With Charles Black: Centre Manager: Ocean Bay Recovery
I will not discriminate…
I do not discriminate against; age, race, sexual orientation, religion, gender, the wealthy or the poor. I lie and wait patiently, tempting you to walk with me to escape your pain. I long to be an inseparable part of your life that will teach you to lose everything that you know, to break you into a million tiny pieces and destroy you. I am your addiction – Shaun R, Recovering Addict
Substance abuse in South Africa is double that of the global average additionally placing us in the top 10 countries for high alcohol consumption according to the most recent Central Drug Authority surveys. 15% percent of South Africans have a prescription or street drug problem, some of whom are as young as 12. 46% of adults admit that their phones are something that they “can’t live without.” In the Kouga region, many government departments classified substance abuse as an epidemic at a Local Drug Action committee meeting, although this is far from new news. The terrifying statistics continue yet very little is being done to raise awareness in our community.
What is substance abuse?
Addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences to the addicted individual and to those around him or her. Although the initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain changes that occur over time challenge an addicted person’s self-control and hamper his or her ability to resist intense impulses to take drugs. In short, an addiction is when a substance damages our financial wellbeing, relationships or health becoming a compulsion to maintain a sense of feeling good.
Clinically, substance abuse can be classified as either substance abuse or substance dependence, the latter being more severe. An addiction is indicated of a person meets three or more of the following:
- Tolerance. Do you use more alcohol or drugs over time?
- Withdrawal. Have you experienced physical or emotional withdrawal when you have stopped using? Have you experienced anxiety, irritability, shakes, sweats, nausea, or vomiting? Emotional withdrawal is just as significant as physical withdrawal.
- Limited control. Do you sometimes drink or use drugs more than you would like? Do you sometimes drink to get drunk? Does one drink lead to more drinks sometimes? Do you ever regret how much you used the day before?
- Negative consequences. Have you continued to use even though there have been negative consequences to your mood, self-esteem, health, job, or family?
- Neglected or postponed activities. Have you ever put off or reduced social, recreational, work, or household activities because of your use?
- Significant time or energy spent. Have you spent a significant amount of time obtaining, using, concealing, planning, or recovering from your use? Have you spend a lot of time thinking about using? Have you ever concealed or minimized your use? Have you ever thought of schemes to avoid getting caught?
- Desire to cut down. Have you sometimes thought about cutting down or controlling your use? Have you ever made unsuccessful attempts to cut down or control your use?
How does addiction feel?
An addictive substance feels good because it stimulates the pleasure centre of the brain through neurotransmitters such as dopamine and GABA. If you have a genetic predisposition, addictive substances don’t just feel good. They feel so good that you will want to chase after them.
This is where addiction comes in. If one has a genetic predisposition, addictive substances feel so good that you are willing to suffer negative consequences in order to get more and to continue to feel the high.
Addictive substances feel different inside an addict’s brain than they do to a non-addict. This is why the two sides have difficulty understanding each other. In someone who is not addicted, drugs and alcohol only produce a mild high. Therefore a non-addict cannot understand why the addict would go to such lengths, when it is clearly destroying their life.
Denial is a big part of addiction. Because addictive substances feel good, an addict will initially deny that they have a problem. In the long-run addiction isolates you from the people and activities and that mean the most to you and can destroy one’s ability to manage their own life.
If you, a friend or a family member are exhibiting signs of substance additions, there are many avenues to explore for help such as counselling, rehabilitation centres such as Ocean Bay Recovery and 12-Step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. It is never too soon to confront addiction head on as it is invariably progressive, wreaking havoc for the addict/alcoholic and those who are close to them. The great news is that addiction is manageable and treatable. Whilst substance abuse does not discriminate, knowledge and awareness are the first steps in combating the dangers.
