Many people wonder why certain individuals become addicted to one type of drug and others don’t. Every person has a different weakness, whether it is within their genes, family support, or social settings, trauma etc. All these play a vital role in the way any one person may or may not become addicted to substances.
Persons who are prone to become addicted to substances are usually faced within the following circumstances:
- They may have a family history of addiction
- Try to cope with or remove memories of previous abuse, negligence or trauma during childhood or adult years.
- They may have a mental illness such as depression or anxiety.
- They may have been exposed to early drug use.
- They may be using an alternative method of drug intake by perhaps smoking or injecting themselves. These methods lead to abuse much faster than taking pills, for example.
Addiction is a complex disorder defined by the constant need to use drugs which is usually preceded by substance abuse. Every drug has a different effect on a person (physically), but every drug also does the same thing to a person’s brain and that is with physical brain change as well as overall functioning.
- Drugs that are used for non-medicinal purposes increase dopamine levels in a person’s brain. This gives the feeling of pleasure and the brain then starts to crave more of the drug with the memories of that same feeling of pleasure.
- Addicts have their entire world revolved around the use of drugs. If it is not by the actual use it is by constantly thinking about it and making plans to get more drugs.
- The changes that the drugs do to a person’s brain, alters the way they function with unclear thinking, bad judgements and behaviour.
- As the addiction worsens, the cravings get worse and with effect, those individuals become hesitant or uninterested in family, friends, job and even hobbies.
- The drug urges will become so intense that a person doesn’t even realize the number of drugs they use. During this time the brain will have no rational thinking, causing that person to have no idea of the negative impact or even danger that may happen to themselves or others.
When dealing with someone who is facing drug addiction, patience is needed. People who haven’t ever been addicted to drugs themselves won’t ever be able to fully comprehend what the person is going through. The problem is that the family of the person is very likely to become weary of the person and his or her addiction. The reason for this is because the person will steal and lie and do anything needed to feed the addiction, breaking and losing the trust of friends and family members.
Regaining the trust of loved ones and family and friends is an important step in the recovery of the addict. This is why it is so crucially important that the addict’s loved ones and family members take an active role in his or her recovery. It will help the person to build bridges and mend relationships, while also giving the family an insight into the struggles that the person is facing.
This is one of the most important elements of an effective recovery, and will greatly improve the chances of the person sticking to his or her recovery and going the distance. Oftentimes overdose cases are accidental, where the person misjudges how much drugs they are consuming. The problem is that they might not be around people who care about them or are able to help them when the overdose occurs.
They may also vomit and choke on their own sickness, being unable to breathe and die invariably. These are a few of the reasons how people can succumb to their addictions. If you suspect any of your loved ones of having a problem with drug addiction, or you yourself are struggling with this disease, seek treatment immediately. There are millions of recovering addicts in the world, and this means that it is possible to beat your addiction and take back control of your life again.
