Addiction

What is addiction?

Addiction is a concept with many different opinions. Addiction is sometimes seen as a disease, habit, vice or as a social problem. The term addiction is also used for customs where people have no resistance to offer. This includes concepts such as gambling addiction, sex addiction and Internet addiction. One of the definitions of addiction is that the use of resources freely for the physical need. The term addiction is popular in everyday parlance. The scientific and more neutral term of addiction is dependence. 

You speak of addiction if you need a certain way to achieve the same effect.

Withdrawal symptoms get when you do not use drugs. There may be physical symptoms, such as sweating or trembling. On the other hand, mental symptoms such as restless or panic if you do not use the drug.

Used to prevent withdrawal symptoms. You should use to feel good

Other risks and problems:
Addiction is not the only risk of substance use. Substance abuse also causes many problems in society.
Think of aggression on the streets and the use of violence in the home. And accidents at work and in traffic. And diseases (such as heart and liver diseases) where alcohol is the leading cause.

How do you get addicted?

People are not just addicted. A process sometimes lasts for years. How long it takes before you are addicted also linked to the drug. Heroin and tobacco are drugs that quickly lead to addiction. 

The addiction process consists of the following stages:

Experimental use:

In this stage, people are curious about drugs. They try it out. Testing is temporary. You stick with it or you do not use at all.

Social use:

People use the means of the positive effects. The function of the use of the product is that it is tasty, cozy. Some people also use it to celebrate or for relaxing.

Overuse:

People use the drugs to have unpleasant feelings or problems. But the control over the drug use starts to decrease after sometimes it is not a conscious choice anymore. There are less control and less enjoyment.

Addiction:

This stage takes almost everything to the use of the drug. This stage is often accompanied by physical, psychological and social problems. Wanting to use is necessary become to use. 

Eventually, the use of hashish or marijuana would lead to addiction to hard drugs such as heroin. This view appears to be wrong. Research has shown that many people use hash or weed without getting out of hand use. 
There is a clear cause for someone to become an addict. Such as a difficult childhood, a certain character or a bad relationship. But this appears to be wrong. There are plenty of people with a difficult childhood or a bad relationship that never become addicted. 

Once addicted, always addicted?

Overcoming an addiction can be a long process. It often means that you again need to give meaning to your life. This only depends on the person. Some overcome their addiction and live without the meaning of life, when others have to deal with their addiction. 

The longer you are hooked, the more difficult it is to break the pattern. In addition, when you are off it, you keep more sensitive to the drug. In other words, you are sitting there in a fix again. A familiar example is cigarette smoking. Even though you are not addicted to, smoking anymore but smoking one cigarette can make sure that your back gets the ax and falls back into the old smoking habit. In some cases, people can learn to manage in a normal way. This is sometimes a difficult process.

How long before you are addicted?

There is not one agent that leads to addiction by a single use. Make someone addicted with intent, for example "something" to do with his or her drink, does not exist. In some means, such as nicotine, an addiction can occur within a few weeks. Heroin is highly addictive. Cocaine and amphetamines are less and ecstasy, hashish and marijuana are much less. Alcoholism is usually a process of several years. If you drink alcohol regularly, you are more likely to become an addict. 

What is the difference between physical and mental addiction?

Physical addiction means that if you stop using drugs your body protests. Then withdrawal symptoms occur. Another physical phenomenon tolerance. This means that you need more and more of the drug to feel the same effects. Physical addiction
means that you do not function properly without the drug. You try to find as many opportunities to use it. If you do not use the drug, you think so often. The agent is getting more priority. If you stop, you can get withdrawal symptoms because you miss the agent. You can then feel much raised up or depressed, but you can also experience insomnia or headaches. These withdrawal symptoms are over after a few weeks. 

Addiction hereditary?

In one family addiction is more common than in the other. In boys this applies more strongly than girls do. In addition, study has shown that there is a genetic trend to alcoholism in twins. People with a genetic tendency to develop their alcohol addiction at a much younger age than others. Besides inheritance other issues also play a role, such as education, habit or the environment. 

Are assisting addicts successful?

Withdrawal of a product is often a matter of trial and error, so the treatment should be repeated sometimes. In the therapy process it is also important that someone’s support or opposition gets out his surroundings. Moreover, the more people there are, the greater the chance of success. There are addicts who succeed without help to get rid of their addiction. Very important is the attitude of the addict: he or she must really want it. 

Are all resources addictive?

That depends not only on the resources off, but also of the person and the reason for use. It is sometimes claimed that a human does not touch drugs after a single use. People can have good or bad experiences with a product. After a bad experience, you have no desire for it at all and you are not in for the next time. A positive experience can ensure that you will use it often.

What is tolerance?

Against certain substances, the body builds tolerance. It means that the body is faster break down the substance as it is often used and is used in larger quantities. As a result, there must be more to take of the agent to achieve the same effect. Not at all means talk of tolerance. With alcohol and heroin is sometimes built up tolerance, not with cannabis. The resulting position is that alcohol and heroin are physically addictive and not cannabis.

Addiction is out of bounds

In 2011, more than 30,000 people with alcohol addiction was sent to a relief agency. However, probably the actual number of alcoholics are much higher, because not everyone is looking for help. Psychologist and psychotherapist works with addicts daily and helps them.

When are you addicted? 

There is no clear definition of an addiction. “Roughly speaking, you can speak it when someone cannot do without, mentally or physically," says social experts. "Moreover, there is in many addictions there is a tolerance: you still need to achieve the same effect. Then the use of drugs becomes increasingly higher. “The most common addiction in all over the world is alcohol. About 10% of people have a drinking problem. "That's a lot," emphasizes the psychologist.

Slowly sneaks it in

an addiction does not come from one day to another. Without that, people see through, they become dependent on a drug or a habit. Because there is a difference between a medium and a non-substance related addiction. On that latter form, you could think of a shop or a gambling addiction. "It is often a form of self-medication," says social experts. "It starts with experimentation. If it pleases, it slowly turns into regular use. Changes in need at a given time. It also dampens be appetizing, you can forget your problems. It works as a kind of escape mechanism. Therefore, you see it slowly creep into one's life.”

Disease

In recent years, more and more is known about the background of addictions. "There was long a taboo on the subject; leaving not much research has been done. Fortunately, that is changing, "says social experts. It is now clear that addiction is a disease. People who becomes addicted have a weak persona and have no opposition to the addiction.

Dopamine 

The cause of an addiction is to be found in the brains, namely, in the happiness spot dopamine. This substance is naturally present in the brains and has to do with the transfer of information. It causes a joyous feeling after drinking alcohol. If the extra amount of dopamine decreases to its original form, it can be unpleasant. So it can happen that someone will use again and end up in a vicious circle of addiction.

Genetics

Research has also shown that genetics probably plays a role in addiction. How this works exactly is not clear yet. However, more causes play a role. In the bio psychosocial model, which do social experts, several elements of interest, use. Social experts: "This is a very broad model. You have the genetic side, the mental side and play environmental or social factors involved. What kind of education has anyone had for example? From this, you can settle that a person who has an addiction weakness in their genes does not become addicted. Poor conditions can ensure that certain genes are activated.”

In modern research are craving and its related addiction memory more and more forward. The real addiction, obsessive feelings to want the drug, also plays an important role. This is also called "craving": the irresistible desire to take an agent.

The family is suffering with

An addiction often manages one's life completely. "People are primarily concerned with the use. Everything suffers, such as relationships, children and work. This creates many arguments, because the drink or the drugs coming in first place. Often people make false promises: I will stop; I am going to start all over again. However, it does not usually. "

Treatment 

social experts treats people only who does not use drugs anymore. He does this through in-depth interviews based on mental behavioral therapy. Social experts’ works with many different experts. They are working for a modified treatment for each client.

• An unusual feature in people with addictions is that they put away their feelings. “Substance use can be seen as a form of self-medication: to feel less you through. However, in a chat it is important that such feelings will not just come to the table. It is sometimes quite intense, because people often go back to the past where bad things have happened. Treatment should cause people do not need the means to hide their emotions. It is important, because you have to look at the world differently. You cannot just do. You need a lot of courage and perseverance to complete a successful treatment. "