So we are back to new topic Thursday! I really wanted to talk about something interesting today so I chose the following topic; Addiction. This topic actually hits close to home since I know, first hand, what it is like to have a relative undergo a drug addiction and I know exactly how hard it can be on the family and how much people around them are hurt by the addiction.
Definitions of Addiction
Ad-dic-tion
Noun. A strong or harmful need to have something or do something.
Synonyms; dependency, habit, problem
Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, social and spiritual manifestations.
As addiction persists people with addictions become more tolerant of the drug they use. In other words they need to consume a larger amount of the drug in order to fulfill or satisfy their need for it. This is what can sometimes lead to overdoses and, and also makes it a whole lot more complicated for people to simply quit drugs.
An interesting fact I'd actually like to share with you is that believe it or not genetic does play a role in the likelihood that an individual will develope an addiction. Obviously this is not the only contributing factor but it is definitely something I didn't know before. These are a couple of other contributing factors:
-The repeated engagement in drug use or other addictive behaviors
-Exposure to trauma or stressors
-Cognitive and affective distortions
Addictions don't just hurt the individual but those around them as well. The clip below shows how drug addictions can negatively affect someone physically.
What can you do to help someone with an addiction? Well below are a couple of links of centers that help people with addiction problems. In my family's case we found that rehabilitation centers can be VERY helpful but at the end it is through family support that you can help a loved one get through such a tough time in life.
http://www.thetreatmentcenter.com/lp/drug-and-alcohol-addiction-info-lp/?mm_campaign=8dce91bb9eaf191799b730525ae912e9&keyword=addiction&search&&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=DrugAb=arch&ad_type=e&creative=26176103829&position=1t1&gclid=CPLYzYT3ybwCFRNp7AodnXgAow
If you want more information over addiction, I personally found this website to be very helpful.
http://www.asam.org/for-the-public/definition-of-addiction
Hello. I really enjoyed reading you blog because it helped me realize a couple of things. The first thing was what people get addicted too. When I would hear the word addiction, I automatically thought drugs or alcohol. But in reality there are a lot more things out there that people can get addicted too aside from drugs and alcohol. Another thing that I realized is that genetics might play a role. Like you said it is not the only factor, but it does some contribution. Another thing that I would like to point out is that the environment that the individual is exposed too also plays a big role.
ReplyDeleteI liked you you gave the definition of addiction and how you further explained the meaning of what addiction is by stating, "People tend to think about drug and alcohol addiction only, when hearing that word, but addiction actually covers whole lot more than that. Like the first definition states, an addiction can be a strong need to have something, such as a drug, at the same time it can be a strong need to do something such as gambling, or surfing the internet constantly. Oddly enough people who have an addiction usually know that their addiction is harmful yet they are unable to quit it. Some theorists have tried to explain addiction by stating that in a way it’s an attempt to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Which leads us to what is a withdrawal symptom? Withdrawal symptoms are the way our body reacts when a drug which it is used to have, is absent." I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this blog post. It was very informative and an easy enjoyable read. A point I really found interesting from your post was how some people can be predisposed to develop an addiction to something because of their genetics. This is quite terrifying, and almost unfair for those who this applies to. I guess we can't always take everything at face value, and should think twice before judging someone with an addiction too early. Great blog post.
ReplyDelete