Drug Addiction Follows A "Life Cycle"
The life cycle of addiction begins with a problem, discomfort or some
form of emotional or physical pain a person is experiencing. They find
this very difficult to deal with.
 We
start off with an individual who is basically good. This person
encounters a problem or discomfort that they do not know how to resolve
or cannot confront. This could include problems such as difficulty “fitting
in” as a child or teenager, anxiety due to peer pressure or work
expectations, identity problems or divorce as an adult.
It can also include physical discomfort, such as an injury or chronic
pain. The person experiencing the discomfort has a real problem. He
feels his present situation is unendurable, yet sees no good solution to
the problem.
Everyone has experienced this in life to a greater or lesser degree.
The difference between an addict and the non-addict is that the addict
chooses drugs or alcohol as a solution to the unwanted problem or
discomfort.
Drugs And Problems
This person tries drugs or alcohol. The drugs APPEAR to solve his
problem. He feels better. Because he now SEEMS better able to deal with
life, the drugs become valuable to him. The painkilling effects of drugs
or alcohol become a solution to their discomfort. Inadvertently the drug
or alcohol now becomes valuable because it helped them feel better. This
release is the main reason a person uses drugs or drinks a second or
third time. It is just a matter of time before he becomes fully addicted
and loses the ability to control his drug use. Drug addiction, then,
results from excessive or continued use of physiologically habit-forming
drugs in an attempt to resolve the underlying symptoms of discomfort or
unhappiness.
The Addiction Progresses
 Analogous
to an adolescent child in his first love affair, the use of drugs or
alcohol becomes obsessive. The addicted person is trapped. Whatever
problem he was initially trying to solve by using drugs or alcohol fades
from memory. At this point, all he can think about is getting and using
drugs. He loses the ability to control his usage and disregards the
horrible consequences of his actions.
How Drugs Affect Behavior
 The
addict will now attempt to withhold the fact of his drug use from
friends and family members. He will begin to suffer the effects of his
own dishonesty and guilt. He may become withdrawn and difficult to
reason with. He may behave strangely.
The more he uses drugs and alcohol, the guiltier he will
feel, and the more depressed he will become. He will sacrifice his
personal integrity, his relationships with friends and family, his job,
his savings, and anything else he may have in an attempt to get more
drugs. The drugs are now the most important things in his life. His
relationships and job performance will go drastically downhill.
Alcohol And Drug Tolerance
In addition to the mental stress created by his
unethical behavior, the addict’s body has also adapted to the presence
of the drugs. He will experience an overwhelming obsession with getting
and using his drugs, and will do anything to avoid the pain of
withdrawing from them. This is when the newly-created addict begins to
experience drug cravings.
 He
now seeks drugs both for the reward of the “pleasure” they give him,
and also to avoid the mental and physical horrors of withdrawal.
Ironically, the addict’s ability to get “high” from the alcohol or
drug gradually decreases as his body adapts to the presence of foreign
chemicals. He must take more and more, not just to get an effect but often
just to function at all.
At this point, the addict is stuck in a vicious downward
spiral. The drugs he abuses have changed him both physically and mentally.
He has crossed an invisible and intangible line. He is now a drug addict
or alcoholic.
Drugs And Personality Change
 The "Drug Personality" includes such
characteristics as:
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Mood swings, unreliable emotions.
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Unable to finish projects.
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Unexpressed resentment and secret hatreds.
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Dishonesty -- lies to family, friends, employers.
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Withdraws from those who love him, isolates self.
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May appear chronically depressed.
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May begin stealing from family and friends.
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