Free Essays on Addiction

Addiction is defined as â€Å"being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming† (dictionary.com). There are many different types of addiction. Drug, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine addiction are just a few types. It is important to examine addiction and describe the problems it causes in all aspects of a person’s life. The signs of addiction are obvious. Addiction starts with drug abuse, when a person makes the choice to use drugs, but addiction is not just â€Å"a lot of drug use.† Recent scientific research shows that not only do â€Å"drugs interfere with normal brain functioning creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity.† (Henderson 15). At a certain point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a relapsing illness. Those addicted to drugs suffer from compulsive drug and usage and cannot stop by themselves. Treatment is necessary to end this addiction (nida.nih.gov/Infofax/understand.html). Another sign is the compulsive use of drugs or alcohol regardless of negative consequences. Addiction can be caused by numerous factors. People can be genetically predisposed, which means that a person’s genetic makeup could cause it. It also can be caused by psychological and social problems. Uncontrolled stress can be a major factor as well. It also just may be that the substance is highly addictive and alters the brain’s biochemical structure (Bender 45). The substances do this using the brain’s reward system, also known as the mesolimbic reward system. The mesolimbic reward system raises the body’s dopamine level, which gives off the feeling of pleasure (Bender 46). Addicitve substances hijack this reward system and flood the brain with dopamine. This causes the addict to crave the substance rather than being involved in normal daily activities because they don’t feel the same am... Free Essays on Addiction Free Essays on Addiction Addiction is defined as â€Å"being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming† (dictionary.com). There are many different types of addiction. Drug, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine addiction are just a few types. It is important to examine addiction and describe the problems it causes in all aspects of a person’s life. The signs of addiction are obvious. Addiction starts with drug abuse, when a person makes the choice to use drugs, but addiction is not just â€Å"a lot of drug use.† Recent scientific research shows that not only do â€Å"drugs interfere with normal brain functioning creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity.† (Henderson 15). At a certain point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a relapsing illness. Those addicted to drugs suffer from compulsive drug and usage and cannot stop by themselves. Treatment is necessary to end this addiction (nida.nih.gov/Infofax/understand.html). Another sign is the compulsive use of drugs or alcohol regardless of negative consequences. Addiction can be caused by numerous factors. People can be genetically predisposed, which means that a person’s genetic makeup could cause it. It also can be caused by psychological and social problems. Uncontrolled stress can be a major factor as well. It also just may be that the substance is highly addictive and alters the brain’s biochemical structure (Bender 45). The substances do this using the brain’s reward system, also known as the mesolimbic reward system. The mesolimbic reward system raises the body’s dopamine level, which gives off the feeling of pleasure (Bender 46). Addicitve substances hijack this reward system and flood the brain with dopamine. This causes the addict to crave the substance rather than being involved in normal daily activities because they don’t feel the same am... Free Essays on Addiction When most people think of addiction, they think of potheads and alcoholics. Although those are the most common types of addiction, there are also more bizarre things like sex addicts and gambling. In a sense, every person has a form of addiction. Weather to caffeine, or food, or cleaning, they are all small kinds of addiction. Like, if you do not have your daily dose of triple shot espresso in the morning, you will go insane, or whenever you feel an extreme emotion, you feel the urge to eat. There are some people who have extreme additions, that destroy families, demolish their former selves, and lose everything they ever had, just for a drink or a few hits. Having an addiction can scar a family and leave charred relationships in its wake. Most people dealing with addiction have done it for most of their lives, and have no intention of stopping, or even realize that they have a problem. Denial is normal in such situations. Because they deny that anything is wrong, the other party in the relationship begins to question their own habits. Growing up with an alcoholic father, I spent most of my childhood questioning myself. I did not understand why he would forget to pick me up on Sundays, or why there was always a half-gallon of Black Velvet in the back seat of his truck. When he was drunk, he would call and tell me that my life goals were not good enough, and that I should consider other routes. He would comment on my weight (which was never really a problem) and criticize my every move. He lied about scratches and bruises and broken ankles from bar fights, blaming them on his job. My mother lived with these habits for seventeen years befo re she finally had enough. His addiction had taken over his mind and actions, until he was not the person he used to be. He was an uncaring, alcohol fixated human, who was willing to lose his wife and child over a bottle. Alcohol destroyed my family, and I know that I am not alone. If you think about... Free Essays on Addiction Addiction is defined as â€Å"being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming† (dictionary.com). There are many different types of addiction. Drug, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine addiction are just a few types. It is important to examine addiction and describe the problems it causes in all aspects of a person’s life. The signs of addiction are obvious. Addiction starts with drug abuse, when a person makes the choice to use drugs, but addiction is not just â€Å"a lot of drug use.† Recent scientific research shows that not only do â€Å"drugs interfere with normal brain functioning creating powerful feelings of pleasure, but they also have long-term effects on brain metabolism and activity.† (Henderson 15). At a certain point, changes occur in the brain that can turn drug abuse into addiction, a relapsing illness. Those addicted to drugs suffer from compulsive drug and usage and cannot stop by themselves. Treatment is necessary to end this addiction (nida.nih.gov/Infofax/understand.html). Another sign is the compulsive use of drugs or alcohol regardless of negative consequences. Addiction can be caused by numerous factors. People can be genetically predisposed, which means that a person’s genetic makeup could cause it. It also can be caused by psychological and social problems. Uncontrolled stress can be a major factor as well. It also just may be that the substance is highly addictive and alters the brain’s biochemical structure (Bender 45). The substances do this using the brain’s reward system, also known as the mesolimbic reward system. The mesolimbic reward system raises the body’s dopamine level, which gives off the feeling of pleasure (Bender 46). Addicitve substances hijack this reward system and flood the brain with dopamine. This causes the addict to crave the substance rather than being involved in normal daily activities because they don’t feel the same am... Free Essays on Addiction Alcoholism in Young Adults Alcoholism in Young Adults Alcoholism and alcohol abuse is a growing problem in our society. Daily, people are injured and killed in alcohol-related accidents and this has an effect on each and every person as a result of these occurrences. Whether we are personally involved or have directly suffered from the activities of someone who is under the influence of alcohol, we all suffer from the negative consequences of alcohol. Since we have those who choose to abuse these privileges we need to develop consequences for them. By learning what leads people to drink alcohol, and how this affects their lives, we can then determine what actions need to be taken to help remove ourselves from our ever-increasing attraction to alcohol. Because the abuse of alcohol often begins with adolescents and young adults, most research is based around them. At this particular time in life we hope to find out why these young adults choose to drink, and what motivates them to drink. Michael and Rebecca C. W indle, in their research, were able to show several reasons that provided incentives for adolescents to consume alcohol. Using a written survey, it was determined that the high-school students being studied used alcohol to cope with problems in their lives, including "task-oriented", "emotion-oriented", and "avoidance coping (Windle & Windle, 1996, p. 551)." The only major discrepancies in results between the sexes became obvious when it was shown by Windle and Windle that girls were more likely to use alcohol for avoidance and emotion-oriented coping than were boys, but the boys were more likely to have alcohol problems (Windle & Windle, 1996). Also found was that adolescents drank less often for social reasons than for the aforementioned coping reasons (Windle & Windle, 1996). However, coping motives were responsible for an increased consumption of alcohol (Windle & Windle, 1996). A surprising result of this study was that th... Free Essays on Addiction Addiction Addiction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦drugs, alcohol, life; from the eyes of some one who observes it and experiences it every day. Almost everyone in the world is affected by the wrath of addiction whether it be by themselves, family members, peers, idol’s or enemies. The definition of addiction is, â€Å"the quality or state of being addicted.† Which I think is quite an understatement†¦. In the following I will talk about the stages of addiction, people I know and how they react to addiction, personal experiences as well as different treatment plans and how people react to them. The addiction process and stages of addiction can vary greatly from person to person. Depending on personality type, lifestyle and background they can go from a once a week pot smoker to a crackhead in 6 months or a once a week pot smoker to some one who does every drug out there on a somewhat regular basis but can stop at any time and is still completely functional. People with addictive personalities are much more likely to abuse drugs and go through the process quickly and more harshly than people with self-control that can do many different things without acting obsessive and compulsive. The term instant gratification applies directly to the different personality types. Those of whom who crave instant gratification are much more likely to have jobs like waiting tables, stripping or Manpower Temporary services where they get paid the same day they work. Rather than working all week to get paid just once. A person’s background can also make a big difference in their likelihood of becoming an addict, but it can also have a reverse effect. The majority of people would think that if you are exposed to your parents drinking and doing drugs than you would be more likely to partake in these activities as well. More often than not this is true, but like everything in life there is always exceptions. Some adolescents feel the need, or have the urge to rebel agai...