Drug Addictions

Mental as well as physical dependence both fall under the label of drug addictions. These occur when one no longer feels able to control their use despite harm or damage being caused to self or others. There is sometimes the mistaken idea that unless a drug or substance causes physical addiction it is not addictive. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mental drug addictions can be just as debilitating to the individual as physical ones, at times even more so. The surge in violence and suicide among our young people and adolescents trying to break free from the traps of prescribed anti-psychotics and anti-depressants are all too obvious examples. Drug addictions are not confined to street drugs or illegal substances, but are crossing age, race, economic, and education levels. Drugs are never the near cure-alls they are increasingly being made out to be in the advertising arenas.

Three of the drug effects in any type of addiction that must be fully resolved for any chance of lasting recovery are cravings, guilt, and depression. Cravings can be mental or physical and are strong, uncontrollable urges to use drugs or alcohol despite the consequences. Depression is the source of constant and significant amounts of discomfort that prompts continued drug use in an attempt to alleviate the depression. Guilt is the feelings resulting from dishonest deeds and harm caused to the people closest to and most important to the addict. With unresolved feelings of guilt the addict is very prone and quite likely to continue using drugs or relapse to drug use in a misguided attempt to escape the feeling of guilt. In what seems an endless cycles this goes on and on with the addiction and the cravings, guilt, and depression going in a downward spiral towards death or jail.

Substance abuse treatment on any type begins to be more and more effective as the addict or alcoholic becomes more and more willing to be helped and to help themselves. Most interventions prior to treatment have this goal in mind, to get at least some willingness on the part of the addict. This willingness is often tenuous and fleeting at the start of substance abuse treatment. Part of effective withdrawal would be the actions taken to extrovert the addict from current pains and discomforts that can and do play havoc with any willingness. At Narconon Arrowhead our substance abuse treatment continually involves fortifying the existing willingness of the participant as well as actions designed to increase willingness all along the way. The being himself always is seeking to do better and beat the addiction despite any appearances, statements, or actions to the contrary. The more the addict wins at the battles of addiction the more willing he becomes and the more energy he will expend on his own survival. Substance abuse treatment is about much more than simply ceasing drug or alcohol use.

The chemical cocaine hydrochloride is commonly known as cocaine. Some users chemically process cocaine in order to remove the hydrochloride. This process is called ‘freebasing’ and makes the drug more potent. ‘Crack’ is a solid form of freebased cocaine. It is called ‘crack’ because it snaps and cracks when heated and smoked. Traditionally, cocaine was a rich man's drug, due to the large expense of a cocaine habit. Now, crack is being sold at prices low enough that even adolescents can afford to buy it. But, this is misleading, since once a person has a crack cocaine addiction, his ‘habit’ often increases, and so does his expense.

Drug abuse begins with a problem, discomfort or some form of emotional or physical pain for which the individual does not have an immediate answer. The person feels that his problem or pain is major, persistent, and without solution or relief. For these reasons, some people, young or old, male or female, high income or low, begin to use potentially addictive drugs or alcohol in an attempt to relieve the pain or discomfort. These drugs may even offer temporary relief. At this point the individual will continue to use in an effort to find continuing relief. Tolerance for the drug or alcohol sets in requiring larger and larger doses more and more often to obtain the same results. At this point the door has been opened to drug abuse and it is only a short walk to full blown addiction.