Addiction 2

Description

Drug addiction may be defined as the continued use of drugs which produce psychological habit
formation.
Drug addicts can be classified into various categories according to the onset of their addiction.
Only a small percentage has become accidentally addicted through the extended use of drugs for
medical purposes.
The use of narcotics for medical treatment presents no problem to these possessing a well-
balanced personality.
The great majority of addicts have turned to habit-forming drugs because of serious underlying
personality maladjustments.

Addiction is no respect or of class, sex or economic status.

It is found among all races and economic levels.
Young and old alike are affected by the tragic results of chronic usage.
The chronic addict often engages in a variety of amoral and criminal activities.
A combination of the personality maladjustment and the effect of the drugs leave him vulnerable
to participate in many antisocial activities.
When a person has strong dependency upon a drug, he will go to any extreme to obtain the
needed drug.
Men frequently turn to burglary to gain money needed to purchase drugs. while women often
resort to prostitutions.

Alcoholism and narcotism are related leads to addiction...

Younger addicts use the intoxication of alcohol or drugs primarily as a means of stimulation, while
older individuals use it to blunt the pain, trials and stresses of competitive living and to relieve a
sense of personal failure, disappointment and frustration.

Specialists in the field of drug addiction often refer to “true addiction” or “false (pseudo) addiction.”
True addiction basically involves physical dependence, psychological dependence (habituation),
and tolerance to the drug being used.
False addiction, on the other hand, indicates that there is only a psychological dependence upon
a drug.
Opiates, barbiturates, and alcohol may fulfill all the criteria of true addiction.
On the other hand, amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana have only the habituation factor.
The effects of drug addiction vary with the type of drug, the size of the dosage and the personality
of the user.
The drugs most commonly used are opiates, related synthetics, barbiturates, the derivatives of
Cannibis sativa (Indian hemp) such as marijuana, the amphetamines, cocaine and glue.
The varied reactions to these classed of drugs necessitate separate consideration of their effects.

Opiates: Opium and its derivatives (morphine, heroin, paregoric and codeine) act as depressants
of the central nervous system.
(Ninety per cent of addicts use heroin.)
They may be introduced into the body orally, by smoking or by injection.
The physical effects of these drugs include lessening of physical energy, decrease in sexual
desire, desensitization to pain, and pleasurable feelings ranging from a simple removal of
depressive feelings to extreme euphoric conditions.

Within a few hours after administration of the drug, the pleasant effects begin to wear off.
If another dosage is not supplied between six and fourteen hours, the addict will begin to
experience withdrawal symptoms are yawning, secretion of tears, sneezing and perspiration.
As the addict gains an increasing desire for the drug, these symptoms increase.
He loses his appetite, becomes depressed, develops muscle spasms and cramps, diarrhea and
vomiting.
As the symptoms reach their peak between forty-eight and ninety-six hours after the last dose of
drug, the addict becomes extremely restless, his pulse and blood pressure rise, and he may
experience hallucinations.
Within five days of the last dosage, the withdrawal symptoms begin to lessen.
It may take another four or five days before these symptoms completely disappear.

Synthetics: Synthetic drugs related to opium, such as Demerol, are used by drug addicts.
The action and effect are like that of the opiates.

Barbiturates: These drugs are classed as hypnotic drugs.

They are basically depressants, commonly used as sleeping medications and widely used by
those addicted to them.
Most of these are taken orally but can be taken by injection.
Long-standing use produces a serious type of addiction.
Examples are Nembutal (“yellow jackets”) and seconal ( “red devils”).
Marijuana: (weed”) is typically smoked as a cigarette.
The user experiences a euphoric state accompanied by increased self-confidence and a
breakdown of restraints.
As the effects of this drug begin to wear off the individual hours.
Since marijuana does not produce physical dependence, its major threat lies in the fact that it is
frequently a steppingstone to the more powerful opium derivatives.
The marijuana user is often introduced to heroin or codeine while under the influence of
marijuana.

Amphetamines: Amphetamines are used medically for such things as weight reduction and are
taken orally.
They are commonly called “pep pills” because of their stimulating action.
Like most other drugs , when used properly amphetamines have a beneficial effect.
Over-usage, however, can lead to addiction.
Drivers who are traveling long distances and become sleepy sometimes use these, which are
nicknamed “bennies”.
The National Safety Council, however, has warned against their use, stating that drivers taking
them have more accidents than other people because these pills lower muscle control and
interfere with coordination.

Cocaine: Unlike opiates, cocaine is not, strictly speaking , a narcotic.

Users of this drug do not experience severe physiological dependence.
Cocaine is a stimulant which releases inhibitions.
It differs from opinion which acts as a depressant.
Administration of cocaine is followed by a state of excitement, euphoria and self-confidence.
When the drug begins to lose its effect a few hours after administration, the addict becomes
depressed and irritable.
He may also become weak and confused and experience digestive disturbances.

Glue: Some adolescents turn to other drugs which are harmful in themselves and which may lead
to dependence upon the major drugs just discussed.
Glue sniffing, for example, is used for temporary excitement.
Users may take airplane glue, gasoline or solvents, and inhale the fumes from a cloth soaked in
those solutions.
Continued use of these products causes serious physical deterioration.
Among the organs most susceptible to glue sniffing are the heart, liver, kidneys, brain and
stomach, as well as the blood system.
Dependence is the most striking and devastating aspect of addiction.
The body becomes so accustomed to functioning in the presence of the drug that it cannot
function properly without it.
A person dependent on a drug cannot take it or leave it as he chooses, for when the effect of the
last dose subsides, he begins to suffer.
Later, he may become so ill that he has to be hospitalized.

Etimology

The etiological factors in drug addiction are similar to those found in alcoholism.
The drug addict is typically an emotionally immature person who is unable to develop long-range
goals.
He may lack controls and be prone to seek immediate gratification of his desires.

The person who has serious personality conflicts and is leading an unhappy, frustrated life may
turn to drugs in order to gain temporary relief.
Often the dope addict is educationally and vocationally deprived and is not engaged in work for
which he is suited.
The addict seldom feels equal to situations.
He, therefore, attempts to compensated for his inadequacies by taking narcotic drugs that will
make him feel differently.
He may also be ridden with guilt.
The effect of drugs, however, only compounds his difficulties.
The addict is defeated before he begins.
He now has two problems:
1. his basic personality inadequacy, and
2. his addiction to drugs.

Unrealistically high goals, which have been set either by the person’s parents or by himself,
sometimes accompany these inadequate feelings.
Ashe is unable to meet these goals he feels himself a failure.,
He then turns to drugs to gain a feeling of strength and importance which he is unable to achieve
under normal conditions.

A teen-ager often takes his first drug as an experiment.

He is seeking excitement, rebelling against authority, or seeking recognition.
As he begins to have greater need for this crutch, he associates with more undesirable persons.
His friends are other users and peddlers, usually engaged in many types of lawlessness and
crime.
The user’s whole life is quickly in ruin by his associations and by his addiction to a drug.

There is usually a strong dependency between the addict and his (or her) mother or spouse.
He needs to depend on her; she, in turan., because of her own emotional immaturity, often
encourages this dependence.

Mothers of Addicts

An addict’s mother is often over-protective and this role seems never to cease, regardless of her
son’s age.
She often fosters her son’s dependency on her.
She frequently has a neurotic, masochistic need to keep him in a state of addiction and is most
happy when he is ill and dependent upon her.
Then she seems to have a purpose in life.
Where there are several children in a family, the addict usually becomes the favorite because he
is the most dependent.
The emotional illness of the of the addict’s mother often feeds upon the sickness of her child.,
It prolongs his dependence on her and prevents him from becoming mature and resourceful.

It is common for a young addict to pawn his clothes when he is desperate for money to feed his
habit.
The mother frequently redeems his clothes when he is released from the narcotic hospital or
correctional institution.
Rarely does one hear of an addict who makes his own bed, helps around the home, or does other
simple chores.
Unconsciously the mother does not want him to develop a sense of responsibility because that
would take him out of his dependent infancy stage.

The amount of abuse taken by the mother of an addict is almost unbelievable.

There are many instances in which the son has ransacked her home, stolen her rent money, and
even physically assaulted her.
Yet, even physically assaulted her.
Yet, even in such circumstances, she may strongly oppose her husband if he makes an attempt
to discipline the son.
Inconsistent behavior by the mother is a common phenomenon.
She may lament to the parole officer about how terrible it is to have a son who is a drug addict.
At the same time, by her deeds and attitudes she fosters his drug usage.,
She frequently tells the officer she is willing to make every sacrifice to stop her son from using
drugs, but she decries legislation which forbids the use of drugs.
She may go to work, ostensibly for her son’s psychotheraphy, but somehow she manages, in
addition, to support him in his narcotic daze at home.

To summarize, the mother must often maintain her child’s emotional illness for her own emotional
survival, thus contributing largely to the poor adjustment of the drug addict.

Fathers and parents of Addicts

Studies by the New York University Institute of Human Relations reveal that, in the majority of
cases of drug usage by adolescents, the father is either absent or, if present, weak.
To some extent, separations, and divorces of parents of drug addicts caused by the emotional
imbalance of the mother, who makes the home situation unbearable for the father.
Wives are often known to leave their husbands because the latter insisted on taking a firm and
positive approach to the son’s derelictions.
Invariably, in such broken home situations, the son suffers from the lack of parental guidance.

Wives of Addicts

The woman who knowingly marries an addict may be emotionally disturbed herself.
She often unconsciously feels that, in his addiction stage, the husband can remain the child that
she yearns for.
If the addict is basically passive- and he generally is- the wife can easily assume the dominant
role.
In personality, she frequently resembles the mother.
The fact that the wife and her mother-in-law are the dominant personalities may account for the
ill-feeling frequently existing between the two, with each blaming the other for the addict’s state.

Many wives have an unconscious need for a drug-using incompetent husband because only then
can they be dominant.
Sometimes as the husband matures emotionally disturbance becomes fully evident.
John, an addict for over five years and now eager for help, committed himself to a state facility for
adults despite his wife ‘s objections.
His wife was so upset by his decision that on the day he left fort the hospital she used the
remains of a ten dollar “bag” of drugs herself.
She deserted her child, resorted to prostitution to maintain the habit and, when John was
released from the hospital, she attempted to “turn him back on.”
Unsuccessful at this, she taunted him with accounts of her experiences with other men and even
brought some of them into the home for John to meet.
She persisted in her efforts to break down his morale and he finally succumbed.
In time, she withdrew from further drug usage and was thus able to retain her dominance.

In another case, the wife so dominated her husband that she insisted on what she said was her
right to attend the group therapy sessions with him.
When permission was refused, she resorted to sitting outside the therapy room during the hour
and a half session.
Merely being there gave her a feeling of some control over his activities.

Studies of dope addicts reveal that spiritual conversion and dynamic Christian growth are seldom
known among them.
They have rarely experienced salvation and close communion with Christ.
This lack of spiritual experience and Christian maturity leaves them vulnerable to many
unwholesome experiences.
It also prevents them from meeting their basic emotional needs.

Illustration

Identification: Mexican-American Male , age 20

Presenting Problem: The subject was apprehended by the law when he was seized with drugs on
his person.
He was living with drugs on his person.
He was living with two other young men, one of whom had been apprehended previously for
suing addictive drugs.

Personal and Family History: The subject was born in Mexico but moved to southern California
when he was then years of age.
In addition to his mother and father, there was an older sister and a younger brother.
As a child, the subject had very little formal education and when he came to the United States, he
felt out of place with the other children.
In addition to his language barrier, he was placed in school with boys and girls two years
younger.

His confusion and turmoil were compounded with the lack of any spiritual training.
In addition, he found himself in an unstable home where his older sister and father were engaged
in sexual immorality with partners outside the home.
The neighborhood was undesirable, and the boy had few, if any, associates whose situation in life
was better than his own.

The subject began smoking cigarettes at thirteen.

Within a year he started drinking beer and liquor.
He dropped out of school by fifteen and shortly afterward was introduced to marijuana.
By the age of seventeen he was actively engaged in the dope traffic.
He was apprehended twice for stealing before he was finally jailed as a dope addict.

Treatment

Treatment must include medical, psychological, and spiritual aspects.

In severe cases of drug addiction, it is necessary to hospitalize the patient in order to ensure
complete removal of the drug.
With users of opium derivatives, strict medical attention is imperative during the period of
withdrawal.

The United States Public Health Service operates two hospitals for the treatment of drug
addiction.
These institutions are located at Ft. Worth, Texas , and Lexington , Kentucky.
Some individual states also maintain special facilities for narcotic addicts.

Medical treatment may be beneficial in temporarily removing the necessity of drugs.

However, if long term benefits are to be made, it is necessary that the addict receive
concentrated psychotherapy.
This therapy is aimed at resolving the basic conflicts which have led the patient to turn to
narcotics.
(For a discussion of counseling procedures with personality disturbances like the addict, see the
discussion of SOCIOPATHIC PERSONALITY in this volume.)
in addition to the therapeutic procedures outlined for sociopathic personalities, the drug addict
needs special considerations.

Educational and vocational arrangements should be made so that the patient may find
satisfaction learning and working.
Since enjoyment comes from learning something which interests a person, education is important
to one’s good adjustment.
In addition to suitable training and education, the former dope addict will benefit from job
placement which tales into account his potential.
The counselor should help the addict to understand his abilities, then seek employment where
these talents can be utilized.

Those who have engaged in dope addiction also need a new circle of friends.
Through better self-understanding, a person can perceive himself differently and consider social
contacts which he may have felt were closed to him previously.
Practical aspects of counseling will take into account steps which a client may tale to meet new,
interesting people who are well-adjusted.
These new friends may be found at work, at church and elsewhere.

Drug addiction is symptomatic of basic underlying personality disorganization due in large

measure to faulty family relationships.
Because of this treatment of the addict alone is not enough, it should be accompanied by therapy
with is family.
In treating an adult addict it is important to have the mother or wife gain an understanding of her
own emotional needs in relation to him.
Her treatment should start before the drug user returns from the institution so that she will be
prepared to receive him properly.
She must be ready to deal with him in a constructive manner and at the same time experience a
feeling of self-satisfaction herself.

Of special significance to the addict is spiritual conversion and subsequent Christian growth.
Through the word of god he can realize that God does care for him and can guide him into paths
of righteousness.
The facts of complete forgiveness and a bright future hold great promise for anyone, but
especially for the individual who has been a slave to dope.
As the Holy spirit gradually takes over mature.
He finds both control and power which transcend all human effort.