Donald Gordon Carty

Addictive Behaviors

Along with addiction, there are addictive behaviors that are quite common among addicts. Lying, keeping secrets, hiding pills and obsessively counting them, making unnecessary emergency room visits and constantly "doctor shopping." As the addiction escalates, engaging in such illegal activities as stealing prescription pads, committing forgery, and buying drugs off the street is also quite common behavior.

These behaviors usually stem from the desperation an addict feels regarding getting, securing, and taking their drug of choice. Under other circumstances, the individual would probably not engage in the behaviors listed above, unless they were previously part of his/her personality structure. In other words, addictive behaviors are limited to the addiction itself and are generally dissonant with the person’s beliefs and values in any other area of their life.

Brain structure and function 

Using drugs repeatedly over time changes brain structure and function in fundamental and long-lasting ways. Addiction comes about through an array of changes in the brain and the strengthening of new memory connections. Evidence suggests that those long-lasting brain changes are responsible for the distortions of cognitive and emotional functioning that characterize addicts, particularly the compulsion to use drugs. Although the causes of addiction remain the subject of ongoing debate and research, many experts now consider addiction to be a brain disease: a condition caused by persistent changes in brain structure and function. However, having this brain disease does not absolve the addict of responsibility for his or her behavior, but it does explain why many addicts cannot stop using drugs by sheer force of will alone.

Scientists may have come closer to solving the brain's specific involvement in addiction in 2004. Psychiatrists say they have found the craving center of the brain that triggers relapse in addicts. The anterior cingulated cortex in the frontal lobe of the brain is the area responsible for long-term craving in addicts. Knowing the area of the brain from which long-term cravings come may help scientists pinpoint therapies.

Definition 

Addiction is a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance. The term has been partially replaced by the word dependence for substance abuse. Addiction has been extended, however, to include mood-altering behaviors or activities. Some researchers speak of two types of addictions - substance addictions and process addictions. There is a growing recognition that many addicts, such as polydrug abusers, are addicted to more than one substance or process.

Substance addictions are those addictions which involve chemical use. There are many kinds of substance abuse:

• Alcohol - Alcohol Addiction, or dependence, is defined as having at least 3 of the following signs: a tolerance for alcohol (needing increased amounts to achieve the same effect), withdrawal symptoms, taking alcohol in larger amounts that was intended or over a longer period of time than was intended, having a persistent desire to decrease or the inability to decrease the amount of alcohol consumed, spending a great deal of time attempting to acquire alcohol, and finally, continuing to use alcohol even though the person knows there are reoccurring physical or psychological problems being caused by the alcohol. (Alcohol is also a drug) 
• Drug - Drug Addiction, or dependence, is defined as having at least 3 of the following signs: a tolerance for the drug (needing increased amounts to achieve the same effect), withdrawal symptoms, taking the drug in larger amounts that was intended or over a longer period of time than was intended, having a persistent desire to decrease or the inability to decrease the amount of the drug consumed, spending a great deal of time attempting to acquire the drug, and finally, continuing to use the drug even though the person knows there are reoccurring physical or psychological problems being caused by the drug.
• Smoking - Nicotine addiction is very complex and highly individual. Many smokers continue to use tobacco even though they wish they could stop. Many who currently smoke have tried to quit. Nicotine is so addictive that many people continue to smoke even when their lives are in immediate danger.
• Prescription Drugs - The nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs is a serious and growing public health problem. The elderly are among those most vulnerable to prescription drug abuse or misuse because they are prescribed more medications than their younger counterparts. Both women and men abuse prescription drugs at approximately the same rate, however, women are twice as likely to become addicted as men. Specifically, females between the ages of 12 to17 and 18 to 25 have shown the largest increase of prescription drug abuse over the past two decades (NIDA). In addition, young girls aged 12 to 14 report that painkillers and tranquilizers are one of the most popular drugs used to get high. The abuse of certain prescription drugs-opioids (most often prescribed to treat pain), central nervous system (CNS) depressants (used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders), and stimulants (which are prescribed to treat the narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obesity ) - can alter the brain's activity and lead to addiction. The risk for addiction exists when these medications are used in ways other than as prescribed. According to the UN Drug Control Board, the abuse and trafficking of prescription drugs has overtaken the use of nearly all illegal drugs with the sole exception of cannabis. Addiction to and withdrawal from prescription drugs can be more dangerous than other substances because of the insidious nature of these drugs.

Process addictions are a series of activities or interactions on which a person becomes dependent. There are many types of process addictions:

• Gambling - Pathological Gambling is an addiction in the sense that the person can't stop, is done to the exclusion of friends, and feels obligatory. Those that are addicted to gambling continue despite knowing that they cannot afford it, and that they will lose overall.
• Internet - Internet addiction is defined as any online-related, compulsive behavior, which interferes with normal living and causes severe stress on family, friends, loved ones, and one's work environment. Internet addicts often use the fantasy world of the Internet to psychologically escape unpleasant feelings, stressful situations, or relationship problems and use interactive online applications such as chat rooms, instant messaging, or online gaming as a safe way of establishing new relationships and more confidently relating to others through the Internet. The Internet, like food or drugs in other addictions, provides the "high" and addicts become dependent on this cyberspace high to feel normal. 
• Work - Work addiction is an addiction that has many things in common with other addictions. But it also has some important differences. Unlike addictions to chemicals or to food, which are viewed negatively in our society, addiction to work is usually socially rewarded. Work addiction is a problem. It is an addiction that is driven by the mood altering effects of adrenaline which comes from the constant demands and pressures to perform.
• Eating Disorders - Is the craving for and the compulsive eating and drinking of foods that cause illness, obesity and obvious suffering. Often the addictive food and drink is not satisfying, and the most dysfunctional people keep eating and drinking with only the briefest interruptions. Anorexia Nervosa is another type of eating disorder where the individual refuses to maintain a minimally normal body weight, is intensely afraid of gaining weight, and exhibits a significant disturbance in the perception of the shape or size of his or her body.

Differences between Social Use, Abuse and Addiction

There are reliable, concrete differences between the Social Use of substances or process, Abusers of substances or process, and Addicts, or those addicted to the substances and/or process. The categories break down as follows:

• Social User: One who uses the process or substances simply to enhance the pleasure and/or productivity of normal situations. The social user experiences the following:
  
  • No negative consequences;
  • No surprises or unpredictability;
  • No loss of control;
  • No complaints;
  • No thoughts of or need for limit setting.  
• Abuser: One who uses to enhance pleasure and/or compensate for something negative, such as physical or emotional pain, insecurity, fear, anger, etc. The substance abuser experiences some or all of the following:
  
  • Occasional negative consequences that are not repeated;
  • Limit setting that is adhered to;
  • Promises that are made and kept;
  • Complaints are heard and dealt with.  
• Addict: One who uses to celebrate, compensate, or for any other reason, legitimate or not. The addict experiences some or all of the following:
  
  • Negative consequences are recycled;
  • Limit setting & promises to self or others are broken;
  • Complaints are denied and/or not heard;
  • Reliable symptoms of addictive disease become more evident. Reliable symptoms include those listed under the DSM IV definition of addiction and others, expressed as follows:
    
    • Continued use despite negative consequences;
    • Loss of control, as in more use than planned (broken limits);
    • Unpredictability, as in use despite plan not to use (broken promises);
    • Compulsivity/preoccupation in thinking;
    • Denial; Use of defenses to maintain denial;
    • Build up of (or "break" in) tolerance;
    • Remorse & guilt about use or behavior when using;
    • Memory loss, mental confusion, irrational thinking;
    • Family history of addictive behavior;
    • Withdrawal discomfort (physical, mental, emotional, and/or psychological).

Which Drugs Are Being Abused?

According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), prescription drugs are the most abused substances in the United States. Benzodiazepines and painkillers rank highest on the list. 

Most Abused Substances in the U.S.

1. Alcohol (combined with cocaine, marijuana, or heroin)
2. Cocaine
3. Marijuana
4. Heroin/morphine
5. Alprazolam (Xanax)
6. Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab)
7. Unspecified benzodiazepines
8. Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Tylox)
9. Methadone
10. Clonazepam (Klonopin)
11. Propoxyphene Darvocet N, Darvon )
12. Amphetamine (Dexedrine)
13. Lorazepam (Ativan)
14. Carisoprodol (Soma)
15. Diazepam (Valium)
16. Methamphetamine (Desoxyn, speed)
17. Trazodone (Desyrel)

From Drug Abuse Warning Network Emergency Room Data. Based on drug mentions during emergency room visits in 2005.

Please View this video on How Addiction works on the Brain 

Substance Abuse Articles(These articles require Adobe Acrobat to view)

• Inhalants
• Cocaine / Crack
• Marijuana
• Steroids
• MDMA (Ecstasy)

• Alcohol Abuse
• Methamphetamines
• Hallucinogens
• Nicotine
• Heroin
• Prescription Meds

Please Contact me or Ask a Question Here 

If you or someone you know needs help with an alcohol, tobacco, or other drug problem, this section will point you to resources for help. Search for a treatment program near you, take an online screening test for alcohol problems, or identify local and online support options. 

AlcoholScreening.org
AlcoholScreening.org can help you identify your own alcohol consumption patterns to determine if your drinking is likely to be harmful to your health. From Join Together, at the Boston University School of Public Health 

DrugScreening.org
A sister site to Alcohol Screening, this free service from Join Together helps you determine your likely risk of harms from using many kinds of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, opiates, and more.

Find Treatment
Search this database of over 11,000 alcohol and drug treatment programs to find the facilities nearest you.

Frequently Asked Questions
We've compiled answers to some of the most common questions people ask Join Together about treatment for alcohol and drug addiction.

Support and Recovery
Locate self-help and support group meetings in your area, online support communities, and resources for concerned family and friends.

12 Step Programs

The most prominent self-help groups for drug and alcohol addiction are the 12 Step programs, based on the principles for living originated by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Other 12 Step programs include Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, and Crystal Meth Anonymous. 

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