What is Addiction Friday, Apr 17 2009

Before we get started let me apologize for being late with this post, I have been doing some tweaking on the website. That has been taking up a lot of my time being I am so new at it, but I am learning fast. That being said, let us continue.

For the addict, the downward spiral can be gradual at the beginning with the only effect experienced being that of the “hang over” when the substance of choice is metabolized by the body. The outward effects appear to be non-existent, which leads to the ongoing belief that “everything is all right”. Though with increased usage the effects become more and more apparent to those around the addict.

Let me include an allegory that might help you to understand what I’m talking about, the addict is assimilated into the addiction lifestyle and in order to remain there develops a blind eye to the conditions associated with addiction.

Now for the allegory .

Picture a frog being put into a pot with hot water, what is the frogs first reaction, to leap to safety. Now take the same frog and put it into a pot with cool water, what is the frog’s reaction, nothing, it just sits there. Add a fire to the mix and see what happens, nothing, the frog just sits there.

Now why is that? Quite simple when you think about it, as the temperature of the water rises the frogs temperature also rises, the change is gradual enough that the frog’s system does not register it and no message is sent to the brain that the frog is in danger, therefore the frog just continues to sit and enjoy it surroundings until it boils to death.

With this thought in mind, does the thought that the addict does not view his/her addiction as a problem start to make a little bit more sense. The addict is convinced that there is no problem other than that seen by other people. He or she views it as a choice they have made that harms no one, not even themselves.

As with any other form of addiction, the view is the same from the addicts standpoint, “What I do is my business, it’s not hurting anyone else. It’s my body. The addict is so closed off to the rest of the world, that almost no amount of persuasion will convince him/her of the danger they put themselves in. The danger is comprised off physical, emotional, and spiritual components and trying to work with an addict requires dealing with all three components, sometimes at the same time.

The first prerequisite though is getting the addict to the point of listening to what is going on, or breaking through the walls of “Denial” and friend “Dat ain’t da river in Egypt” Denial is the first and most solidified wall of defense for the addict. And quite often, penetration of this line of defense is the most difficult operation of the whole treatment milieu. In the next installment we’ll explore the boundaries of wall of defense, hope you’ll return.

D-Man

http://www.prlog.org/10219531-update-to-website-more-info-more-tools-at-addictsrcom.html

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What is Addiction? Sunday, Apr 5 2009

Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them.

We have seen something of what the differing types of treatment available are, these were not meant to be an all encompassing declaration of the treatments available, just something to give you an idea of what’s available, hopefully to give you a starting point.

Now let’s look through the eyes of an addict, remember please, addiction takes on many forms, the list would cover a multitude of pages, suffice it to say we speak of a general subject but in particular terms.

It’s 2:00 AM on any given day, you are laying in bed staring at the ceiling, counting the number of holes in the ceiling panels, your stomach is a knot, you feel extremely restless, you want to move but you don’t have anyplace to go. Your mind starts to race with thoughts that are becoming disjointed, you can’t concentrate on anything very long. Your legs and arms begin to tingle, you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Your breathing becomes rapid and shallow, your vision begins to pinpoint, you can hear the sweat run down your forehead towards your ears.

It has been 6 long hours since your last smoke; drink; fix; boost; meal; etc. etc. etc. There is a feeling coming up inside you that you cannot control, it gets stronger by the second, you feel yourself slipping out of this reality into another type of reality. In this altered state there is but one truth, you got to have it, nothing less will suffice. The thing inside is driving you to get the stuff, your whole being becomes focused on getting the stuff, no matter what the cost.

You make a call, you connect. The deal is half way done, out the door, in the car, or down the street. Walking in the shadows so as not to be seen, heading for the connection. You arrive, you make the deal, you head back, stay in the dark, don’t get caught. You get to your room. You do what you have to, the job is done. You feel the surge of the stuff, you lay back and let the feeling take you to where you can’t go yourself. Time becomes a blur, separate noises combine into a cacophony of sound you can’t distinguish. Lights passes rapidly, it is fleeting, here and gone.

Another trip, then coming down. You lay on the bed trying to recall the effect, but it’s gone, then the crash.

“God don’t let me do it again, please!”

Then it starts again, the “Repeatable Cycle” it doesn’t change, it just continues, and each time it takes a little more to get off.

To be continued:

http://www.prlog.org/10211487-launch-of-new-website-in-the-area-of-addiction-as-seen-by-someone-in-recovery.html

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