Cultural and societal norms influence acceptable standards of substance use. Public laws determine the legal use of substances. The question of whether there is a normal pattern of substance use remains controversial. Substance related disorders are caused by multiple factors, including: genetic vulnerability, environmental stressors, social pressures, individual personality characteristics, and psychiatric problems. However, which of these factors are primary and which are secondary has not been determined in all cases.
What follows are excerpts from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration: Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Booklet:
Alcohol and drug dependence are complex problems. People with these disorders once were thought to have a character defect or moral weakness; some people mistakenly still believe that. However, medical researchers now consider dependence on alcohol or drugs to be a long-term illness, like asthma, hypertension, or diabetes. Most people who drink alcohol drink very little and many people can stop taking drugs without a struggle. However, some people develop a use of alcohol or drugs that is compulsive or dangerous or both.
Substance dependency is an illness that can affect anyone: rich or poor, male or female, employed or unemployed, young or old, and any race or ethnicity. Nobody knows exactly what causes it, but the chance of developing an addiction depends partly on genetics. A person’s environment, psychological traits, and stress level also play major roles by contributing to the use and misuse of alcohol or drugs.
Researchers have found that using drugs for a long time changes the brain in crucial, long-lasting ways. It is as if a switch in the brain turned on at some point. This point is different for every person, but when this switch turns on, the person crosses an invisible line and becomes dependent on the drug. People who start using drugs or alcohol early in life run a greater risk of crossing this line and becoming dependent. These changes in the brain remain long after a person stops using drugs or drinking alcohol.
One of the most important signs of substance addiction or dependence is continued use of drug or alcohol despite experiencing serious negative consequences of heavy drug or alcohol use. Often, a person will blame other people or circumstances for his or her problems instead of realizing that the difficulties result from use of drugs or alcohol. People with this illness really may believe that they drink normally or that “everyone” takes drugs. These false beliefs are call denial, and denial is part of the illness. Other important symptoms of addiction include:
Tolerance – a person will need increasingly larger amounts of alcohol or drugs to get high.
Craving – A person will feel a strong need, desire, or urge to use alcohol or drugs, will use alcohol or drugs despite negative consequences, and will feel anxious and irritable if he or she can’t use them. Craving is a primary symptom of addiction.
Loss of Control – a person often will drink more alcohol or take more drugs than he or she meant to, or may use alcohol or drugs at a time or place he or she had not planned. A person also may try to reduce or stop drinking or using drugs many times, but may fail.
Physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms – In some cases when alcohol or drug use is stopped, a person may experience withdrawal symptoms from a physical need for the substance. Withdrawal symptoms differ depending on the drug, but they may include nausea, sweating, shakiness, extreme anxiety, or death. The person may try to relieve these symptoms by taking either more of the same or a similar substance.
A variety of treatment options are available. You may contact counseling services at 936/261-1400 or call 1-800-729-6686, or use the websites specific for drug treatment. People with drug dependency can and do recover. “It works if you work it.”