Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Types of Addiction
Drug Addiction
Drug addicts are typically those individuals who are addicted to some substance other than alcohol. Drug addiction is a three stage process according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). They are preoccupation/anticipation, binge/intoxication, and withdrawal/negative affect. The Drug Addict, as opposed to the alcoholic, can be addicted to anything. It is common for drug addicts to have a "drug of choice," or a particular drug that they prefer over other drugs. There are typically "upper" people who prefer stimulant drugs such as cocaine and/or methamphetamine, and there are "downer" people who prefer drugs such as heroin, prescription pain killers, and marijuana. Recently there has been an influx of multidrug addicts who use both uppers and downers.
The drug addict can also be addicted to alcohol and many drug addicts who assume that they are not alcoholics and attempt to drink without doing drugs find this a difficult task to accomplish. Many drug addict are alcoholics and visa versa.
Alcohol Addiction
There are many types of alcoholics. Some are binge drinkers and others have developed into daily drinkers. According to the DSM-IV, the alcoholic is someone who continues to drink despite negative consequences. Often the dependent alcoholic will develop severe withdrawal and tolerance to alcohol. The alcoholic will also have a preoccupation with drinking.
It is currently unclear what causes a person to become an alcoholic, but the general consensus is that it is a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Many people assume that a person must enjoy alcohol to be an alcoholic, but this is not true. An alcoholic may detest alcohol, but drink it anyway. An alcoholic drinks alcohol essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol.
Coke Addiction
Cocaine is essentially a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It suppresses appetite, produces a euphoric feeling, and increases energy. Cocaine can be smoked (freebasing), inhaled (Insufflation), or injected. Often people begin using the drug recreationally by inhaling into the nasal passage (snorting or sniffing). Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. People who use the drug only once or twice can become addicted to the drug physically. Cocaine is almost never pure. Cocaine is mixed with other substances such as baby laxative by dealers looking to increase their profit.
Crack Addiction
Crack is the most addictive form of cocaine. It produces and intense high that only last for minutes. Only half of Crack is made up of actual cocaine. The rest is often baking soda or some other adulterant. Crack addiction is hard to treat. The euphoric recall of the drug is intense and often people in recovery who's primary drug of choice is Crack tend to have a lower chance of success in treatment. Crack cocaine releases a tremendous amount of dopamine quickly and then the level of dopamine drops suddenly, causing depression and an intense feeling of sadness. The extreme highs and lows of the drug is what often creates psychological addiction.
Meth Addiction
Methamphetamine or Meth is a cheap and highly addictive drug. There are often methamphetamine epidemics in towns across America as methamphetamine labs pop up and people begin to abuse the drug and then offer it to their friends, who then become addicted. There have been reports that the methamphetamine currently being produced in makeshift labs across the country is the most addictive drug there is. Methamphetamine produces a tremendous amount of energy coupled with euphoria. Methamphetamine addicts can stay awake for days and even weeks at a time. Methamphetamine often causes symptoms identical to Paranoid Schizophrenia after extended periods of use (Amphetamine induced psychosis). The symptoms often dissipate after drug use stops, but sometimes the symptoms persist for some time. The drug can be smoked, inhaled, ingested, or injected.
Drug addicts are typically those individuals who are addicted to some substance other than alcohol. Drug addiction is a three stage process according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). They are preoccupation/anticipation, binge/intoxication, and withdrawal/negative affect. The Drug Addict, as opposed to the alcoholic, can be addicted to anything. It is common for drug addicts to have a "drug of choice," or a particular drug that they prefer over other drugs. There are typically "upper" people who prefer stimulant drugs such as cocaine and/or methamphetamine, and there are "downer" people who prefer drugs such as heroin, prescription pain killers, and marijuana. Recently there has been an influx of multidrug addicts who use both uppers and downers.
The drug addict can also be addicted to alcohol and many drug addicts who assume that they are not alcoholics and attempt to drink without doing drugs find this a difficult task to accomplish. Many drug addict are alcoholics and visa versa.
Alcohol Addiction
There are many types of alcoholics. Some are binge drinkers and others have developed into daily drinkers. According to the DSM-IV, the alcoholic is someone who continues to drink despite negative consequences. Often the dependent alcoholic will develop severe withdrawal and tolerance to alcohol. The alcoholic will also have a preoccupation with drinking.
It is currently unclear what causes a person to become an alcoholic, but the general consensus is that it is a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Many people assume that a person must enjoy alcohol to be an alcoholic, but this is not true. An alcoholic may detest alcohol, but drink it anyway. An alcoholic drinks alcohol essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol.
Coke Addiction
Cocaine is essentially a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. It suppresses appetite, produces a euphoric feeling, and increases energy. Cocaine can be smoked (freebasing), inhaled (Insufflation), or injected. Often people begin using the drug recreationally by inhaling into the nasal passage (snorting or sniffing). Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. People who use the drug only once or twice can become addicted to the drug physically. Cocaine is almost never pure. Cocaine is mixed with other substances such as baby laxative by dealers looking to increase their profit.
Crack Addiction
Crack is the most addictive form of cocaine. It produces and intense high that only last for minutes. Only half of Crack is made up of actual cocaine. The rest is often baking soda or some other adulterant. Crack addiction is hard to treat. The euphoric recall of the drug is intense and often people in recovery who's primary drug of choice is Crack tend to have a lower chance of success in treatment. Crack cocaine releases a tremendous amount of dopamine quickly and then the level of dopamine drops suddenly, causing depression and an intense feeling of sadness. The extreme highs and lows of the drug is what often creates psychological addiction.
Meth Addiction
Methamphetamine or Meth is a cheap and highly addictive drug. There are often methamphetamine epidemics in towns across America as methamphetamine labs pop up and people begin to abuse the drug and then offer it to their friends, who then become addicted. There have been reports that the methamphetamine currently being produced in makeshift labs across the country is the most addictive drug there is. Methamphetamine produces a tremendous amount of energy coupled with euphoria. Methamphetamine addicts can stay awake for days and even weeks at a time. Methamphetamine often causes symptoms identical to Paranoid Schizophrenia after extended periods of use (Amphetamine induced psychosis). The symptoms often dissipate after drug use stops, but sometimes the symptoms persist for some time. The drug can be smoked, inhaled, ingested, or injected.
Labels: addiction, Alcohol, Cocaine, Crack, Meth, Methamphetamine
