Progression Of Abuse To Addiction First To Last: A Primer

Stages of Addiction Few people take their first dose of a drug-- illegal or legal-- 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 rapidly addiction can take hold and with the amount ingested before crossing the hidden threshold from freedom to slavery.

While every individual case may differ in time frame and ferociousness of dependency, certain patterns are widespread among the complete pool of drug abusers. Out of the statements of addicted people and the professionals who treat them, clinicians are able to uncover benchmarks for the phases of substance addiction.

Experimenting With Drugs

Addiction does not have to begin in adolescence. Even seniors may use alcohol or drugs to alleviate loneliness. With no honest self evaluation-- a candid assessment of the symptoms of drug addiction-- a person may pass unknowingly into the more severe stages of drug addiction.

Regular Consumption

Taking a drug or other people substance on a consistent basis does not always lead an individual into addiction. Some can use a substance continuously for a period and then discontinue its usage with negligible discomfort. Should the timeframe extends indefinitely and the strength of dosages rise also, routine usage might transform right into substance addiction.

Dangerous Consumption

While the stages of drug addiction are travelled through, the individual's personal decisions and behavior become progressively destructive, both to himself or herself and other people. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 28.4 percent of young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 drove under the influence of illegal drugs in 2009. Close friends and loved ones are best fit to determine whether normal patterns are converting. Hallmarks of progressively hazardous acts normally include:

• Driving a vehicle while under the influence of a sedative • Using money recklessly to obtain the substance • Defensive during conversation • Secrecy • Changes in appearance. Changes in desire for food, memory failure and degrading coordination are also signs of drug abuse. The demarcation line seperating unsafe use and dependence is thin and difficult to differentiate. Securing aid for yourself or a person you care about should not be delayed at this stage.

Addiction

Of all the stages of substance addiction, use and dependence are the most difficult to distinguish. The disastrous penalties of substance abuse are definitely observable in addiction. For example, the dependent individual is commonly absent from work thanks to repetitious consumption of the controlling substance. Beyond the employer, the substance abuser may occasionally allow obligations to family members, close friends, neighbors and society go by the wayside. The risky conducts recorded above become more habitual. Through all of this, though, the dependent stands apart from the addict by satisfying enough commitments to preserve the basic framework of his/her life. The direction of substance abuse stages is still headed downward, the appearance of normalcy remains.

Addiction

If adjustments are not made-- and assistance is not looked for-- the stages of drug addiction trigger the most harmful phase: addiction itself. Now the individual is mentally and physically bonded to uninterrupted use of the drug or alcohol. The point of brain disease is reached and the person undergoes numerous harmful results of long-term substance abuse. The heart and blood circulation system may be endangered, as can the respiratory system. Immunity is weakened, allowing hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and some types of cancer to devestate the addict. Brain damage and dementia can also take place. At this depth, the individual seeking liberty from addiction should submit to detoxing. Because the addiction is of both body and mind, withdrawal manifestations are best overseen and treated by knowledgeable medical professionals. After the enslaving substance has exited the body, the substance abuser can partner with mental health professionals to isolate the origins and character of the addiction. Honest and systematic treatment options with mental health professionals, coupled with consistent participation in a support group has helped numerous seemingly irredeemable addicts to daily lives devoid of drug abuse. sons of liberty

Without a realistic self-assessment-- an sincere assessment of the signs of drug addiction-- an individual could pass unwittingly into the more distressing stages of drug addiction. Using a drug or other chemical substance on a regular basis does not always lead an individual into addiction. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 28.4 percent of young people between the ages of 21 and 25 operated a vehicle under the influence of illicit drugs in 2009. Of all the stages of drug use, addiction and dependence are the most difficult to differentiate. If changes are not initiated-- and aid is not sought-- the stages of substance addiction draw a person to the most grievous stage: addiction itself.

Structure and Statistics from: http://www.projectknow.com/research/stages-of-drug-addiction/

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