Few people take their first dose of a drug-- legal or illegal-- with the hope of getting addicted. Yet for 2009, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 23.5 million people sought some form of treatment for drug and alcohol problems. Of course, individual physiology and psychological makeup have much to do with how quickly addiction can take hold and with the quantity consumed prior to passing the hidden line from freedom to enslavement.
While each individual case may vary in time frame and intensity of dependency, some patterns are widespread among the complete pool of drug abusers. From the accounts of addicted people and the professionals who care for them, clinicians are able to uncover benchmarks for the stages of substance addiction.
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Experimenting With Drugs
Addiction need not begin in youth. Even the elderly may take alcohol or drugs to alleviate isolation. Without a honest self evaluation-- an honest evaluation of the signals of drug addiction-- a person can pass unwittingly into the more distressing stages of drug addiction.
Regular Consumption
Using a drug or other people substance on a regular basis may not always lead a person into addiction. Some people can consume a substance continuously for a period and then end its use with little or no discomfort. The probability of addiction is based upon the duration of the use period and the strength of the dosages. Should the duration continue indefinitely and the strength of dosage increase likewise, routine use could become substance addiction. Yet another cautionary signal is certain changes in behavior. If speech and conduct adjustment substantially, particularly a heightened tendency toward aggressiveness and unsafe tendencies, it is necessary to cease using the drug.
Dangerous Use
While the stages of drug addiction are traveled through, the individual's personal choices and behavior get progressively dangerous, both to herself or himself and others. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 28.4 percent of young adults between the ages of 21 and 25 operated a vehicle under the influence of illicit drugs in 2009.
• Operating a vehicle while under the influence of a sedative
• Using cash foolishly to acquire the substance
• Defensiveness in verbal exchanges
• Hiding things
• Adjustments in appearance.
Changes in appetite, memory failure and deteriorating coordination are also indicators of substance abuse. The demarcation line dividing high-risk use and dependency is thin and difficult to differentiate. Securing aid for yourself or somebody you care about ought not be postponed at this stage.
signs of alcoholismOf all the stages of drug addiction, dependence and use are the toughest to separate. The dreadful repercussions of drug abuse are already noticeable in addiction.
Through it all, though, the dependent differs from the addict by fulfilling enough obligations to maintain the essential structure of their life. Even though the direction of drug abuse phases remains headed downward, the semblance of normalcy persists.
Addiction
If changes are not initiated-- and help is not sought-- the stages of substance addiction result in the most serious phase: addiction itself. With this the person is psychologically and physically bonded to continuous use of the drug or
alcohol . The stage of brain disorders is arrived at and the sufferer undergoes many harmful effects of long-term drug abuse. The heart and circulatory system may be compromised, as can the respiratory system. Immunity is compromised, permitting hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and some kinds of cancer to devestate the addict. Brain damage and dementia can also occur.
Given that the addiction is of both mind and body, withdrawal symptoms are best overseen and remedied by experienced medical professionals. Once the addictive drug has exited the physical body, the drug abuser should work with pyschologists to isolate the causes and character of the addiction.
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Without a realistic self-assessment-- an trustworthy anal