Unveiling Addiction: Beyond Myths and Misconceptions – Understanding the Real Causes and Compassionate Support.
Many of us often wonder why addicts cannot do away with their habit once they get hooked to it. Though, many of us feel that it is basically out of the pleasure that addicts indulge in stimulants and opioids like heroin, cocaine and euphoria inducing ones like nicotine. They are umpteen myths around drug addictions as well doing the rounds for quite some time now. Here is a curtain-raiser for some of them.
The most common explanation around drug addictions are that compulsive drug addictions are a bad habit as it’s just that is done for getting a kick.
Now, here’s something to clear the fog away around this myth. If we dig deeper into the meaning of habit, it indicates the ability to do repetitive tasks and that’s about it. It’s just like routine habits of brushing teeth or combing hair. Though these habits don’t get people hooked on to them and do not become compulsive or like an addiction.
Withdrawal is another important issue that needs to be handled properly because addictions like alcohol withdrawal could lead to death. Withdrawal leads to an unpleasant feeling that includes pain, chills, anxiety, and more if one stops the intake of the drug. This is one of the major reasons responsible for addicts not able to leave their addictions.
This brings us to two types of psychological experiences related to the brain namely liking and wanting. To explain the same with the help of an example like chocolate. Wanting would be the desire to have it once you see it in front of you while liking would be the experience you have once to eat it off. Now Dopamine produced by the brain is responsible for wanting only and not liking something.
We crave more drugs only because drugs trigger the need for dopamine, a feeling of wanting in the brain. With repeated use of drugs, the wanting thus grows but somewhere the liking goes stagnates, or decreases.
Talking about involuntary addicts who take opioids prescribed by doctors for pain apparently do it to relieve themselves from pain and that is how they perceive their idea of pleasure. Though over time the doses have to be increased as they develop intolerance about it. As a result, the wanting also grows leading to an addiction of sorts. Hyperactive wanting leads to intense craving on seeing the drug or drug cue exposure. The effects are surely long-lasting and genetic factors do lead to increased risk.
As responsible citizens and family members, we also need to change our view of looking at addicts and that anyone of us can get affected by the same. Also, many times addicts are aware of the pain and suffering they are causing themselves and others but the craving is much stronger than their willpower to overcome it.
Well, we need to be compassionate and support people rather than distrust them or consider them as a disgrace.
