Drug Abuse and Addiction: Why does it happen?
How did drug users become abusers and addicts?
Drug abuse and its addiction are often caused by one thing and that is the emptiness that we feel in our lives. The problem with drug addiction is that it does tend to develop gradually without us noticing. Most drug users started using drugs during a party or during an invite with a friend, because of obvious reasons they try it with the promise that they will do it once. After taking the drug, you temporarily feel good, you feel amazing and most importantly you feel accepted by your peers.
The drug use that started out of curiosity or out of an invite from a friend would be repeated some other time since most of them can’t say no to a “friend.” During this time, you are in control, you feel good, and you know that you can stop. The longer you use your recreational drugs with your “friends” the more you notice that you feel good with it.
“You feel good, you feel accepted, and you feel you are in control.” Everything is great until a simple problem came out of nowhere. Problems of any kind are part of our lives, no matter what you do and no matter who you are you will always have problems, and these problems cause us to be afraid, to be anxious, and even to be stupid. Since you are having problems, you decide to use the drug “for one time only” because it makes you feel so good and it makes you concentrate.
A few hours, days, weeks and months passed by you suddenly feel that something has gone wrong. You feel like you are stuck in a cage and no matter what you do you can’t get out. You then woke up one morning and accidentally became an addict yourself.
Why are drugs addictive?
Recreational drugs of any kind activate the pleasure center of your brain. You feel good, you feel happy and you feel you’re in control. Since you feel happy and you are in control you want these feeling to remain for a long time. The chemicals that frequently trigger your pleasure center stops the other functions of the brain specifically those parts that are responsible for your logic, judgement and social control. Everything revolves around you. You are willing to sell your stuff even your spoon and fork in your house just to satisfy your habit. You see everyone as enemies that are making fun of you even if they don’t.
Then one day you decide to stop. Your will is good but your pleasure principle has gone far stronger. Instead of controlling your brain, your brain controls you and it wants pleasure and it wants pleasure now.
What should we do?
Ask for help. Don’t be an idiot.
It is difficult to stop your battles in the inside so it is important that you gradually treat yourself on the outside. Take therapy. When you are in drug abuse therapy, you will be amazed to see doctors, lawyers, artists, businessmen, politician and even religious leaders who are just like you and all of them need help.
What if it fails?
It is supposed to fail. It will fail and fail and fail and fail and fail, until one day you wake up back to your normal self. You’ll cry, feel good, feel amazed, and all of this because you are now free.
Don’t give up on yourself because others won’t. You are not alone in your battle, you just need some help.
Conclusion
Don’t take recreational drugs. It had destroyed many lives just because of a single try and it would also destroy yours. If you are and addict, admit the problem and get help. There are a lot of people who will help you.
If your loved one is an addict, confront them with your love. Be there for them and don’t judge them. Help them fight their addiction. This is the only time that they will truly need your help to overcome their drug abuse and addiction. Don’t let a single tablet destroy your love for the person whom you truly cared for.
