This question is often asked by addicts and their loved ones. People are constantly trying to understand what addiction is and why it is so brutal. Is it truly a lack of control, or is it just laziness and a symptom of someone who has no interest in doing well?
Although we would love to find the answer, all we have is our experience and what we have seen in those important to us.
Through our experience we have come to understand addiction as a complete lack of power as well as a disease. That being said, it is not our intention to condone negative behaviors due to a lack of choice. The first step towards recovery is almost always admitting that one is powerless over the actions and choices which led to their unmanageable life.
The next question people usually ask is the one raised at the beginning of this article: If someone smokes pot or uses a "safe" and legal medication, can they be an addict? Or do they need to have really hit "rock bottom" and be living in an undesirable area or homeless while simultaneously using dangerous or illicit substances?
Through our collective experiences we have learned that the substance is not what in fact defines an addict. Furthermore, if a substance is not lethal, it can still lead towards an unsustainable life once someone loses their power to make a healthy decision vis a vis their relationship with drugs and substances. Therefore, we believe that anyone who wants to stop using a certain substance, no matter the level of legality or safety, but cannot, deserves rehabilitation.
Moreover, it is worth acknowledging the case of a person who refuses to be identified as an addict because they only use mild substances and live a seemingly stable life with a job, a car, and a nice home. This example of what begins as an initially manageable life can easily spiral into a more serious case. In line with the view of addiction as a progressive illness, substance use, which starts off as mild, often intensifies in severity over time. We have seen many instances in which serious addiction develops after a "milder" substance no longer creates the desired effect , and the user will commence with harder, more serious drugs.
More often than not, manageability is a smokescreen. If the situation is examined, one can see where the car, the house and the job came from. It is then evident that if the parents, family or connections would stop supporting the person, all of the nice things would disappear.
It is important to highlight the common misunderstandings regarding different legal drugs. Many prescription drugs are just a cleaner form of an awful street drug and can cause the same dangerous outcomes. Furthermore, having a prescription does not mean that the user is taking the correct amount. Often the user has convinced the doctor to give them the drugs they desire via phony excuses and stories as well as manipulation.
Think of all the "real addicts," did they start with heroin or crack? In some cases yes, but very often they started by using mild substances. Why wait until they are in a life threatening situation before helping them? If they are willing to get help and have no power of choice when they try to stop, why differentiate based on the substances in question?
Addiction is usually defined by addicts as a lack of power to choose, no matter how strong the logic against it is. If you or your loved one is unable to stay away from a substance even though they have been trying to, they may very well be an addict. Reach out to us for help.
