Are drugs really that addictive?

I'm watching a show on t.v. right now about drug addicts and how it has taken over their lives. I've seen stuff like this 1000times, they want to stop but can't. And I'm asking myself can it really be that bad? Even people that smoke cigarettes and say it was really hard to quit.

I guess it has to be hard since so many people go through the same thing. I myself have never been addicted to anything, maybe t.v. but if my life depended on it I'm sure I could do without it. But I've also never done any drugs and I don't even drink.

So... I'm just wondering, for those of who might have first hand experience, is it really that hard?

flame on

 

Hmmm sounds like you live far from the edge??

 

Adrenaline is all I need.

 

I'm addicted to playing BINGO. The smell of the giant pens....the friction of the tumbler as balls grate against each other.....the feeling of euphoria as they yell out each successive ball. I'm addicted.

I Love Balls!

 

Nicotine is right up there with heroin IIRC, I've never had any heroin, but I know from experience nicotine is very hard to quit. I think Alcohol is pretty high on the list too. I quit dipping for 1.5 years one time, then I had a dip and I'm still dipping 8 years later.

 

Im pretty sure SUGAR is the #1 addictive substance.

 

It may be enlightening to look at it from another angle. Drug use is just the most obvious outward symptom of the disease of addiction. (Alcohol is a drug, so alcoholism is just another substance-specific form of addiction.) Addiction is not caused by drug use. Chemical dependency IS caused by use of certain drugs, but detoxification can correct the chemical dependency, though it can be VERY unpleasant for the user who is undergoing withdrawal.

Addiction is a disease of the spirit, not a character defect, that drives the addict to constantly seek ways to change the way that they feel. Quite literally, being an addict is like having the inside of your skin on fire all the time, day and night. Nothing actually takes the feeling away, but addicts constantly try to find some relief from the feeling.

The best definition of addiction that I ever heard is this: "Addiction is a pathological relationship with any mind- or mood-altering experience, with life-damaging consequences." The definition works to help define the experience from the POV if the addict. It is not about the substance. Addicts can shift from one "mood- or mind-altering experience" to another, like from drugs to sexual promiscuity to shopping to binge eating to self-mutilation, etc. All of those behaviors create a change in the way the addict feels, even if only for a brief moment.

Many people, and most 12-step programs, agree that addiction itself is incurable, and that "recovery" is actually a long period of relief, via abstinence, from active repetition of the life-damaging behaviors that define an individual addict's experience.

It is not at all surprising that you find the behavior of addicts bewildering. This is a common response of non-addicts when confronted with the seemingly obvious paradox of repetitive, self-destructive bahavior so common among addicts.

Note that the definiton of addiction as a disease is simply a model that allows crafting a treatment response. It is not suggested that one "catches" addiction from contact with addicts or from some treatment or mistreatment by others. Some characteristics of addict behavior, like self-centeredness and attention-seeking behavior, can be observed in infants, many years before the other, more-visible symptoms of addiction emerge.

The observations above are not "book learning" from some psychology class. They are lessons learned first hand. I would not wish the horror of addiction upon my worst enemy.

 

tell me about it!!!! ugh!

 

IMO: It's all almost part of your personality. I know I don't have an addictive personality others do. I know people that can't do anything without becoming addicted to it. Not to be confuse with obsessed (whole other topic). I'm not sure if it's linked to DNA or some scientific crap like that though.

 

I think that might be the best answer I've ever gotten to a question on this or any other forum. Thanks

 

yes.

http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=223130


edit: rubber chicken, perfect.

 

Do you drink soda? If so...try to quit for 1 month. Enjoy.

 

Tom is very knowledgable about this, and right on the money.

 

Already done that. I like soda but I could go the rest of my life without it if I had 2.

 

Then do it. Never have soda for the rest of your life.

 

Theres no reason to.

 

You know Jimmy K.?

 

Then you must have an addiction to it. Its called denial.

The point I'm making is people are addicated to the smallest things...sometimes harmful sometimes not. But don't dismiss them. Just reconize and understand it.

 

1. yes, drugs really are that addictive.

2. yes it's really that bad

3. yes it's really that hard (when you're in denial and trying to use willpower)


by the way, i think you're approaching the whole issue the wrong way. when done properly, the disease of addiction is put into remission a day at a time through DEPENDENCE on a higher power. addicts do not "try hard" or use willpower to fight their urges etc.. day in and day out if they are recovering properly. that's called "white knuckling." They are allowing God to do it for them by surrendering and admitting they have a problem and working on understanding it(themselves) better. then, the addict achieves not only sobriety, but sobriety AND happiness. the ultimate goal, contingent upon spiritual maintenance.

If you're really interested in this topic and want to get a deep understanding; read the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

welcome to addiction... has a seat over there to the left!