Stages Of Addiction From Beginning To End

Stages of Addiction Few people take their first dose of a drug-- legal or illegal-- with the hope of getting addicted. Yet for 2009, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 23.5 million people sought some form of treatment for drug and alcohol problems. Of course, individual physiology and psychological makeup have much to do with how quickly addiction can take hold and with the amount consumed before passing the unseen line from freedom to slavery.

While every individual case may be different in time frame and ferociousness of dependence, certain patterns are standard among the complete pool of drug abusers. Through the statements of addicted people and those who treat them, researchers can uncover benchmarks for the phases of substance addiction.

Experimenting With Drugs

Experimentation may have many different motivations. For youths, peer pressure is a primary reason for partaking in their initial puff, drink or snort. On the other hand, addiction does not have to begin in adolescence. A middle-aged or older person may try prescription pain killers to remedy continuous discomforts and aches. Even the elderly may use alcohol consumption or substances to alleviate loneliness. These represent significant moments in life when a substance is used to make a bodily, social or emotional condition a bit more manageable. Isolated occasions of use may or may not be continued with increased repetition or quantities. Without a realistic self-assessment an honest evaluation of the symptoms of drug addiction an individual might move unknowingly into the more acute stages of drug addiction.

Regular Consumption

Taking a drug or other substance regularly does not always lead an individual into addiction. Some people can take a drug steadily for a time span and afterwards discontinue its use with negligible distress. The probability of addiction is based on the duration of the consumption and the potency of the doses. Should the timeframe continue indefinitely and the strength of the dose increase likewise, routine usage might become substance addiction. An additional warning sign is certain adjustments in conduct. If speech and conduct adjustment significantly, particularly a raised tendency toward aggressiveness and risky conduct, it is necessary to stop using the drug.

Dangerous Consumption

While the stages of drug addiction are passed through, the user's personal choices and conduct become progressively dangerous, both to herself or himself and others. For instance, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health declared that 28.4 percent of young adults in between the ages of 21 and 25 drove a vehicle under the influence of illegal substances in 2009. Good friends and family members are best fit to identify whether normal habits are changing. Indications of progressively high-risk things normally include:

• Operating a vehicle while under the influence of a sedative • Spending money foolishly to acquire the substance • Defensiveness in conversation • Secretiveness • Adjustments in look. Changes in desire for food, memory failure and worsening fine motor skills are also symptoms of drug abuse. The demarcation line seperating hazardous use and dependency is difficult and thin to identify. Finding aid for yourself or somebody you love should not be put off at this stage.

Dependency

Of all the stages of drug use, addiction and dependence are the hardest to demarcate. The destructive penalties of drug abuse are already observable in addiction. Through it all, though, the dependent differs from the addict by satisfying sufficient responsibilities to maintain the basic structure of his or her life. Although the direction of drug abuse phases remains headed downward, the appearance of normalcy lingers.

Addiction

If changes are not initiated-- and assistance is not looked for-- the stages of substance addiction lead to the most dangerous phase: addiction itself. With this the individual is mentally and physically bonded to continuous consumption of the drug or alcohol. The point of brain disorders is reached and the person is subject to many harmful results of prolonged substance abuse. The heart and circulatory process can be compromised, as can the respiratory tract. The immune system is weakened, allowing hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and several forms of cancer to devestate the addict. Brain damage and dementia can also happen. At this particular intensity, the patient pursuing liberty from addiction should go through detoxification. Given that the addiction is of both mind and body, withdrawal syndromes are most effectively overseen and treated by knowledgeable physicians. Once the enslaving drug has exited the body, the drug abuser should partner with pyschologists to determine the root causes and character of the addiction. Honest and systematic treatment options with mental health professionals, blended with consistent participation in a support group has helped numerous ostensibly irreparable addicts to lives free from drug abuse. sons of liberty

Without a sober self-assessment-- an sincere assessment of the signs of substance addiction-- a person can pass unknowingly into the more intense stages of drug addiction. Using a drug or other chemical substance on a routine basis does not automatically entrap an individual into addiction. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health declared that 28.4 percent of young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 operated a vehicle under the influence of illegal drugs in 2009. Of all the stages of drug use, addiction and dependence are the hardest to demarcate. If changes are not made-- and help is not looked for-- the stages of substance addiction draw a person to the most dangerous stage: addiction itself.

Structure and Statistics from: http://www.samhsa.gov/

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