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Drug Addiction PeopleDrug addiction people are often viewed as weak and immoral. But what most of those around the addict don't understand is how drugs can affect and alter the brain, leaving the addict with a permanent compulsion to take drugs.The Disease of Drug AddictionWhile it's true that the decision to take drugs that first time is voluntary, repeated abuse of the drug changes the way a human brain functions. It affects a person's ability to exercise self control and make sound decisions while sending powerful impulses to take drugs.
The Powerful Possibility of RelapseWithout a support group, a 12-step program and faith in God, drug addiction people are likely to relapse again and again. Dr. Kevin Clark, medical director at Hazelton Addiction Treatment Center in Minnesota said only 53-56 percent of patients remain abstinent for a year.One Addict's StoryIt is possible to overcome a drug addiction, but it is often a long, rocky road to recovery. Such has been the case with Nic Sheff, a recovering drug addict and author of the popular book, Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines .Sheff experienced the two common factors deadly to a drug addict's recovery: failing to attend 12-step meetings and severe stress. His mother had recently left her husband of twenty years. At the same time, Sheff broke up with a girlfriend and was struggling with bipolar disorder and other mental problems. Combined with the fact that he also hadn't been going to 12-step meetings or participating in any type of therapy, a relapse was virtually inevitable. Then it happened: Sheff walked into his mother's bathroom looking for toothpaste and found two bottles of prescription medications - Klonopin and Darvocet. Sheff said he took one of each "without thinking twice." By the weekend he was back to taking pills and smoking pot. He went on to speak at a boys' rehab while stoned. "You know, it doesn't make sense," he said later when writing about his relapse. "It's not fun. At a certain point, it's not even giving me that relief anymore. It's just this compulsion that I can't break. In that sense, I'll always be a drug addict." You can read about Sheff's relapse by clicking here. Please note: Sheff's writing contains profanity. |
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We'll let you know about the latest happenings in treatments for drug addiction, effects of different drugs and where you can go to get help. In the future we'll also have real life drug addiction stories and how others are getting off drugs. This ezine is your source for what's going on with surviving drug addiction.