Addiction is a disease that causes changes in the brain. In people with addiction, dopamine receptors activate and tell the brain that drugs are rewards. Over time, the brain changes and adapts as it becomes dependent on the substance being used.
The initial decision to take drugs is typically voluntary. But with continued use, a person's ability to exert self-control can become seriously impaired. This impairment in self-control is the hallmark of addiction.
Journal of a Lying Filthy Drug Addict
As with other diseases and disorders, the likelihood of developing an addiction differs from person to person, and no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted to drugs. In general, the more risk factors a person has, the greater the chance that taking drugs will lead to drug use and addiction. Protective factors, on the other hand, reduce a person's risk. Risk and protective factors may be either environmental or biological.
Biological factors that can affect a person's risk of addiction include their genes, stage of development, and even gender or ethnicity. Scientists estimate that genes, including the effects environmental factors have on a person's gene expression, called epigenetics, account for between 40 and 60 percent of a person's risk of addiction.27 Also, teens and people with mental disorders are at greater risk of drug use and addiction than others.28
Physical signs of addiction can manifest as side effects of use, during an overdose, or as a result of withdrawal. It may be very difficult for someone to pinpoint the cause of the physical signs, but severe effects will require immediate medical treatment. Also, it is important to understand that withdrawal symptoms arise when the body adjusts to the absence of familiar quantities of a drug. It is a natural process, but withdrawal can be dangerous.
Heroin is a highly addictive drug and an overdose can prove fatal. For this reason, signs of heroin addiction should be taken seriously, and measures should be taken to stage an intervention or otherwise convince a loved one to join a rehab program.
There are three main categories of prescription medications: depressants, stimulants, and painrelievers. As the Mayo Clinic discusses, the signs of abuse of prescription drugs vary depending on the specific medication or drug category. While the general signs of addiction described above provide some guidance, the following is a breakdown by drug category of signs of prescription drug abuse.
Prescription stimulants include amphetamines and methylphenidate (such as Ritalin) and are the most commonly abused drugs in this category. In addition to the behavioral and psychological signs of addiction described above, physical signs of prescription stimulant abuse include:
My incredibly smart nephew, whom I adored, passed on July 24th from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.Our hearts are broken. Never in a million years did we think this could happen to our family . This is why addicts need affordable treatment and why we need to lose the negative stigma attached to drug addiction.
People who take potentially addictive drugs as prescribed rarely abuse them or become addicted. But taking them not as prescribed or for an extended period of time increases the risk of misuse and addiction. Studies suggest that up to one-third of people who take opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and more than 10 percent become addicted over time.
Your loved one is also at increased risk of addiction if he or she obtains opioids without a prescription. And using opioids illegally increases the risk of drug-related death. Drugs that pass hands illegally, such as fentanyl (Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora), may be laced with life-threatening contaminants or much more powerful opioids. And people who use opioids illegally often turn to heroin, a cheap replacement with similar effects.
People who are addicted to opioids may still hold down jobs and other responsibilities, maintaining the appearance of stability at work and home. Over time, however, the addiction is likely to lead to serious problems across the board. When a person is addicted to a drug, he or she will continue to use the drug even when it makes his or her life worse.
Alcoholism is also associated with several psychiatric disorders that develop independently of the alcoholism and may precede alcohol use and abuse. These independent disorders may make certain vulnerable patients more prone to developing alcohol–related problems (Helzer and Przybeck 1988; Kessler et al. 1997; Schuckit et al. 1997b). One of the most common of these comorbid conditions is ASPD, an axis II personality disorder1 (1The DSM–IV classifies mental disorders along several levels, or axes. In this classification, axis II disorders include personality disorders, such as ASPD or obsessive–compulsive disorder, as well as mental retardation; axis I disorders include all other mental disorders, such as anxiety, eating, mood, psychotic, sleep, and drug–related disorders.) marked by a longstanding pattern of irresponsibility and violating the rights of others that generally predates the problems with alcohol. Axis I disorders commonly associated with alcoholism include bipolar disorder, certain anxiety disorders (e.g., social phobia, panic disorder, and post–traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), schizophrenia, and major depression (Helzer and Przybeck 1988; Kessler et al. 1997). (Several of these common comorbid disorders are reviewed in detail in other articles of this journal issue.) It is important for clinicians to know which disorders are most likely to coexist with alcoholism so that they may specifically probe for these conditions when evaluating the patient's complaints.
While anyone can develop problems from using drugs, vulnerability to substance addiction differs from person to person. While your genes, mental health, family and social environment all play a role, risk factors that increase your vulnerability include:
Fact: Recovery from drug addiction is a long process that often involves setbacks. Relapse doesn't mean that treatment has failed or that sobriety is a lost cause. Rather, it's a signal to get back on track, either by going back to treatment or adjusting the treatment approach.
There's a fine line between regular drug use and drug abuse and addiction. Very few drug abusers or addicts are able to recognize when they've crossed that line. While frequency or the amount of drugs consumed do not necessarily constitute drug abuse or addiction, they can often be indicators of drug-related problems.
If the drug fulfills a valuable need, you may find yourself increasingly relying on it. You may take illegal drugs to calm or energize yourself or make you more confident. You may start abusing prescription drugs to relieve pain, cope with panic attacks, or improve concentration at school or work. If you are using drugs to fill a void in your life, you're more at risk of crossing the line from casual drug use to drug abuse and addiction. To maintain a healthy balance in your life, you need to have positive experiences and feel good about your life without any drug use.
To avoid developing problems with a prescription medication, it's important to take it only as directed, use the lowest dose for the shortest period possible, and to talk to your doctor about other methods of treating the problem. Being aware of any signs of dependency can help identify prescription drug problems at an early stage and help to prevent them progressing into an addiction.
While experimenting with any kind of drug doesn't automatically lead to drug abuse, early use is a risk factor for developing more serious drug abuse and addiction down the road. Risk of drug abuse also increases greatly during times of transition, such as changing schools, moving, or divorce. The challenge for parents is to distinguish between the normal, often volatile, ups and downs of the teen years and the red flags of substance abuse. These include:
Coming from an addict myself i promise anything u threaten him with like leaving if he dont stop will never stop him. We only care about ourselves and until we want to get sober and learn to love ourselves ur going to be disappointed thinking hes gonna change just like that. We have an illness and for me it runs in my family and as bad & embarrasing bein addicted to drugs is its not something i can stop on my own. I was upfront with my husband bout my problem & i only care bout myself right now so please let me go and go b happy cause i need to work on myself & love myself again before i can even begin to be the wife u deserve. He always says i take the bad/good but then constantly judges & puts me down about it. I already feel bad enuff for my problems dont need him reminding me all time. He should be 1 bringing me up not kicking me while im down thats y i beg him to go to al-non meeting to get educated bout how not to treat an addict & get an understanding but he wont. Its very hard being an addict married to someone never been addicted but its just as hard for yall to live with an addict. We will lie, cheat, steal to get our drugs w/no care who we hurt its all part of our disease. My issue is i dont even care to quit i have nothing good no reason for me to quit. Ive gone thru so much i just dont care anymore maybe a supportive husband might help me want to stop but instead he makes ten thousand times worse. Its not ur fault or ur problem but i thought marriage made each other as one & to love in sickness & health unless the love isnt there anymore i know u can only take so much! Its very hard for everyone involved trust me us addicts dont enjoy the drugs least i dont its more that i dont want to withdrawal. I dont enjoy hurting & embarrassing my family but at least they here for me cuz they know i come frm 2 addicts so was destined for me.
I married a drug addict..things were great when we met, after a year together, I asked her to marry me a year later, she was arrested for prescription fraud for oxy 6 month later, she went to rehab for a week, she said she would be OK, we moved forward with getting married, she started abusing a week after we married, I did not know what to do, she said it would never happen again, money missing, bills in the trash, I would go into her purse and find drugs, confront her and she would fill out on me, then week later admit she still had a problem..her family knew of her past, her 2nd marriage in 5 years, her ex husband sued her right after we married, 4th time in less then a year she admitted she needed help, I got her help and told her this was last time, she then left me weeks later and told her family I was abusing her,heart broken and sad, 11months the marriage lasted, she blames me for everything she has moved on after 3 months of leaving me.. 2ff7e9595c
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