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Understanding Drug Addiction

  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Modified:
  • Reading Time: 10 minutes
  • Reviewed by: Dr. Carl Williams, Ph.D., LCADC
  • Last Update:
  • Reading Time: 10 minutes

Learn how drug and alcohol addiction affects the brain and behavior, including stages of addiction and treatment options.

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Complex Nature of Substance Addiction

What is Drug and Alcohol Addiction?

Addiction to alcohol or other substances is widely misunderstood and stigmatized. This problem is affecting millions of Americans, spouses, and communities. Drug usage is increasing in our country, and 23.5 million Americans are hooked on alcohol and drugs. That’s almost one in every ten Americans over 12 – roughly equivalent to the whole population of Texas.

Addiction has been called “a sickness of the mind, body, and soul.” Because addiction combines physical, mental, and emotional healing, it entails a physical and psychological urge or drives to use mood-altering drugs.

Most of us do not understand that drug and alcohol addiction is chronic. While the addict may have chosen to take drugs initially out of their free will, the substances alter the brain and cause compulsive usage.

Addiction is not just a societal issue but also a medical condition.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says individuals start using drugs for several reasons, including:

  • To feel excellent — “high,” “pleasure,” or “intoxicated.”

  • To relax, forget, or numb.

  • To enhance one’s performance or thoughts.

  • Experimentation or peer pressure.

Understanding an addiction entails understanding how drugs interact with the brain.

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Families & Addiction

How Addiction Rewires the Brain

The Brain and Addiction

Your brain is structured to make you desire to repeat happy moments. Consequently, you keep doing them for pleasure motives. Addictive medications attack your brain’s reward system. They fill the brain with dopamine, a pleasure-causing chemical. This causes massive pleasure, and you keep taking it to get high.

The brain adapts to the increased dopamine. So, you may need more of the substance to obtain the same high. Other pleasures, like eating and family time, may diminish as drugs take center stage in your life.

Long-term drug use may alter other brain chemical processes. They can harm:

  • Memory.

  • Judgment.

  • Learnability.

  • Decision-making.

These alterations in the brain might cause you to seek out and use drugs in ways you can’t stop.

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Varied Forms & Hidden Signs of Addiction

Understanding Addiction

Detecting a SUD (substance use disorder) might be difficult. Some indicators of addiction are easy to see, while others are not. Many individuals with a substance use problem attempt to conceal it from relatives and friends, making it difficult to detect their struggles.

Notwithstanding your age, culture, or socioeconomic background, you might develop addictive behavior habits. While most of us usually connect addiction with gambling, medications (illicit and prescription), liquor, and tobacco, addiction may be to anything, including:

  • Work: Workaholics are so consumed by their jobs that they become physically exhausted. Workaholics struggle with marriages, family, and community interactions and never take vacations.

  • Computers: A rise in computer use has led to increased internet addiction. People may overlook other elements of their life while browsing the internet or playing computer games.

  • Solvents: Inhaling glue, aerosol, paints, or lighter gas to get high is a form of volatile substance misuse. Unfortunately, solvent abuse can be lethal.

  • Shopping: When you shop for pleasure, you purchase stuff you do not need or desire. Then comes remorse, humiliation, or despair.

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Progressive Stages of Addiction Development

Addiction's 4 Stage

Addiction does not occur overnight, despite what the addict perceives. Most addiction experts believe that there are four primary phases to it:

  • Experimentation.

  • Regular use.

  • High-risk use.

  • Addiction or dependency.

Not everybody in the early two phases will become addicted, but those in stage 3 are likely to become full-blown abusers.

Understanding these phases is crucial to spotting a problem and getting assistance before it becomes an addiction.

Stage 1: Experiment

An essential part of addiction is knowing that the initial doses of drugs or alcohol frequently have little or no repercussions. Unfortunately, experimental drug usage is typically acceptable or encouraged, especially among young individuals. The individual taking the drug sees this as a one-time event, not realizing that this is precisely what starts the downward spiral of addiction. Some will quit using on their own. Others who think drug use will continue to make them happy or solve their issues will advance to regular usage.

Stage 2: Regular Use

Stage two is a turning point for far too many of us. While some individuals may use alcohol or drugs regularly without becoming addicted, the risk of dependency grows dramatically during this time. So does the chance of engaging in high-risk activities like drunk driving.

Substance use becomes habitual, and you are lulled into a false feeling of security that quitting will be simple. Some individuals may feel guilty or remorse for their actions during this stage, but they will continue to defend or excuse them.

Stage 3: High-Risk Use

Regular usage is described as continuing to use drugs or alcohol despite severe social or legal repercussions. What began as a momentary escape from reality now dominates your life. You are either fearless or uninformed of the implications of your actions.

When cravings become severe, you may do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do to acquire more drugs or alcohol. Work, relationships, and other duties may suffer from justifying risky activities like operating equipment while high or driving your kids to school while intoxicated.

Stage 4: Addiction

The last step is addiction and total dependence on the drug. It is no longer straightforward as you cannot live without the substance. When the quantity of the substance has fallen into the bloodstream, the body lets you know with tremors, sweating, and other desperate symptoms. You spend most of your time intoxicated or high, and nothing will stop you from seeking the drug. Even if someone urges you to stop, you can’t.

Fortunately, help is available at all stages of addiction. Chronic dependence is a disease that worsens with time. If you’re ready to admit you have a problem and seek treatment, contact one of the compassionate counselors about drug addiction at a recovery center right now.

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Identifying Signs of Addiction in Yourself

Do You Have An Addiction?

It’s not always easy to tell whether you have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Admitting it is difficult, owing to the stigma and humiliation associated with drug use disorders. However, acknowledging a crisis is the first and most crucial step toward recovery.

So, how do you know if you’re addicted? One or more of the following warning indicators may apply to you:

  • An impulse to take the substance daily, sometimes many times each day.

  • Taking more (prescription) medications than you intended to and over a more extended period than anticipated.

  • Having the addictive substance with you at all times and purchasing it even if you cannot afford it.

  • Using an addictive substance, even if there is the danger that it may make you lose your job or lead you to lash out at your family members and friends.

  • You are increasing the amount of time you spend alone.

  • Not worrying about how you appear or not taking care of yourself.

  • It is stealing, deceiving, or engaging in risky behavior, such as driving while intoxicated or engaging in unsafe sex.

  • Spending the majority of your time obtaining, using, or recuperating from the drug’s effects

  • When you attempt to stop, you become ill.

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Approaches to Diagnosing & Treating Addiction

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Addiction

The best part is that drug use disorders can be treated in both a successful and safe way. In treating drug abuse problems, both medicine and counseling have shown to be quite effective.

Treatment not only aids in managing addiction-inducing compulsive behavior but also helps reduce the likelihood of relapse in the future. Get in touch with us for addiction treatment. It is also never too late to get help—individual care plans are made for each person, ensuring your specific requirements are satisfied.

Addiction treatment may comprise a mix of the following:

It is essential to consult your health care professionals before beginning any therapy to ensure that you or a loved one receives the best care possible. Treatment options differ based on the illness. Some of the most prevalent care and rehabilitation options are listed below.

Inpatient/Detox Treatment

Individuals physically addicted to drugs or alcohol might benefit from this short-term rehab.

Someone detoxing from alcohol, benzos, cocaine, or barbiturates may need medical detox since withdrawal symptoms could be lethal without medical care. While undergoing a medical detox, patients are monitored by medical personnel to guarantee a safe and pleasant withdrawal.

Residential (Inpatient) Treatment

A stay at a treatment facility is required for this sort of therapy. This treatment form may benefit people who want to stay in an organized, drug-free atmosphere devoid of temptations or drug triggers.

Partial Hospitalization and Outpatient Treatment

Outpatient and partial hospitalization (day) programs have less structure since patients do not live at the facility. Patients return home after each day of treatment and spend the night there.

Mutual Assistance Programs

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Dual Recovery Anonymous (DRA), SMART Recovery, and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) are just a few of the fellowship groups that meet in a welcoming and accepting environment. Most are available to the public, and membership is entirely free.

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In Conclusion

There Is Hope—Recovery Is Possible!

In addition to medically approved drugs and treatment, complete recovery requires re-establishing a productive life. This process may be slow and complex as you restore family and social contacts and begin to broaden your position in your society. Unfortunately, people experiencing homelessness, financial insecurity, low social support, or illiteracy may find the journey arduous.

Fortunately, rehabilitation often includes learning to pursue new hobbies and giving your life significance. Recognizing that your issues are generally transient might help you recover from addictive behavior.

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Written By:

Geoffrey Andaria

Geoffrey Andaria mental health writer at rolling hills recovery center
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Mental Health Writer

About Author:

Geoffrey Andaria is an experienced mental health content writer and editor. With a B.A. in English and Journalism, Geoffrey is highly educated in freelance articles and research. Having taken courses on social work, Geoffrey is adamant about providing valuable and educational information to individuals affected by mental health and the disease of addiction.

Medically Reviewed By:

Dr. Carl Williams Ph.D., LCADC

Carl Williams, medical content reviewer at rolling hills recovery center
Rolling Hills Recovery Center

Expert Contributor

About Reviewer:

Dr. Williams presently serves on the board of Directors for two non-profit service organizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, Philadelphia, Pa, and a Ph.D. with a concentration in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University. In Cincinnati, Ohio. He is licensed to practice addictions counseling in both New Jersey and Connecticut and has a pending application as a practicing Psychologist in New Jersey.

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