In todays' society the term 'addiction' seems to be firmly
associated with those who have a dependency on alcohol or
dugs. But, the fact of the matter is, addiction is far more
widespread than that. People from all walks of life are
addicted to something or other, they just don't realise it,
and, when they do often deem their 'addiction' harmless.
Some less harmful addictions include computer gaming and
those people who simply cannot stop working. Plus those who
have obsessive compulsive disorders (ocd) such as having
to do the same things in the same order, or wear their
'lucky socks' when playing football. All are forms of
addiction and have their root in the workings of the brain.
The American Psychological Association terms these not as
addictions but as 'impulse control disorders' or ocd's.
Thus, whilst some 'addictions' are, in reality, just in the
mind, others most definitely are not. These people
suffering from a dependency on a drug or substance have,
the need for this drug, it becoming all powerful and one
that consumes their every thought.
In medical terminology, addiction to a drug or substance is
described as a chronic neurobiological disorder that
results in one or more of the following: a continued use of
a drug despite awareness that it has detrimental effects,
an impaired ability to control one's use of a drug, and, a
preoccupation with a drug for non-therapeutic purposes
(those with a drug craving).
Many people in the grip of an addiction also face two other
problems. That of Tolerance and Physical dependence.
Tolerance is a pharmacological phenomenon where the dose of
the drug (or medication) has to be continually increased in
order to achieve the desired effect (those taking morphine
for pain fall into that category). Physical dependence
relates to the fact that some drugs will, if they are
abruptly stopped, cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms,
these being very hard to counter for anyone who has been
weakened by the taking of the drug/substance in the first
instance.
Where someone is in the grip of an addiction for a
substance that has both Tolerance and Physical dependence
issues, such as those taking hard drugs, they are as you
can see in a very difficult position. Their ability to
break out of the addiction is impaired as they simply
cannot think straight, the drug damaging their ability to
find the way 'out of their predicament'.
But why do people end up with a dependency on a drug or
substance? For many the reasons are socially based. The
taking of a drug being their way of making their life seem
more bearable. In the past this related mostly to alcohol,
many resorting to getting drunk every Friday after a long
hard day at work. For some this seemingly harmless fun
became the start of dependency. Today, perhaps it is other
drugs that are seen by society as more worrying, the use of
hard drugs becoming one that is increasingly taking the
headlines.
For those wishing to take the road to recovery there are
many groups who offer support, the admission that they have
a problem being a really positive step. Those that are
close to the person in the grip of an addiction, their
friends and family, can be the most help, their readiness
to listen and help being paramount.
There are however many organisations that are ready and
willing to assist as well, these including counselling
services (both private and the NHS), and many abstinence
based 12 step programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous and
Narcotics Anonymous. Also for families and friends, there
is Families Anonymous.
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Graham Baylis has been working with Tony Harrison of
InExcess for sometime now and together they are spreading
the word about how anyone with a dependency on alcohol or
drugs can break the habit and recover if they want to. For
more information on this topic, see their website at
http://www.inexcess.tv
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