We've all heard the term "addiction". It fills the press headlines with top names like Michael Jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, DJ AM, actor Heath Ledger all of which died of prescription drug overdosing it would seem of some importance for us to have a better understanding of this often heard term.
And with prescription drug abuse climbing with the ever present mass marketing and encouragement to get drugs with the often chimed phrase, "Ask your doctor" if the now advertised drug is right for you it is no wonder why prescriptions have taken the top spot in the addiction arena.
But celebrities above as well as stellar names like radio show host Rush Limbaugh and those other 20 million who are hooked on drugs, didn't start out seeking to become addicted. So what is addiction and how does someone start abusing drugs in the first place?
According to Narconon Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation and Education Centers, addiction is defined as a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite adverse social, mental and physical consequences.
Many drugs today are extremely addictive and in many cases, "the cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain."
The person could have lost a loved one or suffered a physical injury as in DJ AM's case where he became hooked on pain killers after surviving a fiery plane crash that left him in need a skin grafts and with the emotional scars of the guilt from the loss of friends and grief as he stated on his web site before his overdose death.
For others it would be a loss such as a divorce or a job or even a problem that is as simple as trying, and not being able to fit in to a group, school etc.
Whatever the source of the pain, the person is left feeling his problem is major and persistent and without any solution or relief. The person turns to a drug or alcohol as a solution. The drug is now adopted as a solution to the problem and the drug now has value. This assigned value is what causes the person to drink or use drugs a second or third time.
The relief from the emotional or physical pain, combined with the continuation of the problem sets the person on his way to addiction. In most cases, the “bad feeling” went away as a result of the drug use but it also has value and is the way the person justifies using more and more of the drug. This affects them both mentally and physically and starts the person on the downward spiral of addiction where the social, mental and physical consequences no longer matter and obtaining the drug or alcohol becomes the overriding factor in the person's life. This in addition to the guilt felt for the things done while “under the influence” pushes the person further and further down into the dwindling spiral of addiction.
“But the good news is that there is a solution,” says Erica Catton Director of Promotion for Narconon. “The mechanics behind it is that by helping clients to bring these problems to the surface and giving the person skills to handle them, they then won’t have to go back to using drugs as a solution to a problem. They can be free from addiction."
And this is one way the Narconon program has been successfully solving addiction since 1966. Through its residential treatment program, Narconon achieves a more than 70% success rate for permanent recovery from substance abuse and now operates more than 100 centers in 54 countries.
Addiction is a tough but treatable problem that does not have to go unhandled. If you or someone you know is struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction contact Narconon today at 877-237-3307.
