What is chemical dependency or addiction?

WHAT IS CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY OR ADDICTION?

Abdullah Baniyameen
baniyameen@aol.com
July 4, 2009

CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY IS A DISEASE CAUSED BY THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS, CAUSING CHANGES IN A PERSON'S BODY, MIND, AND BEHAVIOR. AS A RESULT OF THE DISEASE OF CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY, PEOPLE ARE UNABLE TO CONTROL THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS, DESPITE THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN THEY USE. CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY OCCURS MOST FREQUENTLY IN PEOPLE WHO HAVE A FAMILY HISTORY OF THE DISEASE. AS THE DISEASE PROCESS PROGRESSES, RECOVERY BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT. CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY MAY CAUSE DEATH IF THE PERSON DOES NOT COMPLETELY ABSTAIN FROM USING ALCOHOL AND OTHER MOOD‑ALTERING DRUGS.

EFFECTS:

The problems of chemical dependency that affect people when they use alcohol or drugs, and even after they have stopped using, include the following.

MALNUTRITION AND METABOLIC DYSFUNCTION:

The addict's ability to fnction normally is damaged by the effects of alcohol and/or drugs on the brain and body. Only after a period of proper diet and taking supplements can normal body chemistry is restored. This process affects the way the addict thinks, feels, and acts.

LIVER DISEASE AND OTHER MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS:

The addict's liver enzymes may be far above normal. This can cause poisonous effects within the body and may lead to infections and illnesses that need to be treated before normal functioning can resume.

BRAIN DYSFUNCTION:

Alcohol and drugs damage brain cells interrupt the production of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, and alter the way the brain functions. Some of these changes may be permanent.

ADDICTIVE PREOCCUPATION:

A chemically dependent person's thinking patterns are altered by chemical dependency as the disease progresses. These changes cause the person to have strong thoughts, desires, and physical cravings for alcohol or drugs. These processes also change the way the person sees the world. They lead the person to believe that using is better than not using, despite the bad things that result from using.

SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES:

As the physical and psychological problems identified above get worse, the person's behavior becomes more antisocial and self‑destructive. Frequent social consequences of addiction are job loss, money problems, car accidents, domestic violence, criminal behaviors, illness, and death.

CRIMINAL BEHAVIORS:

Chemical dependency can cause a person to commit crimes. People who are chemically dependent commit crimes related to their use of alcohol or drugs (drunk driving, public drunkenness, assault, etc.), the support of their addiction (selling drugs, committing crimes to get drugs or money for drugs, etc.), and secondary consequences of drug or alcohol use (not paying child support or court fines, failing to follow through with probation requirements, etc.). Some people do not commit crimes until they become chemically dependent. Others have personality problems that initiate their criminal behavior. Most of those who have personality problems either become chemically dependent on or abusive of alcohol and drugs. Any relapse into behavior that leads to criminal actions is likely to cause a relapse into the use of alcohol or drugs. Any relapse into chemical use is likely to cause a relapse into criminal behavior.

The conditions just described combine and interfere with the ability to think clearly, control feelings, and regulate behaviors, especially under stress. Alcohol and drug dependency damages the basic personality traits that are formed before the addictive use of alcohol or drugs.

Dependency on alcohol or other drugs systemically destroys meaning and purpose in life as the addiction gets worse and worse.

TREATMENT:

Because dependency on alcohol or other drugs creates problems in a person's physical, psychological, and social functioning, treatment must be designed to work in all three areas. The worse the damage in each area, the greater the chance of relapse and return to old behaviors (criminal actions and/or the use of alcohol or drugs). Total abstinence (not using any alcohol and drugs) plus personality and lifestyle changes are essential for full recovery. The type and intensity of treatment depend on the patient's:

۩ Current physical, psychological and social problems,
۩ Stage and type of addiction(s),
۩ Stage of recovery,
۩ Personality traits and social skills before the onset of addiction,
۩ Other factors in life that cause stress.

Chemical dependency is a chronic condition that has a tendency toward relapse. Abstinence from alcohol and other mood‑altering drugs is essential in the treatment of chemical dependency. It is also an important part of relapse prevention therapy. There is no convincing evidence that controlled drinking or drug use is a practical treatment goal for people who have been physically dependent on alcohol or drugs.

Many chemically dependent people who exhibit criminal behaviors were raised in families that did not provide proper support, guidance, and values. This caused them to develop self‑defeating personality styles that interfere with their ability to recover. Personality is the habitual way of thinking, feeling, acting, and relating to others that develops in childhood and continues in adult life. Personality develops as a result of an interaction between genetically inherited traits and family environment.

Growing up in a dysfunctional family causes a person to have a distorted view of the world. He or she learns coping methods that may be unacceptable in society. In addition, the family may not have been able to provide guidance or foster the development of social and occupational skills that allow the person to fully participate in society. This lack of skills and distorted personality functioning may cause addictive behaviors to occur. These problems may also contribute to a more rapid progression of the addiction, make it difficult to recognize and seek treatment during the early stages of the addiction, and make it hard to benefit from treatment.

There are four goals in the primary treatment of dependency on alcohol and other drugs:

• Recognition that chemical dependency is a bio/psycho/social disease,
• Recognition of the need for life‑long abstinence from all mind‑altering drugs,
• Development and use of an ongoing recovery program to maintain abstinence,
• Diagnosis and treatment of other problems or conditions that can interfere with recovery.

Traditional treatment has taken one of two general approaches:

1. THE MEDICAL MODEL:

This approach tries to help the patient meet the first three goals listed above.

2. THE SOCIAL/BEHAVIORAL MODEL:

This approach focuses on the fourth goal listed above.

The lack of a model that includes all of the components has led to high relapse rates, especially in criminal justice populations. Relapse prevention therapy is a model that uses an approach that works with all four components.

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