Drug Addiction - There Is Hope

CEBU, Philippines - Addiction is serious. Untreated, addiction has no end and life seems hopeless. With all the theories about drug addiction and promotion for various rehabs, it is difficult to know where to turn. No matter how many times a drug addict has been in drug treatment and no matter how difficult life circumstances seem to be understanding addiction, can be the best help you can do.

The Pattern of Drug Addiction

Whether talking about any drug addiction: alcohol addiction, cocaine addiction, methamphetamine addiction, or even heroin addiction, the pattern is the same.  

The person tries to escape some physical or emotional pain by taking drugs. This could be a physical or emotional pain, or the discomfort of boredom, peer pressure, lack of social skills. The person finds that the drugs offer temporary relief, so continues to abuse them.

When the person uses the drugs it seems to handle their immediate problem. With continued use of the drug, the body’s ability to produce certain chemicals is diminished because these chemicals are replaced by the drug. The body uses the drug as a substitute for its own natural chemicals. Deprived of its own resources (and the ability to create them) the body perceives that it needs the drug to function and demands the drug, through physical cravings.

The cravings are, a way of making the person get more drugs to be able to function at all. Drug cravings become so severe that the addict will do almost anything (in many cases, abandoning all previous moral teachings) to get more of the drug. People who are addicted will find themselves doing things they would never have contemplated before.

The addict commits misdeeds against family, friends, and themselves to satisfy unrelenting cravings. These misdeeds include lying, stealing, cheating, anything to get the drugs to satisfy the drug cravings. Because of these misdeeds, the person is now entrapped in full blown drug addiction. Waiting won’t help a drug addict. No matter what they say, if they haven’t quit using drugs by now, they won’t, without help. Don’t wait.

Intentions of a Drug Addict

Why can’t they just stop using drugs?

Don’t they know this is ruining their lives?

Why can’t they see what it’s doing to them?  

No one intends to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately many of us do. Drug addicts don’t become addicted with the intention to destroy their lives and to cause upset to those they love. These conditions are the by-product of drug addiction. The drug addict lies to everyone, things start missing around the house, and the dishonesty conveyed is proportionate to the severity of the addiction. These things are apparent to those living with an addict. Our experiences show that the drug addict or alcoholic is usually an intelligent and most often creative person with much hope for the future. This only adds to the calamity of their downfall. As the addict slips down the spiral, their loved ones try to deny the problem exists, sometimes for years. This is a part of the vicious cycle of drug addiction.

Nature of Drugs: The Source of Addiction

Drugs are essentially pain-killers. They cover up emotional and physical pain, providing the user with a temporary and illusionary escape from life. When a person is unable to cope with some aspect of their reality and is introduced to drugs, they feel they have perhaps solved the problem itself. The more a person uses drugs or alcohol, the more inflated the problem becomes. More problems are created by their use. This becomes the center of their focus. Soon enough the person feels the need to use consistently, and will do anything to get high. One who understands the reason why someone becomes an addict also understands why it so difficult to get off drugs and stay off them. 

What are drug cravings?

How does someone deal with drug cravings?

What must be understood is the bio-chemical aspects of drug addiction and the fact that something called “metabolites” are produced after taking a drug and are stored in the body long after one has stopped using drugs. Metabolites are a powerful source and reason for cravings. They are a key in the riddle of why addicts who stop using the drug revert to using them again. These metabolites are formed and act as a substitute for natural body chemicals. As a drug addicts own natural chemicals deplete as a result of drug use, these metabolites begin to function as a substitute and a very poor one indeed! The body becomes by-passed in producing its own chemicals and begins to rely on these metabolites to play vital roles related to mental and physical well-being. Now, when the drug addict attempts to stop using these drugs, the body, damaged and depleted of its own natural body chemicals will demand more of the drug to produce metabolites. And hence, the person is caught in a trap in which the extreme discomfort of being without the drug, mentally and physically. The cravings seem insurmountable to the drug addict.  

These drug cravings are so intense and uncomfortable that it induces the addict to commit acts such as stealing from one’s own family in order to get the drug. The addict does things that he normally wouldn’t do, were he not addicted. These misdeeds make it even more difficult for the addict to face and confront the situation.

The drug addict’s sense of self worth and respect are reduced to a state of complete confusion. Introversion occurs, and the addict’s sense of self reduces further. This perpetuates his desire for more drugs. Physically, the person feels hopelessly drug addicted. Faced with the penalty of extreme discomfort, stopping drug abuse seems impossible. Emotionally, the addict is ruthlessly robbed of his sense of self worth. Drug Addiction seems almost impossible to stop. The drug addict is caught in a trap. It is a trap that appears inescapable unless an effective drug addiction treatment handles the condition. That means both the metabolites are flushed clean from the body and that the person’s self-worth and identity is rehabilitated through effective social education.

Do you need help for yourself or a loved one? We offer support and guidance for anyone dealing with drug addiction, for themselves or another person. Call for help. 032-2315229 or 032-2389143.