3 minute read
Substance Abuse…
BY: LEX MORGAN
NUMB. A feeling that comes to mind when I think about the desired effect of getting high. Wanting to “take the edge” off is another. WHY?? Getting high is an “easy” fix to the pressures of life. Being high temporarily numbs pain, anxiety, depression, and a host of other uncomfortable emotions that each of us experience from time to time. The issue with numbing is that the emotions are waiting when the high has gone and the realities of life return. The journey through substance tolerance, dependence, and addiction is not the same for everyone. Trauma is a common source; social and family pressures are others. There are many people who report that they began using drugs in response to various types of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment. There are others who began using to “fit in” their peer groups and/or families. Self-harm and harm to others are oftentimes not the intended outcomes of substance abuse. Shame often results in silence; fear ofbeing judged is common with substance use/abuse. “I don’t want anyone to look down on me”, is something that many people struggling with substance use/abuse feel and share. Substance use/abuse doesn’t always result in addiction; this doesn’t make use/abuse any less dangerous or destructive. There are differences between tolerance, dependence, and addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse provides the following definitions for each:
TOLERANCE – A state in which an organism no longer responds to a drug; a higher dose is required to achieve the same effect. It is important to note that just because a person has developed a tolerance for a drug does not make them an addict, but many drugs that produce tolerance also have the potential to become addictive.
DEPENDENCE – A state in which an organism functions normally only in the presence of a drug; manifested as a physical disturbance when the drug is removed (withdrawal).
ADDICTION – A chronic brain disease characterized by drug craving, seeking, and use that persists regardless of negative consequences.
ARE PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE AND ADDICTION THE SAME? No. As defined above, addiction is characterized by drug craving, seeking, and use regardless of negative consequences. It is also important to note that addiction is also characterized by failure to meet personal and social obligations as a result of drug use. Dependence occurs when more of a substance is required to obtain a certain effect and eliciting drug-specific physical or mental symptoms if drug use is abruptly ceased (withdrawal). Physical dependence can happen with the chronic use of many drugs—including many prescription drugs, even if taken as instructed. Thus, physical dependence in and of itself does not constitute addiction, but it often accompanies addiction. This distinction can be difficult to discern, particularly with prescribed pain medications, for which the need for increasing dosages can represent tolerance or a worsening underlying problem, as opposed to the beginning of abuse or addiction. ANOTE TO ANYONE CURRENTLYSTRUGGLING…It is ok not to be ok. You are important and so are your needs. Please ask for support because you are the most important person in your life. Without you, all your relationships cease to exist.
Education and awareness are keys to receiving and offering support. Here are a few resources for those who are seeking assistance:
FAMILIES ANONYMOUS –https://www.familiesanonymous.org/ (support for families of abusers/addicts) NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE –https://www.drugabuse.gov/ SOURCE: National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CITED SOURCE: NIDA. "Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide (Third Edition)." National Institute on Drug Abuse, 17 Jan. 2018, https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-researc h-based-guide-third-e dition. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.
