Road to recovery
Ashliee DeLaCruz
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Lifestyles
It is important to understand that drug/alcohol dependence is a disease. First it becomes a mental addiction; the person is addicted to the effect of the stimulant and as they build up their tolerance, they need more to feel the effects. Then it becomes a physical addiction where the body needs the stimulant to function. This is commonly seen during detoxification procedures when the patient (drug/alcohol abuser) is isolated to 'clean-out' their body of the drug. For instance, those who are addicted to alcohol will get what is called 'the shakes'; they experience anxiety that affects the nerves. Those who abuse heroin will get 'cold sweats' and can't keep their food down.
So how does a norm at a party become an addiction? "Normally they blame past hurts such as their parent's neglecting them as children or peer pressure," says Gloria. The oddity of this condition is that it can start at age 10 or even later at age 34. "I know women who became alcoholics after a divorce when they decided to walk into a bar. I've also seen professors live on skid row because their addiction has made them insane," she adds.
The important thing to remember is that we each have the power to change our lives. There are programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Al-Anon (for those families of alcoholics) that are there to help you. The first step to recovery is realizing that you have a problem. Sonia, a Miracle House resident says, "It [addiction] needs to be treated as a disease, such as we would diabetes."
So how does a norm at a party become an addiction? "Normally they blame past hurts such as their parent's neglecting them as children or peer pressure," says Gloria. The oddity of this condition is that it can start at age 10 or even later at age 34. "I know women who became alcoholics after a divorce when they decided to walk into a bar. I've also seen professors live on skid row because their addiction has made them insane," she adds.
The important thing to remember is that we each have the power to change our lives. There are programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Al-Anon (for those families of alcoholics) that are there to help you. The first step to recovery is realizing that you have a problem. Sonia, a Miracle House resident says, "It [addiction] needs to be treated as a disease, such as we would diabetes."
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