Drug Addiction
The economic costs of drug addiction have been estimated at 80 billion dollars in the U.S. alone.
Drug
addiction is a complex brain disease, characterized by compulsive, often
uncontrollable, drug craving, seeking and using. The Mayo Clinic defines
drug addiction as "compulsively seeking to use a substance, regardless of
the potentially negative social, psychological and physical consequences."
Addiction (whatever the drug of choice) always involves lack of control and repeated inability to take personal responsibility for behaviors. Drugs such as narcotics and cocaine have a high potential for creating physical dependence.
For most addicts, compulsive drug seeking and chronic drug using result in permanent changes in brain functioning. Even after long periods of abstinence, the potential for relapse still exists.
Alcoholism
Medical science has determined that alcoholism is a disease, not unlike diabetes. And just as a diabetic can't use willpower to change his or her insulin production, the alcoholic has no way to control the cravings for alcohol by merely wishing it were so.
Alcoholism, in medical terms, has four primary symptoms:
- Craving: a consuming desire or compulsion to drink.
- Loss of control: an inability to limit one's consumption of alcohol in any given situation.
- Physical dependence: when alcohol use is stopped (or alcohol is unavailable), the alcoholic experiences withdrawal symptoms.
- Tolerance: the need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to experience the initial pleasurable effect.
Scientists have determined that some people have a genetic predisposition to become alcoholic, although genetics alone aren't enough to "make" someone an alcoholic. Other factors, such as the age at which the potential alcoholic first started drinking and the potential alcoholic's home environment during adolescence and young adulthood, also play a part.
While some "casual drinkers" may go on to develop alcoholism, it is unlikely that an alcoholic can drink socially (control his or her drinking) for any extended period of time.
Prescription Drug Addiction
According to the National Center On Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, more Americans abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin combined.
Data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests that approximately 20% of the US population has used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons at some time in their lives.
With a problem so widespread, it's no wonder that abuse of prescription medications is a growing problem in today's business world.
Frequently, prescription drug abuse starts when the user originally sought medical treatment for legitimate symptoms. Under a doctor's supervision, these medications can be very effective in treating a variety of physical or emotional problems. However, when the user begins taking the medication more frequently than prescribed-or has even visited a number of different doctors and pharmacies to multiply the prescriptions-this results in addiction.