Addiction - Abuse

Drug abuse occurs with any use of illegal substances and also occurs when prescription drugs are taken in excess of recommended dosages or for longer than prescribed. Addiction is the inevitable next step forward if drug abuse is not handled. Addiction is the compulsive seeking and use of drugs or alcohol despite adverse social, mental, and physical consequences. At this point the abuse of drugs goes beyond just impacting the individual and is severely impacting family, loved ones, finances and careers. When the individual moves from abuse to addiction the drug use controls the individual rather than the individual controlling the usage.

Narconon Arrowhead is not only a drug addiction rehab, but is also a drug abuse rehab. In reality these two are very similar with the main difference being degree of use. If we understand drug abuse as ‘the harmful and illegal non-medicinal use of drugs or alcohol’; and addiction as ‘a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol or other similar substances despite social, mental, and physical consequences’ we see that the line between the two is small at best. Cravings, guilt, and depression resulting from drug or alcohol use are the common denominators between the two and ARE the points needing resolved if one is to achieve lasting sobriety from either abuse or addiction.

Abuse occurs when a drug, alcohol, or other substance is used to the detriment of the users health, family relations, finances, career, etc. The detriments may be slight at the beginning of abuse but generally escalates quite quickly into cravings (mental or physical) for the drug, alcohol, or substance. This is followed in short order by a marked rise in feeling of guilt and depression as the individual starts sacrificing quality of life for self and others in the more and more single-minded pursuit of the drugs and alcohol. Once abuse has set it the whole process of addiction picks up speed as does the damage done to health, families, career, etc. The sooner this dwindling spiral is halted and addressed with effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation the better.

With regular heroin use, tolerance develops. This means the abuser must use more heroin to achieve the same intensity or effect. As higher doses are used over time, physical dependence and addiction develop. With physical dependence, the body has adapted to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms may occur if use is reduced or stopped. Withdrawal, which in regular abusers may occur as early as a few hours after the last administration, produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (‘old turkey’), kicking movements (‘kicking the habit’), and other symptoms. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose and subside after about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users who are in poor health is occasionally fatal, although heroin withdrawal is considered much less dangerous than alcohol or barbiturate withdrawal.

Many people and even professionals hold the opinion that marijuana is not addictive. This is simply a misunderstanding and not true. Marijuana addiction, especially on a mental or emotional level has been on the increase in terms of numbers and severity for some time. The potency of marijuana such as Canadian ‘BC Bud’ and hydroponically engineered pot is many times that of the marijuana of past days. Inability of users to control their use of this substance and Narconon Arrowhead statistics show a steady increase in the number of program participants with marijuana as their main drug of abuse and addiction.