Human beings are mainly hedonistic. Addiction is part of human nature. Addiction is defined as A chronic progressive behavioural pattern of an individual to seek pleasure or to reduce pain, has a tendency to grow in intensity, frequency and /duration, there is the inability to reduce or refrain from the behaviour when tried, there is a distinct physical, psychological pain, that is reduced by repeating the same act. This behaviour directly causes impairment of the individual’s interpersonal, personal, social and spiritual aspects.
Traits of an individual with an Addictive personality – Intellectually superior, emotionally fragile, sensitive, unable to deal with one’s emotions and socially manipulative. A person is born with an addictive personality. In a constructive direction, he/she will be a super achiever but will always require more love and attention than the other children. In the self-destructive direction, he/she turns to substance use addictively.
How would you identify that your loved one is addicted to a substance from an early phase? The following are the signs:
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Thus the transformation from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde is complete.
One of the major obstacles in getting treatment or accepting help is the Denials you see in your loved one regarding their addictive use:
Thus Addiction is a baffling, cunning and manipulative illness. It is a relapse-prone progressive disease which, if left untreated, will result in the insanity or death of the individual.
The woman of today is a Superwoman managing home and work with élan – except for a very deep-rooted conditioning of emotional dependency. Making her vulnerable to dependency and co-dependency. Amongst the elite, the woman feels emotionally neglected by an over-occupied spouse. In all instances, the woman feels underappreciated. Thus, they cannot get beyond emotional dependence despite financial and educational independence. Addiction is detected after a long period and remains often hidden due to fear of social stigma. Women are affected physically more, owing to their shorter stature, metabolism and hormones. Losing inhibitions and rationality makes them more vulnerable to sex and sexual abuse. She is ridden by guilt, resentment and fears, isolating her from her true self and loved ones.
The story of substance abuse leading to Addiction lies not in the substance but in the individual- especially how one perceived one’s childhood experiences, translated them to one’s reality and perpetrated self-harm to escape from that trauma.
Forms of Childhood Trauma:
Alcohol and drugs reduce inhibitions and increase sexual drive. As inhibitions drop with intoxication, promiscuity and unsafe sex are indulged in. The duration of the sexual act from initiation to orgasm lasts longer under intoxication, giving the illusion of it being better. Still, though the drive and desire are still high, the performance is affected. Consequently, intimacy and sexual relationships with one’s partners are affected.
The youth of any generation is the clay from which future adults emerge. Today they have the world literally in the palm of their hands. There is so much information bombardment. The minds that are already highly impressionable are spoilt for choice. There is also excessive experimentation, use, abuse and Addiction to drugs and alcohol.
The patterns of drug consumption have also changed. Alcohol intake is not to savour the taste but to get completely “wasted”. Marijuana today is no longer just “a herb” but comes in very potent forms and is adulterated with chemicals. We have treated too many young people with Addiction to only marijuana, who have wasted their lives consequently by dropping off studies and being non-productive.
Marijuana gets one acquainted with dealers and users who deal in other drugs, thus becoming a “gateway” for further use. A naturally curious adolescent and young mind craving for new experiences does not even realize before it is engaged and engulfed in the usage of drugs that are addictive even on single use.
Today heroin is laced with fentanyl, Nbome is sold as LSD, mephedrone as cocaine etc., and these are extremely addictive and potentially very fatal.
The youth of today are thus looking for answers to drugs/alcohol etc., and the world gets more virtual and real-time communication with family diminishes. A grounding within themselves is lost. If channelled through meditative practices inwards, this intelligence, curiosity, and drive can be tremendous progress in every sphere of life, physical, mental and spiritual, and the world can progress. Else it is going to be a zombie world where a substance is taken for everything from waking up[coffee], to work, to stay alert [Adderal], to stay calm[alprazolam] to sleep [alcohol, valium] and would be apocalyptic.
CAGE Questions Adapted to Include Drug Use (CAGE-AID)
[CAGE is an acronym for Cut, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener ]
Scoring: Item responses on the CAGE questions are scored 0 for “no” and 1 for “yes” answers, with a higher score indicating alcohol problems. Even one positive score indicates the presence of an alcohol/drug problem that requires treatment in the form of rehabilitation.
The disease of Addiction is thus the great social leveller.