How to Beat Your Addictions

Vibrant Life, Sept, 2001 by Mickey Ask

Obviously the fact that some drugs are illegal will not prevent everyone from using them, but it does prevent some. More people use drugs that are legal, and as a result, if they have genetic tendencies they will then become addicted. Unfortunately the genetic makeup you inherit from your parents or even grandparents does not always predict your future. If teens can avoid smoking before they reach age 18, the chance of their ever using drugs or becoming addicted to drugs is very small. And using alcohol or smoking cigarettes or marijuana does not always mean you will go on to use cocaine or heroin. But those who end up using amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin usually began with the more available drugs such as alcohol and cigarettes.

Attitudes toward social drinking also influence how many become addicted. What some do under the influence: may be humorous, but it is also tragic. There aren't many jokes about those with diabetes or cancer, but we do have jokes about alcoholics. This reveals how permissive we as a society are to the problem of addiction. Instead of laughing at the results of excessive drinking, we should recognize it for what it is and help the person get help from those who understand the condition.

No one becomes alcoholic intentionally. Everyone rationalizes the process in the early stages. "I'm just having a little."

"It's just enough to feel good."

"I'm just having some fun!"

"Oh, just this once, just to be friendly."

Yet 17 percent of the population will end up having regrettable and often uncontrollable problems as a result.

Why it is so easy for humans to become addicted? The area of the brain that is affected controls what is called the reward system. Often special cells in the brain are activated when you feel pleasure. Addictive drugs activate these brain cells and pathways. But normal, healthy behaviors can activate these same areas too. It's as if God is trying to make it easier for you to do the right thing. For example, if you get a good grade on the test after studying hard, you feel a surge of pleasure. This helps you remember what it took to feel good, and therefore you'll study hard for the next test. If you act unselfishly toward someone you love and they respond in a way that makes you feel good, you say to yourself "I'm going to act unselfishly again in the future, since I like feeling this way." Catch a touchdown pass or get a compliment about how you look, and you're going to repeat that behavior, since it feels good. Unfortunately, if you take a shortcut and use a drug to obtain this same feeling, then you will more likely remember the shortcut and repeat the act in order to feel good again. This causes a surge of feeling to become the goal rather than the process, and eventually you will become addicted to the shortcut.

The dentist who did not have the first drink until acceptance into dental school became addicted to pain pills and stole medications from patients before finally entering treatment. The nurse who drank from age 10 eventually lost her ability to function as a nurse, even with treatment.