Progression Of Addiction From Beginning To End

April 9 2016

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 rapidly addiction can take hold and with the quantity ingested before crossing the hidden threshold from freedom to slavery.

While every individual case may be different in time frame and ferociousness of dependence, some patterns are standard among the total pool of drug abusers. Through the accounts of addicts and those who care for them, researchers are able to uncover benchmarks for the stages of substance addiction.

Experimenting With Substances

Addiction does not have to start in adolescence. Even the elderly may take alcohol or substances to soothe loneliness. Without a realistic self-assessment-- a truthful evaluation of the signals of drug addiction-- an individual may pass unwittingly into the more distressing stages of drug addiction.

Consistent Consumption

Using a drug or other substance on a regular basis does not always lead an individual into addiction. Some people can use a substance continuously for a period and afterwards end its usage with negligible discomfort. Should the time frame extends indefinitely and the strength of dosages increase too, prescribed use can transform into drug addiction.

Dangerous Consumption

As the stages of drug addiction are gone 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 reported that 28.4 percent of young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 operated a vehicle under the influence of illicit drugs in 2009. Close friends and family members are best fit to determine whether ordinary patterns are modifying. Indications of increasingly high-risk acts include things like:

• Driving a vehicle while under the influence of a sedative • Spending money irresponsibly to acquire the substance • Defensive during verbal exchanges • Concealing things • Adjustments in appearance. Adjustments in appetite, memory failure and degrading coordination are also symptoms of drug abuse. The line of demarcation between high-risk consumption and dependency is thin and difficult to differentiate. Getting help for yourself or somebody you love ought not be postponed at this phase.

Addiction

Of all the stages of drug dependence, addiction and use are the hardest to separate. The disastrous repercussions of drug abuse are clearly evident in dependence. Through all of this, though, the dependent differs from the addict by fulfilling enough commitments to maintain the fundamental structure of their life. Although the direction of drug abuse phases remains headed downward, the semblance of normalcy lingers.

Addiction

If changes are not made-- and help is not looked for-- the stages of substance addiction lead to the most harmful stage: addiction itself. Here the individual is mentally and physically bonded to ongoing use of the drug or alcohol. The point of brain disease is reached and the patient is subject to numerous harmful results of prolonged substance abuse. The heart and blood circulation system may be endangered, as can the respiratory system. The immune system is diminished, permitting hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and some kinds of cancer to devestate the addict. Brain damage and mental deterioration can also occur. Since the addiction is of both body and mind, withdrawal signs and symptoms are best overseen and treated by qualified doctors. After the addicting substance has been cleaned from the physical body, the drug abuser can work with psychologists to determine the root causes and nature of the addiction. sons of liberty

Without a realistic self-assessment-- an sincere evaluation of the signs of substance addiction-- an individual could pass unwittingly into the more distressing stages of drug addiction. Taking a drug or other 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 in between the ages of 21 and 25 drove under the influence of illicit drugs in 2009. Of all the stages of drug dependence, addiction and use are the most difficult to demarcate. If adjustments are not made-- and help is not sought-- the stages of substance addiction draw a person to the most severe stage: addiction itself.

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