How Chemicals Abuse

In simple terms, addiction is the result of trying to move toward pleasure and away from pain. Other than that, there is nothing simple about addiction. Eight people with substance abuse problems ranging from alcoholism, opiate addiction and methamphetamine use were interviewed for this story. At their request, identities have been concealed.

The Addicts' Theory"Meth or speed-type drugs are for people with father issues," one former user explained. ""The drugs make you perform better, feel stronger and create a false persona and possibly be the person your dad wanted you to be." "Opiates or downers," he continued, "are used when you have issues with your mother because those chemicals mimic the feelings you want from your mom, like warmth, comfort and peace." Alcohol, one woman explained, "is when there is a spiritual disconnection from you and the rest of the world." "You don't feel like you fit in, or belong, without drinking first," she said.

A Psychiatric ViewAlcoholism, according to Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung is 'the equivalent, on a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in medieval language: the union with God." He noted that "alcohol in Latin is spiritus" and claimed the same word is used for "the highest religious experience as well as the most depraving poison." The way out is also the way in: "Spiritus contra Spiritum" which can also be read as 'fight fire with fire.'

One Doctor's OpinionIn 1934, Dr. William Silkworth, who specialized in the treatment of alcoholics, attended to a patient who was an alcoholic of the type "I had come to regard as hopeless," he said. "Unless this person (the hopeless alcoholic) can experience an entire 'psychic change' there is very little hope of his recovery." "Once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed," he continued, "suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol." The only effort necessary being that one is required to follow a few simple rules.

One Man's SolutionThe patient that Dr. Silkworth regarded as hopeless turned out to be Bill W., one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. During his final stay in the hospital, Bill W. had a religious conversion which abruptly and permanently relieved him of a chronic drinking problem which took him to the brink of despair. That experience was the genesis for the AA program which is a series of 12 steps that participants engage in to attempt to create this "total psychic change."

On UsageDrugs and alcohol may initially alter one's state of consciousness but eventually change body chemistry. Eventually, this creates a dependency where a person must use increasing amounts just to maintain balance. Some addictions develop so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent. "They sneak up on you," one former Vicodin addict said. "It takes more pills to achieve the same feeling and each time they wear off, you drop lower and lower." "At one point, I had to take 30 pills just to get out of bed each day," she admitted. She was initially prescribed the pain killers after back surgery and later became dependent on them.

Anytime drug use is interfering with normal activities it has become abuse. This includes problems with family and friends. Psychological dependence has developed when your mind tells you that the drug or substance is needed. This is usually followed by physical dependence which has developed when continuing increases of chemicals are required to get the same feeling or "high." This is known as addiction or chemical dependency. A person's risk is much higher if there is a history of chemical dependency in the family.

The process can begin with normal curiosity, following a surgery where pain medications are prescribed or a routine happy hour with friends. Certain substances will quickly correct a feeling specific to the user that can surprise one with their efficiency. Pain subsides. Calmness replaces anxiety or tension. Euphoria occurs. For some, those 'benefits' are too alluring to walk away from. "Depression, shyness, hunger all disappeared after a few drinks," one alcoholic explained. "Later, the vodka created problems much bigger than what it was correcting."

Chemicals don't erase negative emotions, they suppress them. To stop suddenly when use has been daily can be dangerous, even deadly. Once an addiction has developed, withdrawal from drugs/alcohol can cause uncomfortable physical symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Tremors in the hands, increases in heart rate, breathing and temperature are common in some cases. Normal sleep patterns are often interrupted with periods of insomnia.

In more severe cases, withdrawal can cause DTs, delirium tremens, which require hospitalization. "We meet every year to remember one guy who tried to detox himself and died from it, "one former drinker explained. Ceasing to use with advanced addiction can cause seizures, delusions and hallucinations. Vitamin deficiencies are almost always present with advanced drug and alcohol abuse.

Fear of withdrawal is what causes many addicts to continue using. Addiction can only be addressed by stopping the use of all chemicals. Possible outcomes include loss of self-respect, poverty, death or prison if dependency is allowed to progress.

In other countries, addiction is often considered a spiritual dilemma. A witch doctor in Kenya "prescribes" a healing ceremony for a tribe member who has travelled outside the confines of the village and developed an addiction. Toxic substances, or drugs, are usually only found in the larger cities such as Nairobi or Mombasa.

For the ceremony, mushrooms are used to create a "mystic" state where the user discovers the root of the problem and is also shown the solution. Once an addict goes through the ceremony, they are burned on the shoulder to create a scar. This mark indicates that the person has gone to the other side and returned with the answer needed to go forward in life without the need for a "false god" which is how the medicine man describes an addictive substance.

Shamans in Peru use a plant that is illegal in the U.S. called Ayahuasca. It translates to "the vine of the soul." It allegedly stimulates a spiritual catharsis by creating an out-of-body experience which results in an elimination of the need to self-medicate.

In China, a plant called Kudzu has been used for centuries to deal mainly with alcohol addiction. It does not address the spiritual aspect of the disease but instead is said to minimize cravings.

Addiction is not just a physical but a spiritual malady. It can be overcome. Many have done just that. It often takes an addict to heal and addict. If you are the one in trouble, ask for help as if your life depends on it. It does.


 By Sherry Lynn Daniel


Article Source: How Chemicals Abuse