “trigger
mechanism” for the addiction. It is the emotion or occurrence that starts a
given cycle of addictive behavior.
Let’s imagine that Dave, a fictitious salesman, is
generally bored with his job, but he loves to ski. Skiing is the only source of
real excitement in Dave’s life; he lives for the snow slopes and dreams about
nothing else. Clearly he is an addict because he neglects every other aspect of
his life.Now, say it is Friday morning. Dave usually spends Fridays in the
office writing up orders and processing his paperwork. This is a part of his job
he particularly hates. Every form, letter, and purchase order is like poison to
him; he even dislikes touching them.Dave checks his watch. Nine-thirty in the
morning. Still six and a half hours to go before quitting time. He tries to
concentrate, but the dull routine of his job acts as a stimulus for his
addictive need. Boredom is the trigger for his addiction craving. He wants to be
on the mountain. He wants to feel the cold chill of the wind and hear the swoosh
of the skis. He checks his watch again. Only 9:50. The more bored Dave becomes,
the more he craves his skiing fix. It’s going to be a long day!Trigger
mechanisms like Dave’s boredom begin the addictive craving for a given cycle of
need. They differ from person to person and from addictive behavior to addictive
behavior. Often the roots of these trigger mechanisms can be traced to
experiences we disliked as a child. Here are some common
triggers:
- anxiety
- isolation
- boredom
- depression
- crises
- sense of failure
- unmet sexual needs
- criticism
- selfish needs
The last of the above list,
selfish needs, is a major trigger for many addictions. Technically known as
“polarized narcissism,” it is usually found in people who have suffered from
early life disruption or damage and whose nurturance and dependency needs have
not been met. Such people often develop a deep desire for instant gratification.
They know where, when, and how they want it, and they want it now! For instance,
they demand instant and excessive affirmation for even small attempts at work or
in relationships. The needs of others never enter the picture. They are focused
only on their own needs.
There are many other possible triggers for addictive
behavior. In fact, anything that threatens failure,
rejection, or abandonment can become a stimulus for an
addiction cycle. Add to this the personality traits of passivity,
under-assertiveness, or dependency, and you have a powerful set of addictive
triggers.
Excerpted from Healing Life’s Hidden
Addictions by Dr. Archibald Hart, Copyright © 1990 Dr. Archibald Hart. Used by permission.   
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