Secrets of Addiction
BY NANDINI S. - PERSONAL RESEARCH
A Brief History of Addcition
The perception of addiction changed over time and something that was previously considered to be a moral failing or criminal behaviour slowly turned into an awareness of it being a medical condition requiring help. Their change in mind was the result of new scientific research and a slow adjustment in societal values. As new technologies emerged and researchers learned more hypotheses, these eras of addiction research metamorphosed radically. The 1800s for instance saw rampant addiction in the US, with highly addictive substances like morphine and heroin available almost everywhere, notably recommended by doctors. The surprise comes in how what were once hailed for their potential to heal,create a chemically castrated society and even redefine the whole phenomenon of addiction and its treatment.
Increasingly dangerous chemicals including hallucinogens, amphetamines, and marijuana were produced in the 1900s as a black market tactic to seduce users. Dr. Leslie Keeley founded 120 Keeley Private Institutes for addiction treatment across the United States in 1879, making him the first medical professional who claimed that "Drinking is a disease and I can cure it."
One of the most important physicians of the 20th century was Sigmund Freud, known as the "father of psychology." He is renowned for the psychoanalytic theories that continue to influence psychologists working to this day. Along with other American doctors, in the 1880s he began to advocate the use of cocaine as a potential “miracle drug” for treating addictions, especially alcoholism and morphine dependence. Of course, he was not the first person to use or find cocaine.
First therapies that were developed in the past, were to cure drug and alcohol addiction. The patient's specific treatments to go through and dig deep into their core. The "Lay Therapy '' was discovered in 1906 at the Emmanuel Clinic in Boston as a potential treatment for alcoholism. This marked the beginning of the Emmanuel Movement, which combined spiritual (treating mental health using Christian theological principles) and psychological approaches to healing. The Christian faith assumes that spiritual development is the key to beat addiction. According to the article called “The Christian Faith and Drug and Alcohol Rehab” by Addiction Center, it states that “God can provide the strength, support, and clarity that is necessary to work through the obstacles that are inherently a part of recovery. The religion believes that anyone can overcome addiction by attending the proper treatment program and dedicating themselves to a sober lifestyle that upholds Christian values.”
Rehabilitation or Incarceration? Exploring Resistance and Stigma Surrounding Addiction Treatment
In 1935, the first federally established rehabilitation and research centre was formed, and it worked almost like a prison for drug and alcohol addicts. The initial purpose of the institution was supposed to be for treating mentally ill people, but very soon the place became known as a destination for addiction victims, as explained in the Forbes article "The Narcotic Farm and The Little Known History of America's First Prison for Drug Addicts.". Rather than being viewed as patients, addicts were treated like prisoners, which further stigmatised addiction as a crime rather than as an illness.
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Society at the time perceived addicts as criminals or sinners who needed to be punished. This stereotype contributed to the transformation of treatment centres into places of punishment, a notion that was widely accepted by the public. Years later, in 2006, Amy Winehouse released her powerful storytelling song "Rehab," which relates entirely back to this resistance of societal perception regarding addiction rehabilitation. In the song, the artist speaks of how her father wants to send her to rehab, a place designed for the restoration of people that suffer from substance abuse. She does not want to go because she fears she will lose the gratification she experiences when under the influence of the drink. The song portrays a deeper conflict-why do families and society push for rehab? One of the reasons could be the destructive life of an addict, especially the way it devastates social relationships. I have seen it in my own family, the level of destruction caused by alcohol addiction, how it leads to reckless behaviour and being severed from your loved ones.
However, the questions that pops up in our head might be how is addiction formed in our body, especially the brain?
Dopamine is key to why we keep repeating certain behaviours, as it drives the motivation and reward system in the brain, making us want to continue. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is commonly referred to as the ‘Happy hormone’ that is released when we get pleasure from doing certain things. If we keep doing things that give us pleasure, this will eventually lead to it becoming a real addiction. Dopamine can be released in our brain naturally by doing exercises regularly, getting enough sleep, meditating, and etc. It’s essential because low dopamine levels can lead to a lack of motivation, fatigue, difficulty concentrating on tasks, and even feelings of depression. The hobbies and passions we have, help boost dopamine levels because we enjoy them. However, some people try to raise dopamine in unnatural ways, by using substances that are toxic, eventually leading to addiction.
Thus, balancing levels of dopamine to keep your body and brain safe and healthy is crucial.. The diagram from the ‘Freedom Centre: Addiction Treatment’ represents clearly how the addiction affects our brain and it happens to be a vicious cycle that the addict has to break.
Interviews
My interviewees [all students] agrees to the sensation of their addiction:
“Feels relaxing! It makes everything go and it makes you happy. You find things funny that you usually don’t find funny.” [a weed addict] “ and “I see happiness not laziness” [a nicotine addict]
We can notice that the interviewees consuming weed and nicotine come under the category of substance addiction and self-harm comes under the behavioural addiction.
They [the weed addict and nicotine addict] are only seeing one side of this addiction that gives them positivity but the reality and long-term consequences are completely opposing this idea. They only enjoy happiness and less stress in the short term, but their gut health will suffer in the long run, making short-term advantages hazardous.
“It's a plant so it can never kill you”; a reason to take it on purpose. Surprisingly, the nicotine addict is fully aware of the consequences of her addiction “All the disease will be visible in 20 years.” The weed claims other outcomes than physical effects on the body, “You feel like you are the disease around the people [when you are on weed] because no one likes you anymore.”
Here we reach the psychological concept of ‘cognitive bias’. They made a subjective invalid evaluation seeing the temporary satisfaction ignoring the rational truth of consuming weed and nicotine.
“You are happy when you smoke, you feel sad when the effect of weed is lowered down.”
Fiammetta Gioia states that “There are reasons why you start an addiction, for instance coping with stress and there are reasons why people keep having the addiction and why they are not able to stop. Dopamine and believing in cognitive bias is an example of having an addiction.” ​
To know the reason why the interviewees started their addiction I questioned them “How did your addiction start?”
Self-Harm addict: She admits that she was going through a difficult time - “Escaping mental pain; replacing it with physical pain”. She also attributes her beginning of this behavioural addiction to the influence of other people, meaning that if used, I’ll use it too.
Nicotine addict: The main reason for her to begin this was school stress and responsibilities to take on her shoulder. She assumed that meeting expectations of her parents was her first priority and felt pressured. “It’s stress-relieving [...] I don’t think about anything else in those 5 minutes [smoking].”
Weed addict: “I just did it because other people did it.” It helped her soothe with sad moments but this sadness eventually turned into depression.
It seems to be that two [self-harm and weed addicts] of the interviewees are influenced by how common the item is used. The reasons that they presume might not be the real reasons for their addiction.
Nevertheless, there is still the voice that wants this addiction to be cured, the weed addict says. This happened when she felt the side effects of taking weed and “I almost had a panic attack.” The addicts feel to quit their addiction when the cognitive side of the brain is motivating and emotional side of the brain to quit being desperate for pleasure and resist the hard situations in life. Cognitive side of the brain thinks rationally than the emotional one that is seeing the world subjectively. The addicts try to cope with their addiction:
Self-Harm addict: “I try to resist and control myself [forcefully].” She indicates that the progress is slow but she hopes to get over it.
Forcefully is never considered the best way to get away with an addiction. Treatments are needed to cure it. Limiting the amount every day can be a possible cure though she needs to discuss the whole matter with a professionalist
Nicotine addict: “Right now, I don’t see any problems with it. But, in the future, I’ll definitely try to reduce the consumption or even stop; which will eventually not turn out to be possible.”
The addict is procrastinating and underestimating the outcomes of nicotine addiction thus she needs to focus since it’s not a small matter with an immediate solution and takes over years to be healthy again. It seems that the emotional side of the brain has taken over the cognitive side and refuses to be rational or encouraged to stop the source of pleasure.
Weed addict: “I can cure it but it’s hard to stop because the sadness doesn’t seem to go away.”
Without a doubt, starting an addiction is uncomplicated but quitting is tough. If the addict has the desire to be in good shape mentally and physically, they need to bear the suffering process of leaving the addiction. Hence, an individual should think twice before consuming toxic substances by means of fulfilment.
Why are teens more prone to getting addicted to drugs and alcohol like substances?
The teen's brain is still in the phase of development that doesn’t aid them to make rational decisions before intaking the substances therefore they get easily addicted to these toxics, besides it benefits them to have gratifying feelings that distract them from stress created by school or even family environment. All my interviewees mention about stress and moments of sorrowfulness that drove them to develop addictions like nicotine, weed and self-harm. For instance, one of the reasons can be that the parents consume alcohol and other substances that don’t have a strong positive relationship towards their children and they might engage in criminal behaviours. Another potential reason that strongly influences getting teenagers into consumptions of drugs is peer pressure that means being a fit in a drug user's friends to not upset them. Most concerning part is - How teens get in touch with drugs without parents noticing? This guarantees that teenagers lack the parental supervision required for children between the ages of 0 and 18. The last reason is that children's access to unsuitable social media sites means that we cannot only place the responsibility on their parents.
Teenagers pay greater attention to the emotional part of the brain than the cognitive side, which can have long-term effects if not treated promptly with certain therapies.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is one of the therapies that is utilised today that is highly organised and goal-oriented. CBT, a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, aids people in recognizing the unfavourable attitudes, actions, and beliefs related to addiction and changing them for the better. This might be maintaining a thinking journal or doing exercises that promote guided self-reflection (like setting SMART goals). The therapist will work with the person to question these thoughts after they have been discovered and replace them with more uplifting or realistic ones. Behavioural activation, which entails establishing objectives and taking part in activities that encourage favourable feelings and behaviours, is another crucial aspect of CBT. Exercise, hanging out with friends, and engaging in hobbies are a few examples of this. Through relaxation techniques like deep breathing or mindfulness meditation, this treatment also teaches coping strategies to control urges and triggers that may cause relapse. Long-lasting benefits in mental health and wellbeing can be achieved with this therapy.
Medicine-assisted treatment (MAT), which combines medicine and behavioural therapy, is another efficient treatment. Along with treating underlying mental health conditions that may lead to addiction, the medications used in MAT are FDA-approved thus work by reducing cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Addictions to nicotine, alcohol, and opioids are frequently treated with it. It can assist my two interviews who use weed and nicotine. For instance, drugs like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), bupropion, and varenicline are used to treat nicotine addiction. While bupropion lessens cravings for nicotine, NRT offers a little amount of nicotine to assist in reducing symptoms associated with withdrawal. Varenicline functions by preventing nicotine's pleasant effects. To assist people build coping mechanisms and address underlying issues connected to their addiction, MAT also incorporates behavioural therapy and counselling in addition to medication. As a result, it lowers the rate of relapse and improves the health of abusers.
Further successful method for treating addiction is ‘Family therapy’, a form of psychotherapy that involves the participation of family members in the treatment process. It tries to address the root causes of addiction and advance healing and recovery for the addict as well as their family members. This includes going to support groups or keeping up with your regular treatment appointments. Since it acknowledges that addiction affects a person's loved ones as well as themselves, family therapy may be a successful strategy for treating addiction. Multiple elements of family therapy are used to treat addictions. It includes educating people about addiction, its impact on people and families, and coping mechanisms. Family members are given advice on how to help their loved one during rehabilitation as well as communication and problem-solving skills. Additionally, it highlights the significance of resolving any underlying family system problems that could have facilitated addiction such unresolved disputes, bad communication habits, or unhealthy relationships. Not neglecting that family counselling offers a secure setting where everyone may discuss addiction without fear of criticism or guilt. This promotes relational stability and trust throughout the family.
According to estimates, drug use disorders (harmful patterns of drug use or drug dependency) afflict 35 million individuals. Addiction overall is a serious issue with devastating consequences on an individual's health, relationships, and overall quality of life. Treating addiction is the goal to achieve a healthier and a happier life filled with gratitude and abundance of positive relations. Treating this disorder is not only important for the abuser's health but decreasing crime rates and increase in productivity for nations’ economy. The harsh truth is that society gets affected by drug and alcohol abusers.
The girls I spoke with undoubtedly have an impact on others who are closer to them, such as their closest friends. Due to lack of oversight, adolescents may harm their health before their parents fully realise what they are doing. By the time their parents uncover the secrets—and, more crucially, the causes—it will be too late. It might be beneficial to see a professional therapist for counselling instead of yelling at them.
If you are an abuser, consider the state of the local economy. What impact do your actions have on it? Could you get better?
With the right care, people may take back control of their life and find lasting sobriety, which will eventually contribute to a better-developing society since they won't be dependent on hazardous substances.