ADDICTION AND
ADDICTION AND
 |
| ADDICTION AND |
C i g a rette smoke is responsible for over
400,000 deaths every year.
When most people hear the word addict they
think of illegal drug use. But there are literally dozens of other kinds of addictions.
For example, people can also be addicted to:
• Prescription drugs • Sex • Exerc i s e
• Club drugs • Stealing • Te l e v i s i o n
• Alcohol • Gambling • Wo r k
• Nicotine • The Internet • Risk-taking
• Food • Steroids • Sugar
WHAT IS ADDICTION?
It doesn’t matter whether the addictive substance or behavior is legal or illegal,
all addictions are basically the same: an uncontrollable urge to do something or
consume something, regardless of the harm it causes.
When you take drugs or drink alcohol or engage in certain activities, your brain
releases chemicals called neurotransmitters that create a wave of positive feelings
ranging from pleasure to invincibility. The brain and body enjoy those sensations
so much that they “demand” them again, by creating a craving for the
same substance or behavior. But this time, it’ll take a little bit more to get the
same rush.
Over a very short period of time, the neurotransmitters actually make permanent
changes to the structure of the brain. Satisfying the cravings becomes more
and more important, and not satisfying them causes physical pain. The consequences
can be devastating to the addict, his family, his friends and his commun
i t y. Relationships are destroyed, life savings are spent, people end up in prison,
and lives are lost. Men are five times more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than
w o m e n .
Of course, not everyone who tries a particular drug or engages in risky behavior
becomes an addict. But in many cases even one time use can be harmful or even
d e a d l y.
L e t ’s take a look at several of the most common—and most harmful—abused
substances. The big three—tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse—are responsible for
one in four deaths in this country.
TOBACCO
Cigarette smoke contains several thousand chemicals, including over 100 that
are known poisons, and it’s responsible for over 400,000 deaths every year—
more than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, AIDS, murder, suicide, and car accidents
combined. American Indians smoke cigarettes more than any other racial group
Even if it doesn’t kill you, smoking tobacco decreases your senses of smell and
taste, causes a nasty cough, wrinkles your skin, discolors your fingernails, loosens
your teeth, makes you depressed, causes erectile dysfunction, weakens your
immune system, and exposes everyone around you to the same dangers.
If you thought that smoking a pipe or cigars, or chewing tobacco or snuff is less
dangerous, think again. Non-cigarette tobacco use is linked to cancer of the
mouth and larynx, as wells as emphysema.
The best way to quit is to join a support group and start using nicotine patches
or gum. There are also a number of other options that your doctor may recommend.
Stay away from smokers and ask your friends and family to support and
encourage you in any way that they can.
Quitting smoking has immediate effects. Less than an hour after your last cigarette,
your blood pressure and heart rate begin dropping to normal levels. Wi t h i n
one day, your risk of having a heart attack is already lower. After two days your
sense of smell and taste start improving, and after two weeks, your lung function
will be much improved—you won’t cough as much, you’ll be less tired, and less
short of breath. Looking down the road, 10 years after you quit, your risk of
stroke will be about the same as a non-smoker’s, and your risk of developing lung
cancer will be half what it was the day you quit.
ALCOHOL
In moderate quantities (no more than two
drinks per day), alcohol may help reduce the
risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, millions of
American men (and women) aren’t able to keep
their alcohol consumption “moderate.” T h e
consequences are extremely negative.
Excessive alcohol consumption kills approximately
75,000-85,000 Americans every year,
over 70 percent of whom are men. It’s also
responsible for about one in four hospital stays
and is a factor in 60 percent of acts of violence. Alcohol can also cause stomach
ulcers and do long-term damage to the liver, brain and heart.
Among ethnic groups, Hispanics are the most likely to be heavy drinkers,
followed by whites and African-Americans. African-Americans, however, have
the highest death rates of the three groups. African-Americans are also more likely
than whites or Hispanics to suffer from alcohol-related liver disease.
What makes alcohol a little different from some of the other addictions is that
you don’t have to be an alcoholic to have problems with it. Over half of alcoholrelated
deaths are the result of binge drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting).
And while many people have the impression that binging is something only
high schoolers and college students do, three-quarters of binge drinking deaths
occurred among men over 35.
DRUG ABUSE
The most commonly used illegal drugs in the US are:
• Marijuana (used by over 14 million people age 12 and over).
• Cocaine, including crack (over 2 million).
• Hallucinogens, such as LSD and mushrooms (1.2 million).
• Club drugs, including ecstasy, GHB, ketamine, and the date rape drug
rohypnol (over 5 million).
• Heroin (200,000).
Using any of these drugs, even once, can be risky. At the very least, they slow
your reaction time and impair your judgment, which increases the chance that
you’ll engage in some kind of risky behavior, such as driving while high, having
unsafe sex, or consuming even more drugs. Some first-time users may experience
vomiting and seizures. At worst, an overdose can result in permanent injury
or death.
If you become addicted and use drugs for an extended period, the risks go way
up, and include:
• Aggressive, violent or paranoid behavior
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Memory loss
• Lack of interest in the way you look or dress
• Increased risk of getting an STD, including AIDS
• Criminal activity (many addicts steal or rob to get the money to buy
their drugs)
• Destroyed family relationships
• Bankruptcy
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Damage to the heart, liver, or kidneys
• Respiratory infection
• Sexual problems
• Stroke
• Coma
• Sudden death
Although most discussions of drug use have focused on the drugs listed above,
other drugs and stimulants are commonly abused including prescription drugs
(stimulants, sedatives, tranquilizers, and pain killers) and over-the-counter
(OTC) items such as cough medicine, glue, paint thinner and nail polish. Over
20 million Americans admit to having used one or more of these legal drugs for
non-medical purposes within the past year.
Some people who are addicted to prescription drugs or OTC drugs started taking
them for medical purposes on the advice of their health care provider, and
became addicted unintentionally. On the other hand, people who abuse glue
paint thinner, or cough medicines (which can contain a lot of alcohol), use these
products intentionally to get high. Either way, these legal products can be just
as addictive as illegal ones, and they can cause just as much short- and long-term
damage to the user and his family.
Although drug use is often thought of as a problem of people
living in poor, inner-city neighborhoods, drugs affect all parts of
our society and have a destructive effect on communities.
HIDDEN ADDICTIONS
Thirty years ago, almost no one talked
about alcoholism. Fifteen years ago, no
one talked about cocaine addiction. And
until a few years ago, no one had even
heard of ecstasy and the other club drugs.
Today everyone knows about the dangers
of all these addictions, but there are many
others that aren’t being talked about.
These include compulsive gambling, sex
addiction, and Internet addiction.
What separates these addictions from most others is that they involve behavior,
not substances. But the effects on the brain are the same and the consequences
are often devastating. Let’s take a brief look at each one.
Compulsive Gambling
Between five and 15 million Americans from all walks of life are addicted to gambling.
Over three-quarters of compulsive gamblers suffer from depression, and
they’re 20 times more likely than a non-addict to commit suicide. Compulsive
gambling is also linked with higher rates of divorce, violence, stealing and child
a b u s e .
Sexual Addiction
Sex addicts compulsively look for and engage in sexual behavior, even when
they know it’s risky to themselves, their family, or others. Sex addicts can’t
control their sexual feelings, and they will sacrifice their jobs, their health, and
their relationships to satisfy their need for arousal. Sex addicts have higher-thanaverage
rates of broken relationships and divorce, STD, AIDS, financial and legal
problems, depression, alcoholism and other substance abuse, and imprisonment.
Internet A d d i c t i o n
Addicts can get hooked on chat rooms, games, checking email and aimlessly
surfing the web, and spend an average of almost 40 hours per week online.
Internet addicts may call in sick from work in order to spend more time on the
c o m p u t e r. They’ll cut back on sleep, eating, homework and spending time with
family and children. And like other addicts, they suffer painful withdrawal if
they’re away from the computer for even a few hours.
TREATING ADDICTIONS
If you’re addicted to any illegal or legal drug and want to get clean, the first thing
you need to do is admit that you have a problem. But that’s harder than it
sounds, since most addicts are in denial or tell themselves that they “can quit
a n y t i m e . ”
Once you can be honest with yourself, you need to get help. Breaking an addiction
alone is almost impossible. So talk with your doctor about getting into a
rehab program. Don’t worry that he’ll turn you in—he won’t.
0 comments: