How Does Substance Abuse Start?
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Self-Medicating
A growing number of people today use drugs to make themselves feel better. People self-medicate with substances that numb their thinking so they can’t be haunted by negative memories, thoughts or emotions. Others abuse drugs to take physical pain away. Still others use drugs as a reward for hardships or a long day at work. Drugs like prescription painkillers, tranquilizers and even marijuana are often used by individuals to meet an emotional or physical need.Fitting in with the Crowd
Other people get hooked on drugs when they decide to experiment with them to follow the crowd or to do something fun. These individuals mistakenly think that by taking part in drug abuse once or twice, they will be more liked by friends. They also believe that they can stop doing drugs anytime they want.Prescription Drug Addiction
Other groups of people simply fall into drug addiction. These are the people that take medications prescribed by a doctor following a surgery, injury or illness. These individuals may even take their pills as directed, but over time they too can become addicted. No matter what the case, drug addiction controls and devastates lives. Anyone who ingests, sniffs, smokes, or injects drugs can become addicted to them. Sometimes this happens even after just one use. Drugs must be treated with respect, because they can quickly lead to a lifetime of addiction. There is still hope for those with an addiction to drugs, but the road to recovery is often long and difficult. We need to work to educate more people about the dangers of drug addiction, in order to keep more people from getting caught up with this problem.Article author
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Living with an alcoholic – Shame
If you live with an alcoholic you will almost certainly feel shame. Some people will experience it to a very high level others less so but almost everyone who lives with an alcoholic experiences it to some degree. You will probably feel anxious that people will discover your secret, that they will judge you and, inevitably, will find you unacceptable to be around decent people. Seeing it written down like that it probably seems stupid. How could anyone feel that.
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Myths About Drug Treatment
Myth #1: Drug addiction is voluntary behavior. A person starts out as an occasional drug user, and that is a voluntary decision. But as times passes, something happens, and that person goes from being a voluntary drug user to being a compulsive drug user. Why? Because over time, continued use of addictive drugs changes your brain -- at times in dramatic, toxic ways, at others in more subtle ways, but virtually always in ways that result in compulsive and even uncontrollable drug use. Myth #2: More than anything else, drug addiction is a character flaw.
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What Do You Do and When
When you have a suspicion your teen is doing drugs, what do you do? First, learn as much as you can. Check out all of SelfGrowth.com for information on drug and alcohol use by teens. Know that there is help available for you and your child. In most communities, you can get help from your pediatrician, nurse, or other health care provider, a counselor at your child's school, or your faith community.
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Is my partner an alcoholic?
Are you one of many people who live with someone who drinks heavily? Do you wonder whether your partner is an alcoholic. Well you are certainly not alone. For many people living with problem drinkers means agony and confusion wondering whether their partner is actually an alcoholic or whether they are making a fuss about nothing. This is a very real problem for many reasons.
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