Abuse

Abuse and Addiction? Where is the line between the two and what is the difference? In terms of drug use, ‘abuse’ is the harmful or illegal use of non-medicinal use of drugs or alcohol. If we define addiction as a mental or physical dependence or drugs or alcohol we can see that the lines are often blurred. Many people feel Drug Rehab is only for those with an addiction. A comprehensive drug rehab such as Narconon Arrowhead will also address those with an abuse problem and in fact many people who feel they only have an abuse problem are in fact in the deadly grasp of addiction without realizing it. Drug abuse is always part of the addiction cycle. A quality rehab program is able to evaluate the underlying causes of substance abuse problems and help the abuser put workable solutions into place before their entire life crumbles around them. Narconon Arrowhead successfully helps the individual help themselves – no matter the stage of abuse or addiction.

Substance abuse treatment on any type begins to be more and more effective as the addict or alcoholic becomes more and more willing to be helped and to help themselves. Most interventions prior to treatment have this goal in mind, to get at least some willingness on the part of the addict. This willingness is often tenuous and fleeting at the start of substance abuse treatment. Part of effective withdrawal would be the actions taken to extrovert the addict from current pains and discomforts that can and do play havoc with any willingness. At Narconon Arrowhead our substance abuse treatment continually involves fortifying the existing willingness of the participant as well as actions designed to increase willingness all along the way. The being himself always is seeking to do better and beat the addiction despite any appearances, statements, or actions to the contrary. The more the addict wins at the battles of addiction the more willing he becomes and the more energy he will expend on his own survival. Substance abuse treatment is about much more than simply ceasing drug or alcohol use.

Many will try and assert that there is no addiction cure. Usually this is coming from so-called experts who meaning well, have yet seen little or no long term solutions to the problem of addiction and so have labeled it an incurable disease. Nothing could be further from the truth. Addiction is a condition characterized by repeated, compulsive seeking and use of drugs, alcohol, or other substances despite social, mental, and physical consequences. It is an attempt to use the drugs or alcohol to solve life’s problems, with the solution becoming the problem. The cure is the handling of ALL the elements that have lead up to drug abuse and addiction and then continued it – cravings, guilt, and depression playing major roles. It is not just cessation of drug use. It involves the acquiring of a whole array of life skills so that life’s problems can be confronted and one can live life happily and productively – drug free.

How does one go about determining when drug use crosses the line into drug abuse and addiction? Drugs are used as a solution to pain, be it mental, emotional, or physical. Fore instance one takes a painkiller and physical pain subsides or one take a street drug and the emotional pain of feeling like an outsider goes away. There are many motivations but they all come under the heading of handling pain in one way or another. Drug abuse sets in when the drug is being used more and more to mask and cover up the pain rather than addressing the actual causes of the pain itself. From abuse one quickly moves on to addiction where tolerance to the drugs builds up to the point where the individual can’t conceive of life without them for fear of unbearable pain of one type or another. Ones life then becomes centered on acquiring and using more and more drugs at any cost or sacrifice. Along with this comes all the cravings, guilt and depression that results from harm done to self, family, loved ones, careers, etc.

True and lasting drug addiction recoveries involves handling the three factors that lead up to and then continue addiction. These three factors are 1. The cravings, mental and physical for the drugs and/or alcohol; 2. The guilt that comes from the lifestyle of addiction and the things done to loved ones that haunt us; and 3. The depression that comes from reduced health, lack of self-control, broken lives and relationships, as well as financial and criminal burdens. Unless these three factors are fully addressed and fully resolved there is little chance of lasting drug addiction recovery. There really are only three options when it comes to drug or alcohol addiction – jail, death, or sobriety. Narconon can return you or your loved one to a drug free productive life of sobriety.