Basic Information on Drugs of Abuse
Any drug that changes the way a person thinks or feels
is abusable to some degree. It is easy to see the negative effects
of heroin, cocaine and the newer drugs like ecstasy and LSD. However,
alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs all too are damaging in
many ways.
Whatever the drug of abuse, all have one thing in common.
At the basest level drugs are toxins. There is an old saying that
a drug is a drug is a drug.
When a person uses a drug, something
happens in the body. The agents of the drug create a desired effect
to a greater
or lesser degree. In a person who has a proclivity to addiction,
the first time that a mind or mood altering drug is administered
to the body, this effect happens to such a degree that the experience
can be that mythic "fix" that changes everything.
To delve a bit into the mindset
of an addict, it is the end of a search for a single "end all, cure all".
The problems that are evident in the home, in their interpersonal
relationships
and in their social setting are all wiped clean for as long as the
effects of the drug last. This is the beginning of a long downward
spiral of addiction.
 Typically, not one of
us intends to become a drug addict or alcoholic. But, often many
of us do. Addicts do not set out to destroy themselves and everyone
and everything in their path. These things are an effect of the cycle
of addiction.
The addict lies to everyone,
things start missing around the house, the dishonesty conveyed is
proportionate to the severity of the addiction, but these things
are all apparent to the person living with an addict in their life.
Our experiences show that the drug addict or alcoholic is usually
an intelligent and most often creative person with much hope for
the future, which 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 addiction.
The person usually enters
into this dangerous affliction because they attempt to compensate
for some personal deficiency or life situation. They are depressed,
unhappy or incapable of dealing with their life situations. It could
be as simple as the rejection of a significant other, the loss of
a loved one, or as complex as a major life crisis. This causes the
person to seek "help" in the form of drugs or alcohol. Thus, the
cycle of addiction begins.
Drugs are essentially
a pain-killer. They avert 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.
They are now caught
in the cycle. The person begins to display the physiological symptoms
of addiction. They become difficult to communicate with, withdrawn
and begin to exhibit the strange behaviorism associated with addiction.
The more the person uses to counter
this effect, the larger the burden of his guilt becomes. This results
in a discontented, depressed, and desperate individual.
Their use begins to affect
their personal relationships, their job, their bank account, and
anything of previous value to the addict. Now the person's entire
focus becomes centered on getting, using and getting more drugs,
regardless of the cost. They sacrifice everything to avoid the pain
of withdrawal.
The Cycle of Addiction is seemingly never ending. It
seems to constrict this mortal coil relentlessly. In 1996 the NHSDA*
reported that an estimated 13.0 million Americans were currently
using illicit drugs. It seems to be a problem that has seeped into
every facet of the American culture.
The good news is there is help out there.
The Narconon Program is one, and we offer sometimes the best last
hope for the
addict.
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