Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction: What’s the Difference?

Drug Abuse
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Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction: What’s the Difference?
People are often confused about the difference between drug abuse and drug addiction because the two are closely related.  There are, however, subtle yet important differences between the two.  The two conditions have different causes, and abuse is actually a more complex disorder than addiction.  Abuse can very easily become addiction, and so it is crucial to treat the problem at the abuse stage if at all possible.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines abuse as “The illegal use of drugs or inappropriate use of legal drugs.” Drug abuse can also be signified by the use of a substance to reduce stress, alter reality, or increase pleasure. Abuse can be hard to identify and diagnose, however, because what constitutes substance abuse varies widely from country to country, and culture to culture.  If you smoke marijuana in America, you are abusing a substance.  Smoking the same substance in Holland, on the other hand, is perfectly legal. Drug abuse is said to be more complex than addiction because of the variety of factors involved.  Personality characteristics and psychosocial factors both play a role, and each of these factors is incredibly unique.  This also makes abuse harder to treat.
Drug addiction takes abuse one step further and involves the compulsive seeking of and use of a substance with total disregard for potential negative consequences.  To be addicted implies that an individual has lost the freedom to choose whether or not to use the drug.  Whereas an abuser can use a substance for recreational purposes and still function in society, an addict’s main behavioral motivator becomes the substance.  All drugs produce an effect on the brain, and while an abuser may enjoy the effect of a drug, they don’t necessarily need to have it. In the case of addicted individuals neurochemical changes have taken place in the brain, and the drug becomes the main activator of that person’s reward and motivation systems. This makes addiction easier to identify and diagnose, but treatment is still difficult.
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Filed Under: Causes Of Addiction Tagged With: , ,

Hereditary Addiction

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Hereditary Addiction
Is addiction hereditary?  This is a common concern among addicts of all kinds.  It seems natural that those who have recognized and put forth the tremendous effort that it takes to overcome addictions are very concerned that their children won’t have to go through the same thing.  One father was extremely worried that his daughter would grow up to become an alcoholic like he was.  He watched her like a hawk.  When the daughter did develop alcoholism she blamed her father for it.  She really believed (for a time) that his constant worry had been the determining factor in her actually developing the addiction.
One psychotherapist puts the hereditary factor as high as 60%.  Some support a slightly lower figure of only 50%.. Some also support the belief that the addictive tendency will skip a generation much like diabetes.  Studies have shown, however, that genetics definitely do play a strong role in developing addiction.  One provider looks at the family history and if addiction isn’t found, he won’t diagnose the problem as addiction.
With all that said, is there any hope?  Sure there is!  Everyone has the power to overcome their genetics.  The more that is understood about the environment and how early habits and behaviors influence choices later on, the more power one has to live addiction free regardless of family history.  As strong, healthy habits are formed and positive environmental factors are built into ones life, the less likely they are to need the escape or peer acceptance that often precede first experimenting with addictive substances.
As influential as family genetics may be, strong family relationships form a powerful protection against addictive behaviors. Frequently the first lessons learned regarding self-control or delayed gratification are learned in the family.  Families also are one of the most positive forces in assisting those with addictions to overcome them.  Often in treatment facilities, groups are organized into "families" to make use of the strength which can be gained from feeling the support found in families. One may not be able to change their genes but they can control much of the influence they allow.
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Ground Rules for Your Child out of Rehab

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Being the parent of a kid who has a severe drug problem is difficult. There is a lot of internal strife and angst but hopefully your child goes out and gets the treatment they need but bringing them back into their home environment after treatment can be a tricky and difficult situation. It’s tough to know how to handle your child. It is such a hard situation finding balance but it doesn’t have to be impossible.

Knowing how much your child needs structure is important. They have been though a lot and in that time they lived in a structure-less world and so coming back into the fold is all about rules. This is why it is important to hold them to certain standards as they come back into normal life. Making sure they complete tasks as well as attend school, or get a job. These are ways to keep them feeling connected to the outside world. The last thing you want to do is to let your child come home and sit around all day. This never produces positive results. Setting ground rules for your child makes all the difference in the world. When they come home from rehab it is important to establish yourself as the ruler of the house again.

A big part of rebuilding the relationship is building trust with your child. They have spent the better part of their addict life lying to you and everyone else. It’s a hard habit for them to break and it will be just as hard for you to trust them. There needs to be a stable trust in place. This means you have to give a little and not explode if you gather the truth and it isn’t something you wanted to hear. But your child has to be able to tell you what is going on. Daily check-ins are a great way to start building trust in small ways. You and your child want to see improvement and recovery. But it all starts at home.

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Ground Rules for Dealing with an Addict

Drug addiction is one of the hardest things in the world to overcome. Millions and millions of dollars every single day is poured into outreach programs and research on how to help people combat this terrible disease of addiction. If someone you know and love is dealing with drug addiction it’s quite possible that you are having to deal with it too. This is not just their problem. This problem affects everyone.

So the question is how do you handle it? It’s not easy to practice tough love, but it’s also not easy to practice a nurturing behavior as you watch someone you care about destroy their lives. Making some simple rules for yourself can help you deal with the addict in your life.

The first thing you have to do is set ground rules, not only for yourself but for the addict themselves. The number one rule is not to enable. This makes you just as guilty as they are. So when an addict asks for money you must tell them no. It doesn’t matter what they tell you or how little they may be asking for. You must assume they are spending that money on drugs and firmly tell them you will not be giving them any money. If they claim they need money for a flat tire, explain to them you would be happy to help them by paying the tire shop in person or over the phone but there will be no transferring of money between the addict.

If an addict wants to enter your home you must make the simple rule that the addict cannot be clearly on drugs and cannot bring drugs into your home. You should feel very right in asking them to empty their pockets, backpack, or purse if you have to. Having drugs in your home is not only unacceptable to you but is something you could get in real trouble for.
Understand these rules may be met with some resistance by the addict. This may even strain your relationship, but you do not want to be an enabler to them.

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Your Employer and Drug Rehab

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If you’re reading this then you have a drug problem. If you are reading this then chances are you have identified that it is bigger than you and beyond your control and therefore you are going to need to start a treatment program. Whether this is an in-patient program or an out-patient program there is no doubt that there are loose ends you need to tie up before beginning your treatment.

One of the most important, and often times scariest, loose end is dealing with your employers about your work situation. This can be nerve wracking, especially if you like your job and always if you need your job. But how do you go about doing it in a way that is best for you to keep your job?

If you have hung around the office or break room at work you have seen postings about what happens when you fail a drug test. It states, in most cases, that if an employee fails their drug test that they are able to opt into a drug treatment program in order to keep their job.

Well, the same in most cases applies to you if you admit to your employers that you have a drug problem. In most cases they will be willing to allow you to go into a treatment program. Here’s the best part: the work will often pay for the rehab. Now, this isn’t always the case and since you didn’t fail a drug test they may not be willing to pay for your rehab but at the very least you should be out of the woods to fire you.

The most important thing is to be upfront with your employer. When an employer finds out that an employee is addicted to drugs, everything from there becomes a legal issue. The employer is just protecting themselves so you have to keep that in mind. Make sure you give them full disclosure as it relates to your addiction and what you are doing to treat it but feel confident that your job, in most cases, should be secure.

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Using the Drug Suboxone

If you or someone you love is dealing with an addiction to opioids then you should know that the withdrawl and treatment are very difficult to deal with. However, there are some drugs on the market that help deal with the addiction, one of those drugs is Suboxone.

Suboxone is a drug used in the treatment of opioid addiction. The way it works is it is a synthetic opioid. One of the ways Suboxone works is that it contains a drug called Buprenorphine which is made up of another drug called Naloxone. Naloxone is important because the drug is supposed to counteract the effects of an opioid overdose.

This seems a little confusing if you aren’t familiar with the way drugs works. Here’s how it breaks down: Suboxone is used to help people who have a real chemical dependency to opioids off of the addiction by creating a controlled opioid in the body. Now, the big factor and worry with someone who is taking a drug that is supposed to work as a sort of opioid itself is how to keep them from abusing the drug. This is where the drug naloxone comes in. There is something in naloxone that will keep a drug abuser from being able to abuse this drug. So it gives the addict what they need without giving them anymore.

Another thing that makes this drug a popular choice amongst those in the drug abuse treatment field is that Buprenorphine also has some antidepressant effects in it which is another obstacle that addicts sometimes have to climb when flushing harmful drugs out of their system.

But taking Suboxone may not be a walk in the park. There are some adverse effects of the drug. There is nausea, vomiting, dizziness, dry mouth and decreased libido. In most cases this isn’t anything to speak with a doctor about as it is common, however, a patient is always welcome to speak with their doctor if they feel like any drug is getting in the way of operating their everyday life.

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The Growth of Rx Addicts

One of the growing issues in the American drug culture isn’t with known narcotics like cocaine and heroin. It lies with something you can find at the local pharmacy. Prescription medications are becoming some of the most abused drugs in the country and with the growing number of ways to steal these drugs, the trend is only getting higher.

It was once said that the higher class addicts were pill poppers as it was more dignified as opposed to buying drugs off a street corner or from unsavory characters. Well the times and perception of that have changed as now drug addicts are looking for high grade prescription medication. This is due to its ease of availability.

Common drugs such as cocaine or marijuana are often in scarce supply to a local dealer. Lots of things must happen and align for a dealer to be in constant supply of the drug. With prescription medication, it is strictly up to the addict to obtain the means to acquire the drug. Pharmacies are never in short supply of drugs like Xanax, Vicodin, and Ativan.

The means at which to obtain these prescription pills is also an attractive lure for addicts as there are several ways to do it. The first way is by simply calling in a phony prescription. Addicts usually have it mastered before they attempt it. Then there is simply forging a prescription. This is usually a result of stealing a doctors prescription paid before they realize that anything is missing.

The other, and certainly less common, method is having a doctor of compromised morals write out a prescription for painkillers or drugs like Xanax without the patient exhibiting the necessary medical symptoms to require such strong medications. These doctors usually work for cash upfront and in exchange agree to write prescriptions with no additional refills so that the patient will then have to come back and see them and pay for another office visit. As long as prescription drugs are readily available there will be addicts ready to abuse them. The trend continues.

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Telling Kids About Addiction

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When a parent is suffering from a crippling addiction to drugs or alcohol it can take its toll on a family. It doesn’t just affect the addict themselves. Kids are often the most at risk to retain long lasting negative effects of a parent dealing with drug and alcohol addiction. So as the spouse of a person with a drug addiction, talking to kids about the condition of the other parent is not an easy or enviable task but if you are careful but direct you can help make the process of dealing with a parent who is addicted go a lot easier.

The first and most important thing to tell the kids is that their mommy or daddy loves them. Kids easily confuse the distant behavior of a parent with not being loved. It is important that this point is hammered home for the children. They need to know that addiction is more about a person not loving themselves than it is about them not loving someone else.

Make sure the children are aware that the problems or the behavior they are seeing is not a reflection on them at all. Sometimes kids think a parent behaves a certain way because they acted out. This is never the case. Explain that they are important and special and the behavior is a separate issue.

If your spouse is about to or is currently receiving treatment for their addiction let the children know that the behavior of their parent will continue to change and may in fact go a little back and forth. Let them know that the parent is trying to get better not just for themselves but for their children.

Make sure you ask the kids if they have any questions. They may not feel comfortable telling you how they feel. But they may have all kinds of questions. It’s hard to prepare for what they might ask but know that you just need to be delicate in it all and reiterate that mom and dad love them no matter what their behavior otherwise suggests.

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