There are a lot of misconceptions and a fair bit of uncertainty about the nature of addictions, how they're caused, what course they follow and how best to treat them. These pages will shine some light on the key issues.
Impossible to control
If you ask anyone what an addiction is, they'll probably say it's being unable to stop using a substance, for example an illegal drug such as heroin, or maybe alcohol.
Perhaps the best example...
... is cigarette smoking. Anyone who has ever smoked will recognise the strong sense of compulsion to light up, particularly in situations where this is not allowed, such as in an aeroplane.
These aspects of addiction have a physiological basis related to how the substance acts on the brain and a psychological aspect relating to the reasons for taking the substance (such as smoking to improve concentration).
Objectively
Overall, we shouldn't view addiction or dependence in absolute terms. Dependence exists in many different ways and to a variety of degrees of intensity.
There are some people who use substances on a fairly regular basis and over a prolonged period and experience few, if any, problems as a result. For others, however, the capacity to control how often and how much is used seems to erode quickly and a more powerful state of attachment or preoccupation with taking the substance develops.
What happens next depends on the nature of the substance, how someone's using it, the problems that it may be linked with, and the various aspects of the person's psychological make-up, their personal and social relationships.
Drug and alcohol detox centers use three main models for withdrawal from substance abuse, though many alternative models exist as well. The three main models for drug and alcohol detox are the social, medical and rapid detox models.
The social detox model is for those with moderate drug and alcohol dependency problems that do not have a long-history of chemical dependency issues and are medically able and willing to go through detoxification without the use prescribed detox drugs. The social model may or may not be medically supervised and emphasis is upon being in a supportive environment with other like-minded individuals who are struggling with the same issues and offering support.
The medical model of detoxification is for those with severe substance abuse issues, or those who are in poor health or have other existing medical conditions, who need medical intervention and prescribed medications to aid in the detoxification process. Medical detox is completed under the close care of a physician and supporting medical staff. Medical detox is necessary for those with severe alcoholism in order to combat the withdrawal effects of seizure, Delirium Tremors (DT's) and autonomic hyperactivity.
Rapid detox revolutionized the treatment of opiate addictions almost 10 years ago, allowing patients to return to a productive life in a matter of days and eliminating the need to spend months in and out of hospitals or rehabilitation programs.
Today, the name rapid detox has been widely used to describe and advertise all different methods of detoxification. On most cases these methods do not follow the appropriate safety and success intended by physicians studying detoxification under anesthesia.
Ideally, drug and alcohol detox centers should provide counseling along with the detoxification services to help those substance abusers with the psychological and emotional distress that usually accompanies withdrawal. Follow-up treatment in a short-term, long-term or outpatient rehab center is also highly recommended in order to assure recovery over the long haul.
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Barriers
Physical dependency on drugs or alcohol is one of the major barriers to change when it comes to addiction. The addict may not wish to try for sobriety when their may be intense pain due to withdrawal involved in the process. Past experience of withdrawal and relapse may make the addict leery or gun-shy about breaking the physical dependency.
As difficult as physical dependency is to kick for many substance abusers, psychological or emotional dependency may even be tougher to break. For instance, many addicts start using because of underlying issues with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental or emotional issues. When drugs or alcohol are no longer being used, all of a sudden, unpleasant feelings may overwhelm the substance abuser, which encourages using again to make the feelings go away.
