Drug Addiction Answers » About Addiction

When a Mother Is Lost To Drugs

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:24:19 +0000

A drug addiction is something no one ever looks for but can sometimes have it sneak up on them. I remember when I was younger how much fun my mother was, always laughing and always happy. When I was a teenager she was involved in a car accident and had back injuries that caused her a great deal of pain. She went through therapy and was given drugs to help with her pain management. The drugs and therapy seemed to help and she was beginning to feel like herself again, we all assumed a full recovery would be the next step.

We had no idea that the next step was going to be drug addiction. She refused to be taken off the pain medication even when her doctor told her she no longer needed it. She changed doctors several times and would have more than one at any given time. Her personality would change once we walked through the doctor’s doors, from the woman who walked straight and looked to be fine to the woman who was hunched over with tears in her eyes from the pain. Her drug seeking behavior was no more attractive than a crack addict who was begging on the streets for money to pay for their next hit.

When we formed an addiction intervention and tried to get her help she was angry, angrier than I had ever seen her. She screamed at us and cried, used guilt to try to dissuade us. I actually felt sorry for her thinking maybe she did need the drugs for all her pain, and thought maybe we were making a mistake. What is drug addiction anyways? What did I know?

My family pushed forward even though I was feeling guilty for making my mother angry and the guilt of not understanding her pain was strong in my heart. She did finally agree to get help although it felt more like it was out of spite than anything else. I do believe she thought she could talk her way out of treatment and into getting more drugs for her long past injury.

When my mother walked out of the drug rehab clinic with my father all I remember is her smile. We drove all the way home with laughter and happiness, I got my mother back. I was so grateful that my other family members pushed harder and that my mother was strong enough to overcome her addiction.

When I ask her about it now she is honest about her problem and appreciated the addiction intervention, she says that without it she may have never realized how bad she needed help on her own. She had never done drugs in her life, had never considering herself an addict. She said she justified it as self medicating herself and now knows that she was a true drug addict.

For More Information

For more information on drug addiction and rehab issues see our articles on drugs as toxins and the detoxing the body of harmful drugs and toxins, articles on drug addiction and youth, articles on drug addiction and adults, and articles on drug addiction and rehab issues.

How to Complete a Successful Addiction Intervention

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:48:45 +0000

It may be difficult to admit that a loved one has a drug addiction problem, let alone confronting them. Unfortunately without addiction intervention the loved ones will continue to spiral downwards. Drug addiction has changed from what it once was. There is no longer an easy way to determine a drug addict from the crowd. The past was a place where drug addicts lived on the street, were dirty and noticeably high. The future holds drug addicts that are your siblings, your teacher, and even in some cases your doctor.

With so many drugs being prescribed for injury and illness it has become entirely too easy for anyone to find themselves addicted. This also makes addiction intervention much harder as the addict will argue they are not doing anything wrong. It is hard to admit you have a problem when you are doing something legal. The fact that they are abusing prescribed medication does not mean they are not addicted or the doctor has neglected their addiction.

Drug addiction intervention is a necessary step in recovery and should be handled with care. The addict needs to be surrounded by people who love them as well as someone there to offer support through a drug rehab program or addiction recovery clinic. In most cases the loved ones will share feelings and fears they have for the addict and explain how the addiction has affected them and their life. The addict is there to listen and to be extended a helping hand only if they agree to seek help immediately.

The addict will normally try to put it off saying they can stop on their own and want the chance to prove it, in most situations this does not happen and they will often times become worse. The feeling of having loved ones close in on you will leave a scent of betrayal and frustration. The pain they feel without the drug will be a crutch to make you feel sorry for them and enable their behavior.

The addiction intervention is a painful but necessary process to go through in order to get the addict to seek help. It should have an end result of the addict going directly into a drug recovery program and if the addict refused they need to understand that their behavior will no longer be condoned or assisted. It is hard for both parties involved but the outcome is a better life.

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What Is Drug Addiction?

admin — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:22:52 +0000

Drugs are prescribed for many injuries and illnesses, we find them in our foods, our beverages, and in cigarettes. So what is drug addiction?

Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive and uncontrollable behavior. It turns even the mildest of people into drug seekers who will do almost anything to obtain their drug.

Drug addiction can become chronic which means that even after long periods of abstinences the addict can relapse back into the addiction.

The progression of acute drug use will create this pathological condition and develop into a harmful and dangerous lifestyle for the addict.

Drug addiction is categorized in three stages:

Preoccupation/Anticipation: The addict will display drug seeking behavior, they cannot focus on anything but obtaining the drug.
Binge/Intoxication: Once the drug is found it is taken until the affects are visible to the addict and intoxication is reached.
Withdrawal: When the drug begins to leave the addicts system this can cause a very negative affect resulting in illness and severe pain.

There are many things in our daily life that can be considered to be drug addictions, caffeine for instance or nicotine are legal and bought over the counter at any local store. These are common addictions and do not require rehab treatment, so what is drug addiction that needs special treatment?

Amphetamine
Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Alcohol
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
Opiates
Morphine
Codeine
Heroin
Oxycodone
Methadone

These drugs in some instances (except alcohol and cocaine) are prescribed by a doctor to the patient to relive pain from an injury or to treat depression. Some of these drugs are prescribed long term and as the patient builds up a tolerance more is needed. Many of these “medical” drugs are also abused as street drugs.

Street drugs such as heroin or cocaine can create an addiction with the first use as the person wants to attain that first initial euphoric feeling again and again. The drugs such as codeine require that the patient be exposed to them for a much longer time frame before addiction usually occurs. The slow progression of the pills becoming a staple in their life can lead to a very difficult time trying to overcome the addiction. In any type of drug addiction, a drug treatment clinic should be located and the addict admitted for a speedy recovery. If you were wondering “what is drug addiction” because a loved one or friend is in trouble, do not hesitate to take the initiative to get them help.