ADDICTION - Introduction

When you become a slave to a substance and are unable to stop without help. The substance takes the brain hostage and the addict has lost the power of choice. This is a disease”. -anonymous.
Drugs and alcohol consumption are proven to be a man's biggest weakness, consuming them during financial crises, heartbreaks, monday blues or even when your teenage friends pressure you to do or else you would be ‘uncool’. Usually when the mind belongs in a certain emotional state it either desires to intake more such sedatives such as alcohol, drugs, etc. to remain in that state of mind or they are either consumed to forget about certain issues that constantly affect people, or to escape the reality. Since drugs and alcohol have a specific chemical composition of various substances which affects the brain in different manners, in accordance with the particular drug that has been taken.

Furthermore, these are the fundamental and basic causes as to why humankind seems to display this sort of an ‘addiction’. However, there are numerous other factors that contribute to people intaking these substances which the following articles will elaborate upon. Moreover, in a conspicuous fashion we know that substance addiction and consumption is more or less a massive muddle, impacting mental, physical, and physiological health as well as acting as the known cause for building up social, economical and ethical implications. However, there lie several solutions that can aid one’s entity and its following journey. “Recovery did not open the gates of heaven and let me in. but, closed the gates of hell and let me out.” (-anonymous)
\
Social Causes of drugs and alcohol consumption-

Mental health related issues:

Mental health related issues are known to be the biggest reasons that can lead mankind to start intaking drugs, alcohol and other such substances while eventually getting addicted to them. This is because people learn to anticipate some benefit from the addiction even though it is harmful. These benefits can range from stress reduction, relief from boredom, pleasurable sensations, coping with negative feelings or situations, or simply the benefit of avoiding withdrawal symptoms. People have varying abilities to cope with unpleasant emotions or circumstances. However, psychologists can help strengthen people's motivation through therapy and specialized techniques. Many psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety often co-occur with addiction. These other psychological disorders make people more vulnerable to addiction. This is because people may use alcohol to temporarily relieve the unpleasant symptoms of these disorders.

Scientific research claims, Most cases of drug abuse and alcohol addiction come from mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc. For instance, the people who are slightly plump or skinny intake drugs so that they can lose weight or gain weight respectively, and this issue also arises from mental health because factors such as body shaming and bullying would not be able to impact a person if they have a stable mental well-being. However, Not every individual is equally affected by each cause. For some alcohol abusers, psychological traits such as impulsiveness, low self-esteem and a need for approval prompt inappropriate drinking. Some individuals drink to cope with or "medicate" emotional problems. Social and environmental factors such as peer pressure and the easy availability of alcohol can play key roles. Poverty and physical or sexual abuse also increase the odds of developing alcohol dependence. Hence, we can say that Drug intake and mental health go hand in hand. If someone is going through something tragic/ terrible they tend to take comfort in things that will keep their minds away from it. Since drugs help you feel better or as kids now say “high” people resort to it to get away from reality. Hence mental health and drug intake are co-related.


Financial and economic instability:

Moreover, factors such as financial and economic instability contribute to man having a stressful mental well-being and as evaluated before, disturbed mental health is the root cause to drug and alcohol intake which later ahead causes addiction and various other problems that tag along. Furthermore, when somebody is going through a financial crisis or is facing numerous financial problems it is understandable that they would not be the happiest at that point of time, and hence they might show traits of sadness, being anxious, stressed, etc. and in order to overcome the following moods their reality puts them into they tend to consume such substances that are chemically formed to make one feel a certain way.

Stressful environments

While not every person turns to alcohol or drugs to relieve stress, some people do. Stressful environments indicate a space wherein people are simply unhappy. For example, When a person has a stressful job, for example, they may be more likely to drink heavily. This is often the case with certain occupations such as doctors and nurses; their day-to-day lives can be extremely stressful. Similarly, maybe not your work space but your very own home can act as a stressful environment as well, for instance, problems children and teenagers face when their parents are being divorced or as simple as having parents that do not hear you out or having unrealistic expectations from you without offering help. Hence, many such issues in your daily life, big or small can contribute to a low mental well-being and eventually leave you no choice but to consume drugs or alcohol while falling into the loophole of addiction.

Peer pressure

Peer pressure is one of the largest factors that contribute to substance abuse, especially within teenagers because by this time, when were teenagers, hello kitty themed birthday parties turn into clubbing with fake Ids. in addition, it takes a lot of courage to leave who you are and your personality at home everyday and enter school for the people who can categorize you as cool, uncool, misfit, and so on. Similarly, when teens begin to adapt to such surroundings each day, consuming alcohol and drugs seems to be extremely ‘cool’ at least that is what is displayed by the living society. thereby, with such mindsets and beliefs people also tend to bully other people and pressurise them to intake the subsequent substances. Henceforth, when people are bullied and pressurised to such an extent they sometimes do try these substances out in the race of people wanting to be fun and cool. However, these sedatives are chemically composed in such a way that people follow the path of addiction by intaking them numerous times and eventually getting so addicted that it is exceptionally hard for them to leave consuming them.

Self acceptance issues, in terms of looks and appearance:

Psychology is a science that studies human behavior and most human behavior is a learned behavior. Psychological research has helped us to understand how people learn to engage in unhealthy behavior. More importantly, this research enables us to understand how people can unlearn a behavior. Another psychological cause of addiction is people's thoughts and beliefs. This is because much of our behavior originates from our thoughts and beliefs. For instance, when people, emphasizing on most teenagers (because they usually do not uphold the capacity to align their actions with our beliefs and values, is what separates mature human beings from immature ones), are bullied or teased for the way they look, behave or respond to a stimulus they in a similar fashion develop a similar sort of behaviour and begin to believe certainly about themselves in a lowly manner. Which further initiates self acceptance issues and they end up finding themselves not so beautiful, attractive or presentable. In addition, throughout the entire procedure of people dealing with outside comments and opinions it is very natural that they are mentally affected and constantly live under the same threat of not being perfect, and this is when people are so affected that they tend to consume alcohol, drugs, etc. to get away with these arising thoughts and feel different about their body.


Socio-cultural influences

Socio-cultural influences also contribute to the development of alcohol addiction. For our purposes, the term culture describes a group's learned and shared pattern of values and beliefs. These values and beliefs guide group members' behavior and their social interactions. When a culture accepts or tolerates the after affects of substance consumption, the members of that culture are more vulnerable to addiction. The greatest social influence is the family. This is how culture is transmitted from one generation to the next. Children learn from their family members about alcohol use, or misuse.


Biological causes of drugs and alcohol intake-

The biological causes of alcohol addiction include each person's unique physiology and genetics. People differ in the degree to which they like or dislike a particular addictive substance or activity. Some people may enjoy a substance or activity so much that it becomes very tempting and difficult to resist. Another person would not experience this difficulty because they do not experience a similar enjoyment. Likewise, the ability to temper impulsive desires with rational thought is a brain function that varies among different people. Some people may have a deficiency in their capacity to resist certain types of impulses. Thus, these folks would be at greater risk for developing an addiction because of their genetic vulnerability. Oddly enough, even normal human brain functioning, and its chemistry, make people vulnerable to addiction. Our normal brain chemistry and functioning motivate us to repeat behaviors that are pleasurable.

biological factors can contribute to addiction to a large extent.They cannot be the prime or only factor but are often included as complementary factors to various other social factors. There are many regions of our brain which are mainly involved for addiction.There is mesolimbic dopamine system that has been proposed to be particularly relevant to initiation and binge/intoxication, there is nucleus accumbens located in the basal ganglia of brain which receives dopaminergic innervation from the the mesolimbic dopamine system). This nucleus accumbens has at times been termed the brain’s “reward center” given that all known drugs with abuse potential.

Genetics and heredity-

Gene identification is accomplished both by genome-wide methods and by candidate gene studies, both of which can access intermediate phenotypes. Genome-wide analysis, including whole-genome linkage, whole-genome association, and mRNA expression analyses, allows the hypothesis-free mapping of disease-causing loci within the genome. Whole-genome linkage studies are used in family-based samples to test polymorphisms and meiotic linkage to a disease for chromosome regions that are shared more often among phenotypically concordant relatives than among ones who are phenotypically discordant. This approach is powerful in detecting effects of uncommon and rare alleles present in probands and their families. Whole-genome scans, by contrast, have greater power to detect effects of relatively common alleles (minor allele frequency >0.05) and allow for a more refined localization of signals to smaller chromosome regions. Whole-genome analysis can be conducted through the use of intermediate phenotypes with an increase of power. Intermediate phenotypes are the result of deconstruction of complex phenotypes to mechanism-related manifestations of genes and environment. Electrophysiological, psychological, neurochemical, and neuroimaging phenotypes, but also heritable, measurable biochemical, endocrinological, neuroanatomical, cognitive, and neuropsychological parameters, called endophenotypes, may predict diathesis to psychiatric disease. Stress resiliency and externalizing behaviors, characterized by disinhibition, aggression, and impulsivity, are both intermediate phenotypes thought to underlie the comorbidity between addictions and other psychiatric diseases, leading to the potential to track shared genetic factors.

Intermediate phenotypes bridge the gap between target identification and candidate gene analysis, enabling the discovery of functional alleles, which may alter different aspects of drug response and which are noncomprehensively. Functional alleles can function in altered substance–specific vulnerabilities, such as variation in drug metabolism or drug receptors. They may also have a role in shared vulnerability or resiliency by altering factors that are not agent-specific, for example, variation in reward or stress resiliency. Gene discovery can reveal underlying mechanisms by which chronic drug exposure promotes stable changes in gene expression, brain structure and function, and, ultimately, behavior.


Social consequences of drugs and alcohol intake-

Economic/financial impact

When a person is under the influence of drugs and alcohol their day to day lifestyle is not as normal as it was at some point of time, and with that, it impacts each aspect of their life such as their financial situation as well. This is because, if they do not work sufficiently, either for a company or under someone, or even if they are an entrepreneur their economic condition might be affected due to substance abuse and its side effects, such as, Lowered inhibitions, leading to poor social judgment, trouble concentrating, loss of coordination, loss of critical judgement, dulled perception, especially vision, mood swings. Thus, all these factors and side effects can impact one's potential at work in order to earn income negatively.

Family and relationship related issues

Furthermore, when people are under the influence of the following substances they do not act or behave a certain way in which they should, relatively because they are ‘high’ and the substance has taken over their brain and when this happens people tend to display a negative behaviour, verbally and physically as they are not consciously aware of their actions. Hence, the following leads to miscommunications, arguments, problems, fights, etc. while affecting one’s family and social relationships.


Increase in crime rates such as violence, sexual assaults and rapes

Due to people being completely out of their senses during the time span of alcohol and drug effect lasting, research claims that 64.7% of sexual assaults and rapes have taken place by men being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and 0.67% of women have comitted sexual assault and rapes after consuming the subsequent substances. Therefore, the intake of alcohol and drugs have majorly contributed to rapes and sexual assaults. Likewise, 21.3% of other such crimes such as murders, robberies, etc. also do take place by people being under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Biological consequences of drugs and alcohol consumption-

Diminished gray matter and white matter in the brain.
Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated that heavy alcohol and drug consumption is connected to smaller grey matter volume in adults, and pathology studies have linked heavy alcohol use with white matter atrophy and focal neuronal loss. Chronic misuse of alcohol results in measurable damage to the brain. Chronic drinking may be particularly damaging to the integrity of frontal white matter tracts, which can interfere with cognitive and inhibitory control that, in turn, is important to achieve and maintain abstinence.
Memory loss.
Alcohol and drugs affect short-term memory by slowing down how nerves communicate with each other in a part of the brain called the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a significant role in helping people form and maintain memories. When normal nerve activity slows down, short-term memory loss can occur.
Loss of attention span.
The authors of the study concluded that healthy adolescents and young people who binge drink, even only once or twice a week, and who do not display chronic alcohol and drug consumption or alcohol dependence, "may suffer alterations at the electrophysiological level in attentional and working memory processing." Alcohol and drug abuse can lead to disorganized thoughts and confusion, making it hard to focus on something like studying or learning a new skill.
Alcoholic hepatitis.
The liver is the largest organ in the body, and it removes poisons such as alcohol from the blood. When it's damaged by decades of heavy drinking, it can become inflamed, scarred, and fatty. Over time, it stops working right. Up to 35% of long-time heavy drinkers develop alcoholic hepatitis.
Liver fibrosis.
Acetaldehyde is a toxic chemical that is produced by the body's breakdown of alcohol. It damages the liver and leads to liver scarring and inflammation. This chemical appears to affect some people more than others.
Steatosis (fatty liver).
Drug-induced fatty liver is strongly associated with duration and dose of medication. Some drugs induce an acute energy crisis by interrupting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis by mitochondria, resulting in microvesicular steatosis. which promotes steatosis by stimulating the synthesis of fatty acids and opposing their oxidation.
cancer.
Liver cancer: Long-term alcohol use has been linked to an increased risk of liver cancer. Regular, heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and scarring, which might be why it raises the risk of liver cancer.

Colon and rectal cancer: Alcohol use has been linked with a higher risk of cancers of the colon and rectum. The evidence for this is generally stronger in men than in women, but studies have found the link in both sexes.

Breast cancer: Drinking even small amounts of alcohol is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in women. Alcohol can raise estrogen levels in the body, which may explain some of the increased risk. Avoiding or cutting back on alcohol may be an important way for many women to lower their risk of breast cancer.
High blood pressure
Drinking too much alcohol and intaking drugs can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. by decreasing the vasodilators such as NO in the vascular endothelium either due to inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or inflammatory/oxidative injury to the endothelium.
Cardiomyopathy
Alcoholic cardiomyopathy is a form of heart disease caused by alcohol abuse. Long-term alcohol abuse weakens and thins the heart muscle, affecting its ability to pump blood. When your heart can't pump blood efficiently, the lack of blood flow disrupts all your body's major functions.
Stroke
Liver damage due to too much alcohol can stop the liver from making substances that help your blood to clot. This can increase your risk of having a stroke caused by bleeding in your brain.
Irregular heart beat
Alcohol and drugs have many effects on the human body, and several likely contribute to irregular heartbeat: Effect on the Cells: Drinking can damage the cells and lead to small amounts of fibrous tissue within the heart causing an irregular heartbeat.

Effects of alcohol abuse on the body:

liver: One of the possible severe medical consequences of chronic alcohol abuse is liver disease. Over time, with consistent alcohol abuse, the liver may become inflamed and/or scarred. Conditions such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis may develop. A person may also develop liver cancer.

Central nervous system (CNS): Thiamine, or vitamin B1, deficiency associated with chronic heavy drinking can lead to Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome. Symptoms may include confusion, impaired coordination, learning problems, and memory difficulties. Liver disease can also harm the brain, resulting in symptoms such as sleep changes, alterations in mood, personality changes, depression, anxiety, impaired concentration, and incoordination. Too much alcohol may also hinder new brain cell growth.

Reproductive health: Consuming too much alcohol can lead to reproductive problems, including erectile dysfunction and irregular menstruation.20 Both men and women may have reduced fertility with long-term, heavy drinking. Women who drink while pregnant are at increased risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, or having a child with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Digestive system: Alcohol can wear down the lining of the stomach and increase the production of stomach acid, which can contribute to ulcers. Alcohol may also alter nutrient breakdown, absorption, transportation, storage, and excretion, leading to nutrient deficiencies and/or trouble fully using nutrients. For example, thiamine deficiency is common and can lead to serious neurological issues. Alcohol can also impair blood sugar control.
Pancreas: Alcohol prompts pancreatic production of harmful substances, which can lead to pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that impairs digestion.

Cardiovascular (CV) health: Drinking alcohol has complicated impacts on cardiovascular health. In 2016, alcohol-related CV diseases caused an estimated 593,000 deaths globally. Consuming too much alcohol is linked to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, trouble pumping blood through the body, blood clots, stroke, cardiomyopathy (sagging, stretched heart muscle), or heart attack. Excessive alcohol use, both directly and through malnutrition, can also lead to anemia.


Solutions to quit alcohol and drug intake:

Detoxification

Many treatment plans begin with a detoxification program to help break your body’s physical addiction to alcohol. Detoxification is often performed in an inpatient therapy treatment center or hospital. It typically takes one week to complete. Because the symptoms of physical withdrawal can be dramatic, you may also be given medications to help prevent:
shaking
confusion
hallucinations
Convulsions.

Behaviour modification

People who misuse alcohol are often addicted to the act of drinking or/and intaking drugs. For that reason, you may need to learn skills and coping mechanisms to help you avoid alcohol once you leave a treatment center or return to familiar environments where the urge to drink may be stronger. Your doctor may refer you to a counselor or other treatment program to help you learn those skills and coping strategies.

Counselling:

Your doctor may also refer you to one-on-one or group counseling. Support groups can be especially helpful when you’re going through treatment for alcohol addiction. A support group can help you connect with other people who are facing similar challenges. They can help answer questions, provide encouragement, and direct you to support resources.

medications:

Several medications are used to treat alcohol addiction. They include:
disulfiram, an alcohol-sensitizing drug that may lower your desire to drink by making you sick when you consume alcohol. When combined with alcohol, it can cause flushing, nausea, vomiting, and headaches.
acamprosate, which may help combat alcohol cravings by restoring the balance of certain chemicals in your brain.
naltrexone,which blocks the feel-good effects that alcohol has on your brain. Without those good feelings, you may feel less inclined to drink.
Naltrexone is available in the form of an oral tablet or injection. Vivitrol is an injected form of the drug that your doctor can give you once a month. It may be more reliable and convenient than oral pills, especially if you think you may forget or be unwilling to take a pill every day.


Poems:

Meth
Time is consuming.
I struggle removing
temptation and sorrow
for a better tomorrow.
Life is confusing.
I'm tired of losing
in hopes that I'll find
some peace in my mind.
Distorted perception,
thoughts of deception,
memories that are haunting
of the drug I'm still wanting.
Complex situations,
illogical insinuations.
Consumed by fear
from the voices I hear,
telling me to quit fighting.
I get tired of re-lighting
the flame of my soul,
relocating a goal,
for the strength to carry out,
and remove my self-doubt,
to beat my addiction,
and inner confliction.
Let go of my shame,
break free from this pain.
Chainless and free,
for the chance to see
life without depression,
feelings without suppression.
If it's over too easily,
that'll just tease me.
Plotting an attack
on getting you back
for all of this time
you controlled my mind.
Following through,
I'll say, then I'll do
to leave you behind
and never rewind
to suicidal denial,
'cause now I can smile
in knowing I'm free,
'cause I've finally found me.
Anonymous

Pills and violence
Popping pills in the morning,
Popping pills at night.
Cutting deep into my skin,
holding my blade tight.

Dressed up to look my best,
When I actually looked my worst.
I thought all this alcohol
would refresh my troublesome thirst.

I wanted kids when I was older,
I wanted good news to tell.
But Who Tells their children,
that they wanted to go to hell?

I had a lot of problems.
sexually abused and bashed.
Both my arms, wrists, and legs,
Had been both bruised and gashed.

I thought of myself,
As a strong Girl.
I wasn't strong at all..
This is what made my toes curl.

I had decided to stop,
And get my life on track.
Because I realized the life I wasted
I was never getting back.

So I stopped the hurting,
For once it was pretty easy.
I stopped looking like an easy target,
and I stopped dressing sleazy.

I'm a better person now.
And I'm turning 16.
I can't believe how young I was,
and how I was so keen.

All the drugs and the alcohol,
the cutting and pain.
Have all disappeared,
Now I'm one step ahead in this game.

Anonymous

Escape
The lighter's a trigger
I load my gun
And swallow the bullets
Straight to my lungs

With every drag
And hit I take
My thoughtless mind
Will come awake

No more mommies leaving
Or daddies crying
Just coughing and heaving
And careless flying

I guess it's living
I guess I'm dying
And if I'm not
I'm surely trying
Anonymous

Quotes:
“Substance abuse is a very real trap. Drugs and alcohol are very much like an abusive lover who treats you well at first and then beats you up, apologizes, gives you nice treatment for a while, and then beats you up again. The trap is in trying to hang in there for the good while trying to overlook the bad. Wrong. This can never work.”
― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

“My research continues to amaze and baffle me. As human beings, we are geniuses. What we didn’t get from the home, we find ways of getting elsewhere. It’s evident, then, when one looks at the stats we don’t have a teenage pregnancy problem and we don’t have a street gang problem. I will even suggest that we don’t have a drug and alcohol problem, nor do we have a crime problem rather, these are only the symptoms that we are experiencing, and the real problem is broken homes that result in broken lives.”
― Drexel Deal, The Fight of My Life is Wrapped Up in My Father

Recent posts

No results found